Sheriff Kevin Aistrope says awards were presented today (Tuesday), to a couple of Fremont County’s local farmers. Chris Clark and Dustin Sheldon were presented with certificates from Sheriff Kevin Aistrope and K9 Deputy Zac Buttercase. Clark and Sheldon assisted Buttercase during a pursuit and apprehension of a suspect that fled during a traffic stop. Clark and Sheldon’s quick response to aiding the Sheriff’s Office, helped with preventing any injuries or damage to the public.

Chris Clark

Dustin Sheldon

As the certificate reads, “With deep appreciation, respect, and gratitude from the Fremont County Sheriff’s Office and K9 Unit, we commend you for bravely rendering aid and assistance. Your quick aciton and selfless dedication to the safety of the community does not go unnoticed.”

“Fremont County is lucky to have great citizens like these gentlemen. I am very pleased to serve this county,” Aistrope said.  “It’s good to know that we have people out here that we can count on when we are by ourselves. I am truly grateful to serve this community.” Buttercase stated.

(Radio Iowa) — At least five tornadoes touched down in Iowa yesterday (Monday). “Kind of the strange part about this type of weather was it wasn’t even really associated with true thunderstorms, so a little bit of a rarity.” Meteorologist Todd Shea works in the National Weather Service office in La Crosse, Wisconsin, which tracked some of Monday’s storms. “Most of the tornadoes that did occur from Charles City up towards Lime Springs and into southern Minnesota literally occurred with storms that weren’t even considered thunderstorms. There wasn’t even thunder or anything. It was just rain showers, but it was an environment that could support that type of tornado activity.”

The National Weather Service has confirmed 52 tornadoes in eight states yesterday. Two “sizable” tornado tracks have been established in northeast Iowa. “Most of the damage was to farm buildings. There were a couple of homes near Charles City that were hit pretty hard,” Shea says. “But a lot of the tornado activity also just occurred in open country which was kind of a blessing, that it didn’t hit more structures.”

One tornado early Monday afternoon caused heavy damage to the Floyd County Fairgrounds in Charles City, as well as to a fertilizer plant. There was also tornado damage in or near Lime Springs, Elma, Cantril and in southeast Iowa’s Des Moines County. Howard County Emergency Management Coordinator Darrell Knecht (kun-NEKT, like “connect”) says the roofs were damaged in several homes near Riceville and Saratoga and a hog confinement was destroyed.

“One of the wind turbines had several of the blades on their propellers torn off and then the tornado continued on toward Lime Springs. went over the top of Lime Springs and just did tree and power line damage there,” he says. “And of course there was a lot of tree and power line damage out in the rural areas as well.” A sixth twister is still unconfirmed near the Quad Cities. No serious injuries are reported.

INDEPENDENCE, Iowa (AP) — A new sentencing date has been set for former “The Bachelor” star Chris Soules for leaving the scene of a fatal 2017 accident. The Des Moines Register reports Soules will be sentenced on Aug. 27 at the Buchanan County Courthouse in Independence, Iowa. A judge last week delayed sentencing after striking letters written by the deceased driver’s family. The judge agreed that family members couldn’t be considered victims because Soules wasn’t convicted of causing the death of 66-year-old Kenny Mosher.

Soules was arrested after he rear-ended a tractor in April 2017. Soules called 911, performed CPR on Mosher and waited for first responders, but he left the scene before officers arrived.
The 37-year-old former reality TV star pleaded guilty on Nov. 13 to a reduced charge of leaving the scene of a serious injury accident. Soules appeared on “The Bachelor” and “Dancing With The Stars” in 2015.

DENVER (AP) — The no-nonsense federal judge who gained national respect overseeing the Oklahoma City bombing trials has died. The clerk of Colorado’s federal court, Jeffrey Colwell, says U.S. District Judge Richard Matsch died on Sunday. He was 88. Matsch was known for cowboy hat and his short temper with courtroom antics. As chief judge of the federal court in Denver, Matsch oversaw the 1996 trials that led to the convictions of Timothy McVeigh and Terry Nichols after a judge ruled that neither could receive a fair trial in Oklahoma City.

