(Harlan, Iowa) – Police in Harlan, Tuesday (today), said there were two recent arrests to report. On Monday (June 6), 32-year-old Brooke Megan Hytle, of Harlan, was arrested for Public Intoxication. And, on Saturday, 19-year-old Daija Suzanne Buttry, of Harlan, was arrested following a traffic stop. Buttry was transported to the Shelby County Jail where she was charged with possession of a controlled substance, driving while suspended, no proof of insurance, windshield requirement, fail to display license plate, no seat belt and minor in possession of alcohol.

And, Harlan Police investigated two, non-injury accidents. On Friday, vehicles driven by Grace Mallory, of Charter Oak, and Tonya Feekes, of Walnut, collided head-on, when Mallory’s 1993 Pontiac Bonneville crossed the center line of the road as it was traveling east, in the 1200 block of Chatburn Avenue, and collided with Feekes’ westbound 2016 Dodge Ram.

The other accident occurred at 19th and Chatburn in Harlan, on June 2nd. Authorities say Danny Kittrell, of Harlan, was attempting to turn left onto 19th Street.  Samantha Wahling, of Shelby, was unable to stop. Her 2001 Toyota Camry struck Kitrell’s 2016 Honda Civic, in the rear.

(Radio Iowa) – Governor Kim Reynolds says the Iowa National Guard’s adjutant general has briefed her about the Guard’s connection to last week’s shooting at an Ames church, as a man who’d been a member of the Guard since 2015 shot a woman to death who was a member of the same unit.

The Story County Sheriff says Johnathan Whitlach shot 22-year-old Eden Montang and another women, then shot himself to death. Montang had recently ended a relationship with Whitlach and he had been charged at the end of May with harassing her at work. Reynolds today said leaders of the Guard were aware of Whitlach’s actions.

“He was full-time and relieved of duty and so I have to be careful how much is out and what isn’t,” Reynolds said. “There were some steps that had been taken.”

Whitlach was seeing a mental health counselor, according to the governor. “But again, some people just have evil in their heart and I don’t know what we can do and it’s not necessarily a gun,” Reynolds said. “We’ve seen them use other things, especially in domestic abuse.”

Montang’s friend, 21-year-old Vivian Flores, was also shot to death outside Cornerstone Church in Ames. The two women were active in a youth ministry at the church.

(Radio Iowa) – Governor Reynolds has signed a bill into law that lifts the cap on the amount of alcohol Iowa distilleries may produce. It also lets smaller distilleries sell up to nine liters of alcohol to retail customers at their locations. Larger Iowa distilleries are already allowed to sell that amount to a retail customer. Reynolds went to the Revelton Distillery in Osceola for a ceremony to sign the bill, which deals with a wide-range of state liquor control issues.

“The bill does several things to enhance Iowa’s licensing and permitting processes for alcohol distributors. It creates Sunday sales parity for all retail license and alcohol permits and it simplifies the permitting process for non-profit organizations applying for licenses for events,” Reynolds says. “Finally, the bill – which I love — will help quickly modernize the outdated process for applying for, renewing and paying for licenses.” It changes the licensing system for producers and sellers of beer, wine and alcohol, including the fee structure.

Christy Taylor,Gov. Reynolds, Rob Taylor.(RI-photo)

Rob Taylor and his wife, Christi, own the Revelton Distillery in Osceola. He says the bill will allow native distilleries expand, as they’ve been restricted to producing 16-hundred barrels of bourbon and whiskey each year.  “Because of this bill, it allows us as a distillery….to make unlimited amounts of fine spirits and be competitive not only within our state, but within our region — and also our dream is to be competitive globally,” Taylor says. “We have the best corn in the world in Iowa and I think, because of that, we should have some of the finest spirits in the world.”

The legislation became a catch-all for several proposals. It includes new restrictions for food delivery companies like GrubHub, Uber Eats and DoorDash.

(Radio Iowa) – Des Moines police have released the name of the local woman who was shot and killed near downtown last (Monday) night. Police were called about 9:30 PM to an area along the Des Moines River near the Robert Ray Asian Garden and the Iowa Women of Achievement pedestrian bridge. Officers found the body of 21-year-old Elizabeth Arzola with a gunshot wound. She died at the scene.

A handgun was also found close-by. Investigators say it was likely a “targeted incident” and there is no danger to the public. No arrests have been made in Des Moines’ ninth homicide this year.

(Sioux City, Iowa) – A collision northeast of Sioux City, Tuesday morning, resulting in one person dead and two others injured. The Iowa State Patrol reports a 1998 Honda Civic driven by 22-year-old Uzael Abraham, of Sioux City, was traveling south on Highway 75 near C-70, at around 5:45-a.m., when the vehicle was struck from behind. The other vehicle was a 2015 Nissan Sentra, driven by 30-year-old David Diaz, of Sioux City.

Following the collision, the Honda spun around and came to rest in the median. A passenger in the car, 45-year-old Ermiohne Joswa, of Sioux City, died at the scene. Uzeal Abraham suffered critical injuries and was transported by Hinton Fire/EMS to Mercy Hospital, in Sioux City.

David Diaz sustained minor injuries in the crash and was also transported to Mercy in Sioux City. The accident remains under investigation.

(Council Bluffs, Iowa) – A man and a woman from Council Bluffs were arrested this (Tuesday) morning on the Iowa Western Community College campus in Council Bluffs, following the pursuit of a stolen SUV. 32-year-old Jeremy Belt and 27-year-old Jamia D. Sutton face theft, eluding, and a litany of other, pending charges.

