COUNCIL BLUFFS, IA – A woman from Pottawattamie County was sentenced Tuesday to six-months in prison, for Acquiring a Controlled Substance by Misrepresentation, Fraud, Deception and Subterfuge. Officials say 39-year-old Jadelyn Marie Maher, of Council Bluffs, will also be required to serve one year of supervised release upon completion of her sentence. She must also ordered to pay a $3,000 fine. According to court documents, Maher pleaded guilty to the charge on November 4, 2021.

Maher was employed as a registered nurse at facilities where she falsified health care records and narcotics log sheets when she checked out narcotics/opioids for patients. Maher took the Hydrocodone and Oxycodone pills for her own use. Maher’s nursing license was forfeited by the Court.

United States Attorney Richard D. Westphal of the Southern District of Iowa made the announcement. The Iowa Medicaid Fraud Control Unit investigated the case. This case was prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s Offices for the Southern District of Iowa.

COUNCIL BLUFFS, IA – A Judge in Pottawattamie County District Court, Tuesday, sentenced a Nebraska man to 3-years in prison, for being a Prohibited Person in Possession of a Firearm. In addition, 43-year-old Tiloe Cardel Williams, of Omaha, was have his term of imprisonment followed by three years of supervised release. According to court documents, Williams pleaded guilty to the charge on November 4, 2021.

On July 30, 2021, a police officer stopped Williams’ vehicle for overly dark window tint. The officer could smell marijuana and requested the assistance of a canine officer. Marijuana and a firearm were located under the cup holder of the center console. At the time of the offense, Williams was a convicted felon and drug user and was prohibited from possessing a firearm.

United States Attorney Richard D. Westphal of the Southern District of Iowa made the announcement. The Council Bluffs Police Department and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated the case. This case was prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s Offices for the Southern District of Iowa.

COUNCIL BLUFFS, IA – A man from Colorado was sentenced Tuesday, March 22nd in Council Bluffs U-S District Court, to serve 16-years in prison for Conspiracy to Distribute Methamphetamine. In addition, the Judge sentenced 43-year-old Jeremy Antonio Trujillo to 10-years in prison for being a Felon in Possession of a Firearm. The sentences will run concurrently. His term of imprisonment will be followed by five years of supervised release. According to court documents, Trujillo pleaded guilty to the charges on November 4, 2021.

Trujillo’s co-defendant, 37-year-old Kristen Leigh Jarrard, also of Colorado, was sentenced on November 2, 2021, to 13-years in prison for Conspiracy to Distribute Methamphetamine and 120 months in prison for Felon in Possession of a Firearm. Her sentences will also run concurrently. Jarrard’s term of imprisonment will also be followed by five years of supervised release. She plead guilty to the charges on March 18, 2021.

On October 28, 2020, the couple was stopped for a traffic violation on Interstate 29 and a law enforcement dog was run around the vehicle. Following a canine alert for the odor of narcotics on the car, officers recovered a backpack containing 817 grams of methamphetamine and a loaded Smith and Wesson .45 caliber revolver. Surveillance video from a motel showed Trujillo and Jarrard carrying bags from the motel to the vehicle and Trujillo carrying the backpack from the motel to the car and placing it inside. Both Jarrard and Trujillo are prior convicted felons.

United States Attorney Richard D. Westphal of the Southern District of Iowa made the announcement. The Iowa State Patrol, Council Bluffs Police Department and the Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement investigated the case. The United States Marshals Service made the arrests. This case was prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s Offices for the Southern District of Iowa.

(Radio Iowa) – Page County Conservation and Public Health officials confirmed today (Wednesday) that Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza was discovered in snow geese at Rapp Park north of Shenandoah. County Conservation Director John Schwab says his office was first contacted two weeks ago after dead geese were discovered at the park. “We collected a number of dead birds last Monday — I think the total number was around 70. They were all snow geese that we collected, and the D-N-R tested 10 of them, and send them out to the lab. Then, we got reports back this week that they were positive for the avian flu virus,” Schwab says.

Schwab says it’s not uncommon for wild birds to have the bird flu. “The avian flu is always present in the wild bird population,” he says. “It’s just this is the strain that crosses over to domesticated flocks very quickly. So, from the guidelines we were getting, have individuals watch their flocks. A big way that it’s transmitted is through the feces of the wild birds. So, there are a lot of wild birds around domesticated flocks. Just watch for the symptoms in the domesticated animals.”

Symptoms include decreased water consumption, lack of energy and appetite, soft or thin-shelled or misshapen eggs, swelling of the head, eyelids, comb, wattles and hocks, difficulty breathing, and coughing, sneezing and nasal discharge, among others. Though health experts say bird flu is highly contagious and often fatal to domestic bird populations, no human cases of avian viruses have been confirmed in the U-S. Schwab encourages residents to enjoy outdoor wildlife–with caution.”We’re still telling people to definitely go out and enjoy it,” Schwab says. “Just kind of use common sense when dealing with wild animals. Stay a good distance from them, and definitely, if you see a dead wild animal, if it’s in the parks, contact my office and definitely stay away from it.”

