(Sioux City, IA) – The U-S Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Iowa, Monday, says two men with lengthy criminal histories were convicted by a jury on November 25th (2025), after a 11-day trial in federal court in Sioux City. 44-year-old Floyd Clifford Coates, Jr., (aka Cliff Coates), from St. Francis, Kansas, was convicted of Conspiracy to Distribute a Controlled Substance, Possession of a Firearm in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Crime, Possession of Ammunition by a Felon and Drug User, Conspiracy to Conceal Objects with the Intent to Impair Their Availability for an Official Proceeding, and Concealing Objects with the Intent to Impair their Availability for an Official Proceeding. Coates was acquitted of other charges related to threats, and obstruction of justice.

65-year-old Dennis Lawson, from Whiting, Iowa, was convicted of Using Threat of Physical Force Against Another with the Intent to Hinder, Delay, or Prevent the Communication to a Law Enforcement Officer and Judge of the United States of Information Relating to the Commission and Possible Commission of a Federal Offense. Lawson was acquitted of other charges relating to drugs, threats and obstruction.

The verdict was returned following about 2 hours of jury deliberations. The evidence at trial showed that in Spring 2019, Coates was a member of a drug trafficking organization that funneled pounds of methamphetamine from Colorado to Strubel, Iowa, among other places, for redistribution, and that Coates possessed firearms to protect his illegal drug operation. Evidence also showed that on Easter weekend 2019, Coates had arranged a drug run to Kansas City, Missouri. To execute the Easter weekend drug run, Coates had convinced an Iowa woman to drive from Sioux City, Iowa; meet him in Blair, Nebraska; and drive him to Kansas City, Missouri, and back. Coates decided to travel to Blair from Trenton, Nebraska, with another woman, 18-year-old Sunny Sramek. Coates and Sramek left Trenton in his wife’s white Ford Explorer to go on the trip. Officials say there is no evidence Ms. Sramek knew Coates was going to Kansas City; in fact, she told friends and family that she was going to be on a day trip to Omaha.

The pair made it to Blair, where Coates went into a home, but Ms. Sramek did not. Coates’s driver arrived from Sioux City and Coates said nothing of Ms. Sramek to the driver. As the driver and Coates left the home, the driver saw Ms. Sramek’s motionless body. The driver testified it looked as if Ms. Sramek had overdosed, and Coates said he had provided her methamphetamine. Coates cancelled his drug run to Kansas City and told his driver to go to the home of his brother-in-law Dennis Lawson near Whiting, Iowa, on the banks of the Missouri River. The driver testified that after they arrived at Lawson’s residence Lawson and Coates disappeared for a time, when they returned, Ms. Sramek’s body was gone. The driver also testified that she and Coates cleaned out the car, and that Lawson threatened her saying if she told anyone, “it would be her funeral.”

Later, Coates told confidants that Ms. Sramek had overdosed. He told other friends a more violent story. In both versions, however, he told people he had thrown Ms. Sramek’s body into the Missouri River to conceal evidence of his crimes. Coates was confident his efforts at concealing Ms. Sramek’s body would insulate him from accountability. He told one person “no body, no case” and asked another “you can’t get charged with murder if there is no body, can you?” The US Attorney’s Office says Coates’s confidence was misplaced. Law enforcement gathered a significant amount of physical evidence tying Coates to Ms. Sramek’s disappearance. Forensic analysis indicated Ms. Sramek’s DNA and a significant amount of blood were found in the white Ford Explorer. The forensic findings combined with other evidence provided the proof the jury used to convict Coates and Lawson.

U-S Attorney Leif Olson said in a news release, “Sunny Sramek went missing more than six years ago. But the investigators’ dedication kept her case from going cold. Thanks to them, these two criminals now face judgment for Sunny’s disappearance. Those who believe they can escape justice through threats, cover-ups, or the passage of time will discover they are mistaken.” FBI Special Agent in Charge Eugene Kowel said further, that “The convictions of Coates and Lawson represent years of tireless, unwavering efforts by a dedicated team of FBI personnel who never stopped looking for Sunny Sramek. Despite the defendants’ best efforts to conceal involvement in her disappearance, the FBI persisted in our mission to hold these subjects accountable for their actions. We hope these convictions bring some measure of solace to Sunny’s family. The FBI will always use every tool and technique in our arsenal to seek justice for the missing and attempts to hinder those efforts will be aggressively investigated.”

Sentencing before United States District Court Chief Judge Leonard T. Strand will be set after a pre-sentence report is prepared. Coates and Lawson remain in custody of the United States Marshal. Coates faces a possible maximum sentence of life imprisonment and five years of supervised release following any imprisonment. Lawson faces a possible maximum sentence of 20 years’ imprisonment and three years of supervised release following any imprisonment.