According to Council Bluffs Police, at around 10-a.m. officers were checking the area around the Bomgaars store (2803 E Kanesville Blvd) for a stolen Grey Hyundai Santa Fe. They saw the SUV traveling at a high rate of speed on E Kanesville.

When a Council Bluffs Police Officer attempted to perform a traffic stop on the vehicle, he broke-off the traffic stop when the vehicle fled and began driving erratically. The vehicle went off road and onto a dirt road towards the Iowa Western Community College Campus. Officers converged on the area to check the IWCC Campus to see if they could locate the vehicle, which was found abandoned in the area of the Towers Dorm, on the IWCC Campus.

Jamia D. Sutton

Jeremy J. Belt

A perimeter search of the area was conducted. The officer who had attempted to stop the vehicle was able to provide a description of the two suspects. They were located running through the campus grounds into the woods and creek bottom. Both were taken into custody after a foot pursuits.

Authorities say during the course of the incident IWCC was kept in continual communication as to the event once it was determined the suspects were heading towards the campus. IWCC put into effect their Campus Threat Protocol. Once the two suspects were apprehended IWCC was immediately notified they could come out of their lock down.

Due to the quick action of the campus, Police believe this kept the suspects from being able to get into any of their facilities. There were NO guns found, No shots fired and the suspects were found UNARMED. There were no reported injuries.

(Glenwood, Iowa) – A woman from Page County was arrested this (Tuesday) morning at the Mills County Courthouse. Sheriff’s officials say 41-year-old Haley Ann Haynes, of Shambaugh, was taken into custody on a warrant for Failure to Appear on an original, Possession of a Controlled Substance, charge. She was being held on a $15,000 bond.

(Radio Iowa) – The website for Iowa Courts Online reports charges were filed this (Tuesday) morning against a Fort Dodge police officer. Thirty-one-year-old Bryce Presswood is facing charges of operating while intoxicated first offense, an open container violation and leaving the scene of an accident. This is in reference to the accident at Highway 20 and Vasse Avenue south of Duncombe early Sunday evening. There were no injuries in the accident.

Presswood has been placed on paid administrative leave until further notice from the Fort Dodge Police Department because of the accident investigation. Presswood has been a member of the Fort Dodge Police Department since 2016. He served as a school liaison officer for Fort Dodge Senior High. The Webster County Sheriff’s Department and the Iowa State Patrol continue with their investigation of the accident.

(Radio Iowa) – The U-S Court of Appeals has upheld the eight-year prison sentence given to a woman in 2021 after she admitted to damaging the Dakota Access Pipeline. Jessica Reznicek pleaded guilty to conspiracy to damage an energy facility after admitting to vandalism in Buena Vista, Mahaska and Wapello County that included taking a blowtorch to the pipeline. Reznicek argued she was motivated by saving the environment, and the district court erred by classifying her actions as terrorism.

Jessica Reznicek and Ruby Montoya in 2017. (RI photo)

The Appeals Court ruling says the district court would have imposed the same sentence without the terrorism enhancement. It says the district court sentencing considered Reznicek’s “laudable, though ultimately misguided, motivations,” as well as her encouragement of others to imitate her crimes, that her vandalism caused “a grave risk to others,” and that her crimes continued over a long stretch of time.

Ruby Montoya admitted to the vandalism along with Reznicek and reached a plea deal with prosecutors. She has been fighting to withdraw her plea and take the case to trial.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – Officials with the Atlantic Area Chamber of Commerce today (Tuesday), announced the Chamber has joined a statewide coalition to end human trafficking in Iowa. The Iowa Businesses Against Trafficking (IBAT) initiative is spearheaded by the Iowa Secretary of State’s Office. The goal is to have Iowa’s business community raise awareness and help prevent human trafficking. Membership in IBAT is open to any business or nonprofit organization that operates in the State of Iowa and shares a commitment to taking steps to promote awareness of human trafficking and the Iowa Safe at Home program. Safe at Home is an address confidentiality program for survivors of human trafficking and other violent crimes.

Businesses that join IBAT are asked to complete two tasks each year: “Learn Something,” and “Do Something.” Businesses will commit to “Learn Something” by educating employees, customers, and industry partners on the signs and impact of human trafficking in Iowa. Businesses can “Do Something” by empowering more people to take action to prevent human trafficking in Iowa.

Pictured Left to Right: Iowa Secretary of State Staff; Bailey Smith, Atlantic Chamber Executive Director; Kent Hanson, Atlantic Chamber Board President; Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate; Kelsey Beschorner, Atlantic Chamber Program Director and Melissa Ihnen, Atlantic Chamber Board of Director. (Photo courtesy of the Chamber)

Bailey Smith, Executive Director at the Atlantic Area Chamber of Commerce, says “Human Trafficking is an epidemic that is affecting the entire country, but particularly Iowa. I think a lot of people assume, ‘We’re in a small town, this won’t affect us,’ but it is and will continue to until more education is made available. We’re pleased to partner with the Secretary of State’s office to bring more awareness and help educate businesses and residents in our community ways we can all work together to bring an end to this tragedy.”

IBAT was launched by Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate in January 2022. To learn more about IBAT and ways to get involved, contact Bailey Smith at bailey@atlanticiowa.com or call 712-243-3017.