Matsch imposed a gag order to prevent attorneys from trying their case outside the courthouse. He received a liver transplant in 2001 after being diagnosed with a disorder that causes a buildup of fluid that can lead to infections. Born in Burlington, Iowa, Matsch graduated from the University of Michigan Law School, served as a federal prosecutor and became a bankruptcy judge. His role model was the fictional lawyer Atticus Finch, hero of Harper Lee’s 1960 Pulitzer Prize-winning novel “To Kill A Mockingbird” who saw it as his duty to do the right thing even though it might be unpopular.

Sheriff’s deputies in Page County conducted a traffic stop Monday, during which 36-year old Lyle Francis Stogdill,  of Shenandoah,  was arrested for Driving while license is suspended / revoked. Stogdill was transported to the Page County Jail and held on $566.25 bond. Today (Tuesday), arrest warrants were served on Stogdill while he was incarcerated in the Page County Jail. Additional charges of Theft 5th Degree, Burglary in the 3rd degree and Criminal Mischief in the 4th Degree were added. Bond on those charges was set at $6,000 cash only. Stogdill pled guilty to Driving while license is suspended / revoked. He was sentenced to four days in the Page County Jail.

On May 24th, Page County Sheriff’s deputies conducted a traffic stop on the east side of Clarinda. During the stop, 28-year old Justin Leo Powers, of rural Yorktown, was arrested for Driving while license suspended / revoked. Powers was transported to the Page County Jail and held on $566.25 bond.

The Pottawattamie County Sheriff’s Office reports numerous arrests took place over the past week. At around 6:45-p.m. Monday, 40-year old Jacqueline Nicole Vacek was arrested following an investigation into a missing juvenile in Minden. When the deputy made contact with the mother of the juvenile (Vacek) at the Casey’s Store in Minden, the woman was arrested for OWI/1st offense. Sunday afternoon, 37-year old Shawn Gonzalez, of Avoca, was arrested at the truck stop in Avoca, for Child Endangerment resulting in injury, and Obstruction of Emergency Communications.

Early Saturday morning, 26-year old Michael Joseph Dargy, Jr., was arrested for OWI/1st offense following a report of a possible drunk driver in Avoca. Dargy. Jr. was later stoppedon I-80 westbound at the 40-mile marker, for swerving in between the lanes and for license plates not matching the vehicle. In addition to the OWI charge, Dargy, Jr. was cited for Open Container.  Saturday evening, 18-year old Wynne Kent Keller was arrested following a traffic stop at Highway 92 and 270th St. in Pott. County. After a deputy detected the odor of marijuana coming from the vehicle, Keller was placed under arrest for Possession of Marijuana. He was released with a citation at the scene.

Late Friday morning, 45-year old Jerry Lee Dawson, of Red Oak, was arrested at the Pott. County Jail for Possession of Contraband, after he was transported from Mills County to Pott. County Corrections. Among his property was a white powdery substance in a small baggie located inside Dawson’s wallet. His bond was set at $10,000 on the contraband charge. At around 3-a.m., Friday, 29-year old Maricruz Degante was arrested following an accident investigation on I-29 at mile marker 52. The disabled vehicle sustained extensive damage after it apparently struck the bridge and other objects, causing all four tires to be flat. Degante was arrested for OWI/1st offense.

Thursday morning, 21-year old Michael Robert Cahill was arrested following a report of shots fired and a suspicious vehicle near 28191 296th Street, in Pott. County. When deputies arrived, they found three people with a shotgun. Cahill and a 17-year old female were arrested for Possession of a Controlled Substance/marijuana – 1st offense. Cahill was additionally charged with Shooting a firearm over water, a highway or railroad, and carrying a weapon while intoxicated. The juvenile was also charged with Possession of Drug Paraphernalia and Unlawful Possession of a Prescription Drug. 21-year old Bernardo R. Genchi, was arrested at the scene for Possession of paraphernalia, Shooting a firearm over water, a highway or railroad, and carrying a weapon while intoxicated, and OWI/1st offense.