He adds hunters and others should use extra precautions when handling wild game–especially during processing. Anyone suspecting signs of H-P-A-I in their flocks should contact their local veterinarian, or the Iowa Department of Agriculture. This would be the sixth case of bird flu confirmed in the state.

(Radio Iowa) – Republicans in the Iowa House have approved a budget that provides a more than seven million dollar spending boost to the state prison system. Representative Gary Worthan, a Republican from Storm Lake, led development of the budget plan. “(It) will allow them to keep hiring,” Worthan said. “They’re facing the same challenges that everybody is, trying to find qualified employees to hire.”

Representative Todd Prichard, a Democrat from Charles City, notes that a year ago today (Wednesday), two employees at the state prison in Anamosa were murdered by two inmates attempting to escape. “After time passes and we think that we solved the problem by just, in my mind, throwing some money at it — which, I’ll admit it was needed, it was part of the issue — we move on,” Prichard said.

Prichard unsuccessfully tried to attach policy to the budget that would have increased the penalty for attacking a prison employee and let prison workers bring up safety related topics in contract negotiations.  “I’ve spent a lot of time visiting and talking to people who work in the prisons and correctional institutions and wanted to do something meaningful for the two individuals that were murdered and their families,” Prichard said.

Prichard’s proposal was tabled on procedural grounds. The budget plan for the state’s entire justice system was approved with the support of all but two House Republicans. It provides a nearly 13 million dollar increase over the current year’s budget for prisons,

(Atlantic, Iowa) -During a meeting held this (Wednesday) morning in the Central Office Conference Room, members of the Atlantic School Board acted to approve a contract with Scot Aden, who will serve as the new Middle School Principal, effective July 1st. He will succeed Josh Rasmussen, who has accepted a job as the Superintendent for the AC/GC School District, effective July 1st.

According to Atlantic School District Superintendent Steve Barber, there were 12 applicants for the AMS Principal’s job. The list was whittled down to four individuals, each of whom were interviewed in front of a parent group, student group, teacher group, and administrative committee.

As mentioned previously in our reports, Scot Aden is currently serving as Principal for the Cherokee Middle School, in Cherokee (Iowa). It’s a position he’s held for nearly six-years.

(Greenfield, Iowa) – The Adair County Board of Supervisors held a short meeting this (Wednesday) morning, in Greenfield. The started with handing out “Years of Service” Awards for County Employees, and during their regular session that followed, approved a township clerk wage for Brenda Stanley, with Lee Township, in the amount of $40.

The Board also acted on Homestead and Military Disallowances, and agreed to have Board Chair Matt Wedemeyer send out letters to those persons affected by the decision. In other business, the Adair County Supervisors approved an agreement with the Iowa Department of Transportation, for a Road Detour we told you about last week, that’s associated with a Highway 25 resurfacing project.

That’s Matt Wedemeyer explaining the detour route. The Board approved the use up to $1,500 of American Rescue Plan Act funds, for Adair County Tourism Department signs. Supervisor Jerry Walker….

And, Assistant to the Adair County Engineer, Sawyer Hansen, provided the Board with an update on Secondary Roads Department maintenance and activities.

Hansen said they appreciate phone calls from county residents with concerns about road rock. He said they’ll get any reported issues taken care of as soon as possible.

(Radio Iowa) – The head wrestling coach at Baxter High School in central Iowa is in the intensive care unit of a California hospital after an accident over Spring Break. Twenty-seven-year-old Joe Amadeo was out jogging in Palm Springs, California on March 16th when he was struck by a passing vehicle. Amadeo was taken to a nearby trauma center following the accident. He underwent brain surgery, which lasted several hours, according to family members.

A fundraising web page is currently being set up through the Baxter High School wrestling program. Those wishing to keep up to date on Amadeo’s condition may do so by following the family’s Caring Bridge website.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – Today (Wednesday), is the last day until later this summer, for you to order and pick-up your favorite food, drinks and appetizers, from the Atlantic McDonald’s Restaurant. As we’ve previously mentioned, the store is closing at the end of the day so that a renovation project may begin on the same site. The new store, which will open on the same site later this summer, will feature two drive-through lanes, instead of one, and two side-by-side order points, instead of one, in order to improve service.

New Atlantic McDonald’s site plan (File image, 10/2/21)

The City of Atlantic’s Planning and Zoning Commission approved plans last October, for the changes to the store. They heard from Casey Thompson, a Design Engineer with Bishop Construction in Des Moines, who told KJAN News that the building and site will look very similar to the more modern McDonald’s restaurants in Des Moines, Omaha, and other, larger cities. He said those locations have straighter lines on the buildings, and an updated look. The actual lot size will be smaller, but the building size will not change.

A sample of the latest McDonald’s designs (Photo via McDonalds.com)

Bishop construction was hired to do the work by McDonald’s Real Estate Company, based in Elkhorn, Neb.

A woman from Creston was arrested Tuesday evening on a Union County warrant. According to Creston Police, 46-year-old Nichole Ann Hayes was arrested at the Union County Law Enforcement Center on a warrant for Failure to Appear on a charge of Theft in the 5th Degree. Hayes was later released on a $300 cash or surety bond.