The case was investigated by Hitchcock County, Nebraska, Sheriff’s Office; the Nebraska State Patrol; the Iowa Department of Public Safety—Division of Criminal Investigation; the Plymouth County, Iowa, Sheriff’s Office; the O’Brien County, Iowa, Sheriff’s Office; the Iowa Department of Natural Resources; the Iowa Office of the State Medical Examiner; the Goodland, Kansas, Police Department; and the United States Department of Justice’s Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Forde Fairchild.

(Creston, IA) – Police in Creston say a woman was arrested Tuesday night, following a traffic stop. 29-year-old Megan Elizabeth Banda, of Creston, was arrested at around 8-p.m., at Cherry and Harsh Streets. She was charged with Operating While Under the Influence (OWI)/2nd Offense, and Interference with Official Acts. Banda was taken to Union County Jail, and has since been released on a $2,300 cash or surety bond.

(Atlantic, IA) – The first December meeting of the Atlantic City Council takes place this (Wed. 12/3) evening, in the Council’s Chambers at City Hall. The meeting begins at 4:30-p.m., which is an hour earlier than normal, so Council members may attend a public meeting this evening, that will be hosted by Cass Health, focused on cancer data specific to Cass County.

During this session, the Council will act on passing a resolution approving the Calendar Year 2026 Budget for Atlantic Municipal Utilities. The City traditionally passes the AMU Budget without issue. City Administrator John Lund says the act is a “gesture of respect for [The AMU] Board’s purpose and oversight.” The Council will also act to re-appoint Atlantic Parks and Recreation Commission members Dolly Bergmann and Kevin Ferguson, who were initially appointed to two-year-terms on the Parks and Rec Advisory Commission, when the Council passed a resolution during their meeting in Oct., 2023. Bergmann and Ferguson have expressed an interest in continuing to serve the City in their current capacity.

The Council will hold a Public Hearing on proposals to enter into an Essential Purpose Loan Agreement (ELPA), and a General Purpose Loan Agreement (GPLA), followed by action on resolutions on taking additional action on both proposals, as presented.  John Lund says the ELPA requires two public hearings on the 2026 Bond, which allows the City to refinance essential corporate purpose notes. The ELPA covers $4.22-million worth of existing bond issues. Terms are being extended on the debts, which Lund says “will help with the restructuring and alignment of [the City’s] annual expenditures under [the] Debt Service Fund. It also allows the financing of essential government services and their capital needs, totaling $9.765-million.

Lund says the GLPA pertains to part of the 2026 Bond that covers uses that are not considered essential under the Code of Iowa. They are general corporate purposes uses, and total $405,000. Included are: City Hall Improvements ($100,000); Library Equipment ($155,000), and Library Improvements ($150,000). Refinancing the Deposit, Essential Corporate Purpose uses, General Corporate Purpose uses, Issuance Costs, and when the additional proceeds are added, they total slightly more than $14.7-million. Lund says when $1.22-million of free money (Bond premium) is applied to buy-down the debt issued, the total is $13.48-million.

City Administrator Lund says “property tax reform looms before us. Without diving into politics,” he says, “Our goal is to take care of our responsibilities as a local government and live within our future means. This requires getting our long-term capital planning needs and debt service outlays aligned [and] addressed before the start of the [legislative] session. [The] bond’s refinancing and payment structure is part of that strategy.”

The Atlantic City Council is also expected to review and act on approving pay applications for Omni Construction, Bluffs Paving & Utility, and TK Concrete, all with regard to the City’s Street Improvement Projects. The combined pay applications amount to a little more than $1.132-million.

(Red Oak, IA) – A man from Emerson was cited after the pickup he was driving broadsided a car Tuesday morning, in Red Oak. According to Red Oak Police, 57-year-old Rodney Dean Anderson was cited for Failure to Yield Upon Entering a Highway, after his 2007 Chevy Silverado pickup struck a 2015 Jeep Wrangler, driven by 66-year-old Bonita Sue Bormann, of Red Oak. The collision occurred at around 9:45-a.m., Tuesday at the intersection of Eastern Avenue and U-S Highway 34, in Red Oak.

The crash happened as Anderson’s pickup was leaving the south stop sign northbound, across Highway 34. No injuries were reported. The SUV sustained a police-estimated $5,000 damage. Authorities say damage to the pickup was estimated to be $1,500.

(Radio Iowa) – Health officials are encouraging more Iowans to get vaccinated for influenza before the year-end holidays arrive. Iowa has few reported flu cases at the moment, and one death, but experts expect the numbers to jump in the coming few weeks. Melanie Wellington, an infectious disease specialist at University of Iowa Health Care, says it’s important Iowans get vaccinated not only to protect themselves, but to protect those around them.