And, on May 23rd, 53-year old Todd Michael Walker was arrested in Hancock on charges that include Domestic Abuse Assault causing bodily injury/1st offense, and Obstruction of Emergency communications. His arrest followed the alleged assault of a 45-year old woman and a 13-year old male.

WATERLOO, Iowa (AP) — The Waterloo Fire Department reports it rescued two people marooned on an island in the Cedar River at Waterloo. The department says the two were boating on the Cedar River on Sunday when their boat became stuck on Blackwood Island, just across from Sans Souci Island. Firefighters were notified around 6 p.m. and used a department rescue boat to retrieve the people and their dog. Battalion Chief Ben Petersen says one person suffered a minor injury, but that it didn’t require treatment.

The Adair County Sheriff’s Office reports four people from Cass County were cited May 19th for Criminal Mischief and Trespass, following an incident that was reported May 18th at 2953 Delta Avenue in rural Bridgewater: 18-year old Matthew Scott Graham, Jr., of Massena, 18-year old Coady Michael Jones Cambage, and 19-year old Christopher Morgan Schwing, both of Anita, and 19-year old Michael James Ervin, of Cumberland, were all cited for Criminal Mischief in the 5th Degree. Each was also cited for Trespass. They were cited following an investigation into a report a property owner saw young people walking down her driveway with flashlights. A vehicle was found across the road on property owned by the same person.

As the vehicle was being towed, two young men showed up. The subjects said there were three more males with them. A phone call was made and the other subjects arrived on the scene. When the subjects were asked what they were doing, they indicated they thought it was an abandoned property, and unaware it was private property. They had allegedly cut down the No Trespassing signs and removed them. All five subjects said they were involved in the incident. They were cited and have since made appearances in court.

Separately, 37-year old Zeke Alan Chafa, of Greenfield, was arrested May 21st for OWI/1st offense, after authorities received reports at around 11-p.m. of an SUV having trouble maintaining its lane as the vehicle was traveling west on Highway 92 and entering the Greenfield City limits. A few minutes later, the same caller said the SUV nearly struck a mailbox in Greenfield. The citizen flagged down a deputy and said that the SUV was all over the road, and that it had just pulled into a driveway in the 100 block of SW Oak Street. When Deputy Mike Algreen made contact with Chafa, who was identified as the driver, Chafa was unsteady on his feet and had bloodshot/watery eyes, according to the report.

Chafa denied consuming any alcohol, and refused to take a standardized Field Sobriety Test. He was arrested for Suspicion of OWI and transported to the Adair County Jail, where he again refused the FST. Under implied consent, Chafa blew a .252 BAC on the breathalyzer (more than 3 times the legal limit). He was later released on a citation. 31-year old Johathan Sean Hancock, of Omaha, was arrested on an outside agency warrant May 19th, by the Iowa State Patrol. He was transferred to another agency. And, 43-year old Scott William Richard Funke, of Greenfield, was arrested May 22nd for Violation of a No Contact Order and Driving While License Suspended. He was released the following day on bond.

The National Weather Service in Des Moines reports a significant severe weather threat exists this afternoon, with all severe hazards possible including tornadoes, large hail, damaging and flash flooding. Remain weather aware today and be ready to take action!

Page County Sheriff Lyle Palmer reports his deputies Page County Sheriff’s Office tried to stop a motorcycle last Thursday, in the city limits of Shenandoah. After a short pursuit the motorcycle pulled into a residence. 18-year old Cooper Michael Stanley, of Stanton, received numerous traffic citations and was arrested for driving while license suspended or revoked. Stanley was transported to the Page County Sheriff’s Office and booked into the Page County Jail on $1,000 bond. The Page County Sheriff’s Office was assisted at the scene of the arrest by the Shenandoah Police Department