Adair County Sheriff Jeff Vandewater, Monday night announced the arrest of a former Orient, Iowa man. As the result of an accident that claimed the life of a man from Menlo, and which occurred west of Orient on May 8th, 2020, an arrest warrant was issued in Adair County for 41-year-old Elijah Daniel Davis. Davis is alleged to have committed Homicide by Vehicle and Child Endangerment.

On May 8, 2020, 39-year old Jeremy Lane Trichel, of Menlo, died, when a 2000 Ford Astro Van driven by Davis struck Trichel’s 1946 F-100 pickup head-on at around 5:06-p.m. on Highway 25, east of Orange Avenue.  Both vehicles came to rest on the north ditch. Trichel was ejected from his vehicle. Davis suffered serious injuries.

In the investigation that followed, local information was developed that indicated that Davis may be currently residing outside of the State. The U.S. Marshals Service for the Southern District of Iowa in Des Moines was contacted and their assistance was requested. The cooperation between multiple agencies resulted in the arrest of Davis on Thursday, June 10th, 2021, in Fort Meyers, Florida, by members of the U.S. Marshals Service Florida/Caribbean Regional Fugitive Task Force.

Sheriff Vandewater wishes to extend his sincere appreciation to the U.S. Marshals Service for their assistance in the investigation and arrest of Davis. The Adair County Sheriff’s Office will now work through the extradition process and return Davis back to Iowa. It should be noted that a criminal charge is merely an accusation and the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.

In other news, Sheriff Vandewater said 26-year-old Tray D. Anderson, of Exira, was arrested Saturday night on an Adair County warrant for Domestic Abuse Assault/2nd offense, and False Imprisonment. Anderson was being held in the Adair County Jail on $3,000 bond.