The Mills County Sheriff’s Office reports four recent arrests. Saturday afternoon, 63-year old Norman Duane Lutter, of Bellevue, NE., was arrested for OWI/1st offense, and on a Pottawattamie County warrant for Criminal Mischief in the 4th degree. His total bond amounts to $2,000.

Early Friday morning, 21-year old Gurardo Garcia Gutierrez, of Maryville, MO., was arrested on I-29 in Mills County. He faces charges that include Possession of a Controlled Substance and Possession of Contraband, and Drug Stamp Criminal Penalties. Bond was set at $11,000.

Two people were arrested at the Pottawattamie County Jail, April 28th. 19-year old Brandon Joseph Burghardt, of Carter Lake, was arrested on a Mills County warrant for Probation Violation, with bond set at $,5000. And, 39-year old Bryan James Regenscheild, of Council Bluffs, was arrested on a Mills County warrant for Show Cause: Failed to report for Mittimus. He was being held in the jail without bond.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Des Moines police say a body pulled from a river during the weekend was that of an 18-year-old who has been missing for more than three months. Police say Abdullahi “Abdi” Sharif’s body was recovered Saturday afternoon from the Des Moines River. Sharif was reported missing seen Jan. 17, when he left his job at a Des Moines shopping mall. Police say there were no traumatic injuries and a cause of death has not been determined. Sharif’s disappearance drew media attention and prompted several searches with hundreds of volunteers.

Mills County Public Health has been notified of two additional positive confirmed cases of novel coronavirus (COVID-19) in Mills County. This brings the total number of confirmed positive cases in the county to five. The two new cases are both adults, in the age range of 18-40 years, and they each contracted the virus through community spread.

Mills County Public Health is currently conducting contact investigations to identify and follow-up with any people who had close contact with the ill individuals. Close contacts are educated about self-monitoring their health status by our health department nurses. They are required to do daily symptom and temperature checks; as well as quarantine themselves for 14 days as a precaution.

In Mills County, to date, there have been 5 confirmed cases,three of which have recovered. A total of 103 individuals have been tested. There is still a great need for all residents to stay home as much as possible, stay away from groups of people and maintain a 6-foot distance from other individuals as there is substantial spread of COVID-19 throughout Iowa

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Iowa officials are reporting nine Iowa Department of Human Services employees working at five state-run facilities have tested positive for the coronavirus. Officials say six residents at a facility housing residents with intellectual disabilities also have the virus.

Iowa DHS Director Kelly Garcia said Monday that the agency has asked doctors from the University of Iowa for assistance in dealing with the outbreak at the Woodward Resource Center, near Des Moines.

The state has reported 534 additional cases of the coronavirus for a total of 9,703 cases confirmed in Iowa. There were four additional deaths for a total of 188.

Officials with the Iowa Department of Public health (IDPH) and Audubon County Public Health, today (Monday), identified three additional COVID-19 cases in the County, bringing the total Audubon County positive cases to eight.

The first new positive case is a child (0-18 years), the second new positive case is an elderly adult (80+), and the third new case is a middle age adult (41-60).

Audubon County Public Health is conducting a contact tracing investigation for these cases to identify close contacts who should monitor their health symptoms and self-isolate.

The Iowa Department of Public Health (IDPH) and Adair County Public Health, have identified two new cases of COVID-19 in Adair County. Officials say so far, there was one case reported in March. That person has since recovered. There are now two additional confirmed cases. Case counts are expected to increase as close contact investigations continue, along with increased testing across the State.

Additional details concerning the two newest COVID-19 cases, were not provided, and the IDPH dashboard has not been updated to show the latest cases in Adair County.

Officials with the Council Bluffs Police Department report that at around 10:45-a.m. today (Monday),  officers were called to the Perfect Stay Motel (802 Veterans Memorial Highway), for a suicidal male party with a gun. Upon arrival it was found the subject had fled from the motel on foot.

Council Bluffs Police Negotiators were able to make contact with the man by cell phone, and keep him on the phone while officers searched the area. The subject was found in the parking lot of Edwards Motorsports and RV’s (1010 34thAve, Council Bluffs, IA). Authorities say when he was failed to comply with officers’ orders on scene, and a police K-9 was used to apprehend the man.

No gun was found on the subject at the time of his apprehension. The man was taken to the hospital for a mental evaluation. Criminal charges, if any are pending. During the course of the incident surrounding businesses were contacted to inform them of the situation. They were urged to lock down their facilities for their safety until the suicidal male was located. Due to the nature of the call, the suicidal male’s name is not being released at this time for medical privacy.

The Cass County Sheriff’s Office reports Deputies arrested 52-year old Henrik Leonard Rater, of Casey, Friday, on a Sheriff’s Office Felony warrant for Possession with Intent to Deliver Meth. Rater was taken to the Cass County Jail where he remains held on $5,000 bond. On April 22nd, Deputies arrested 35-year old Barrett Martin Driskill, of West Des Moines, on felony charges of Theft 2nd Degree, and Possession of Meth 3rd or Subsequent offense. Driskill was also charged with OWI, and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia. He  was taken to the Cass County Jail and later released on his own recognizance.

Authorities says 38-year old Justin Paul Parker, of Adair, was arrested April 24th, on a felony charge of Theft 2nd Degree. Parker was taken to the Cass County Jail and released the following day on $5,000 bond. That same day, 58-year old Cory Lee Christensen, of Atlantic, was arrested for OWI/2nd Offense. Christensen was taken to the Cass County Jail and released the following day on his own recognizance.

And, on Friday, Cass County Sheriff’s Deputies arrested 42-year old Melissa Louise Smart, of Bridgewater, on a charge of OWI/1st Offense. Smart was taken to the Cass County Jail and released later that day on her own recognizance.

The Atlantic Schools Athletic Booster Club, represented by RaeLyn Barkley, along with Kipp Harris with the Atlantic Facilities Fundraising Committee, said today (Monday), the Committee has reached it’s goal of matching funds needed to put field turf on the Trojan Bowl.  Jim Tyler and his family, along with their business, the Atlantic Bottling Company, kicked-off efforts to fund the project by donating $100,000, on the condition the community raise an equal or greater amount of money.

Harris and Barkley thank the Tyler family and Atlantic Bottling for their continued support of Atlantic and the many community projects that they have supported over the years. Financial reports indicate that $137,050 was raised during the three months, ending March 31, 2020, bringing the total amount raised to $237,050.  The project, that was approved with the idea that fundraising would pay for it, has a total estimated cost of $600,000. Fundraising will conclude for the field turf project on June 15th.

Those interested in supporting the project can send a contribution to 1307 E. 7th Street, Attn: Emily Freund, Atlantic, Iowa, 50022. Make checks payable to Atlantic Schools Booster Club, which is a 501 c 3 organization.

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) — A South Dakota pork processing plant took its first steps toward reopening after a virus outbreak among workers that was one of the worst in the nation. Smithfield Foods shuttered its Sioux Falls plant for over two weeks because of a coronavirus outbreak that infected over 800 employees. Two departments opened Monday at the plant. Meat processing plants across the country are cautiously reopening after President Donald Trump’s executive order last week classified them as critical infrastructure. Workers, farmers and meat-eaters alike are watching to see if new safety measures will be enough to prevent the types of outbreaks that have torn through the workforce of many plants.