“Flu vaccine doesn’t just work on an individual level. It’s very important that it works on a population level,” Wellington says. “So the more people that get immunized, the better it works for each individual person.” According to state data, only about 20 percent of Iowans have received a flu shot so far this season. Wellington says the more people who get flu shots, the harder it will be for the virus to spread. “You can either have a long highway that the virus can travel on to you,” she says, “or it could be a surface street with lots of stop signs and some detours and some road closed.”

Wellington says there are concerns this could be a more severe flu season, but early data from the U-K also indicates the flu shot is good at combating the dominant flu strains circulating this year.

(Red Oak, IA) – The Red Oak Police Department, late Tuesday (Dec. 2nd), said additional charges were filed that day against a Nebraska man who was arrested  early Tuesday morning on a Felony charge of Grooming, as well as a Sex Offender registry Violation and being a Fugitive from Justice. Authorities say 22-year-old Jauson Ray Schriner, of Adams, NE., was additionally charged Tuesday with Assault/Intent to Commit Sexual Abuse, and Sexual Abuse in the 3rd Degree. The latter is a Class-C Felony. The charge of Assault w/intent is an Aggravated Misdemeanor.

Schriner remains held in the Montgomery County Jail on a $7,000 bond, for the previous charges. Police officials say additional charges are pending at this time.

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(Previous story from Tuesday morning)…

Red Oak Police officers conducted an investigation into a man who claimed to be 20-years-old, and was staying with a minor child. The man gave police a fake name, but officers were able to determine his identity as 22-year-old Jauson Ray Schriner, of Adams, NE. Schriner is on the State of Nebraska’s Sex Offender Registry.

He was wanted on a warrant out of Nebraska for Probation Violation, where he was previously arrested and convicted for posing as a teenager online, in order to have sex with a 13-year-old. Schriner was arrested in Red Oak, on a Class-D Felony charge of Grooming, a Simple Misdemeanor charge of Providing False ID to law enforcement, and an Aggravated Misdemeanor charge of Sex Offender Registry Violation/1st offense. He was also arrested for being a Fugitive from Justice.

Additional charges are pending. Red Oak Police extend thanks to the Lincoln and Beatrice, NE, Police Departments for their help in the investigation. Red Oak Police are also reminded the public about the dangers that social media can pose.

(West Des Moines, IA) — The Iowa Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) website reports Wells Fargo will lay off 14 more employees at its West Des Moines location on Jordan Creek Parkway next month. It’s the third round of job cuts at that location since October.

According to Iowa WARN, the layoffs will occur on Jan. 23, 2026.

In October, Wells Fargo announced 63 workers would lose their jobs at the same office on Dec. 26. Twenty-six more are scheduled to be laid off Jan. 2, 2026.

(Creston, IA) – Police in Creston, today (Wednesday), released information about a single-vehicle accident that took place early Sunday morning. Authorities say a 2015 Mercedes C300 (passenger car) was traveling east on Highway 34 at around 12:50-a.m., Sunday, when – due to icy road conditions – the vehicle went out of control while negotiating a curve.

The car spun on the roadway before striking a curb on the north side of Highway 34. When it hit the curb, the right rear side wheel of the car broke off of the axle, causing the car to become disabled. The driver of the vehicle, 31-year-old Djany Makosi, of Lexington, NE, was not injured.

Damage to the vehicle was estimated by police to be $1,200.

HAMILTON COUNTY, Iowa (IOWA CAPITAL DISPATCH) – A case of highly pathogenic avian influenza has been detected in a commercial turkey flock of about 18,000 birds in Hamilton County, according to the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship. Iowa has had nine detections of the H5N1 strain of the highly pathogenic avian influenza, which has impacted more than 184 million commercial and backyard birds since February 2022.

IDALS reported a case of the bird flu in a Calhoun County turkey flock in October. The October case was the first detection in the state since April. Gov. Kim Reynolds issued a disaster proclamation for Hamilton County following the HPAI detection. The proclamation makes state resources more available as officials work to dispose of birds exposed to the virus and monitor, contain and further detect the bird flu.

IDALS asked producers to exercise heightened biosecurity around their flocks to help prevent the spread of HPAI, which is usually deadly for exposed poultry. Producers who notice sudden deaths in a flock, lethargy, decreased egg production, or birds with swollen heads and difficulty breathing, should contact their veterinarians, according to the agriculture department.

Turkey, chicken and egg products remain safe to consume during the current HPAI outbreak, IDALS said.