Four people, including a woman from Atlantic, were injured during a crash early this (Thursday) morning, in eastern Iowa’s Johnson County. The Iowa State Patrol reports a 2007 Chevy Cobalt driven by 39-year old Douglas W. Walker, of Conesville (IA), went past the intended off-ramp at Highway 218 south and the I-80 west interchange at mile marker 237.  Walker made a U-turn from west I-80 to I-80 east at a “No U Turn” signed utility crossover.

He turned from the number two lane across the number one lane and was struck broadside on the driver’s side by a 2006 Mercury Mountaineer SUV. The SUV was driven by 19-year old Luke E. Flickinger, of St. Charles. Both vehicles came to rest on their top.

Both drivers were transported to the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, with Walker flown by helicopter. Flickinger was transported by Johnson County Ambulance Service. Two passengers, 51-year old Michele A. Darrow, of Atlantic, and 25-year old Micheala M. Helton, of St. Charles, were transported to the same hospital by JCAS ambulance.

The accident, which happened at around 2:27-a.m., caused traffic to be re-routed for two-hours. The crash remains under investigation.

COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa – United States Attorney Marc Krickbaum announced on April 24, 2019, Michael Anthony Santistevan, age 31, was sentenced by United States District Court Senior Judge James E. Gritzner for Possession with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine. Santistevan was sentenced to 235 months in prison, to be followed by a term of supervised release of five years.

On May 21, 2018, Santistevan was stopped by a Pottawattamie County Deputy for speeding on Interstate 80. Santistevan was the sole occupant of the rental vehicle. The car rental company was contacted and the return vehicle was overdue and Santistevan was not the renter nor an authorized driver.

The deputy issued Santistevan a traffic citation for speeding and requested permission to search the vehicle. During the search, a certified narcotics canine was utilized for a and the canine alerted and indicated to the odor of narcotics on the rear of the vehicle. Deputies located fifteen pounds of methamphetamine inside a tire in the vehicle.

This matter was investigated by the Pottawattamie County Sheriff’s Department and Council Bluffs Police Department. The case was prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa.
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COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa – United States Attorney Marc Krickbaum announced on April 24, 2019, Kenneth Ryan Hartwell, age 32, was sentenced by United States District Court Senior Judge James E. Gritzner for Possession with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine. Hartwell was sentenced 154 months in prison, to be followed by a term of supervised release for five years.

In April 2018, Council Bluffs Police stopped a vehicle leaving an area that police were dispatched to regarding reports of vehicle burglaries. Hartwell was the driver and only occupant in the vehicle. Law enforcement determined Hartwell had a suspended license. When Hartwell was asked to exit the vehicle, police discovered marijuana and a scale in the driver’s side door panel. In a search subsequent to the stop, Council Bluffs Police located five pounds of methamphetamine and over $16,000 in cash.

This matter was investigated by the Council Bluffs Police Department and Southwest Iowa Narcotics Enforcement. The case was prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Police say a motorcyclist has been killed in a crash in northeastern Omaha near the city’s airport, and an Iowa driver could face charges.

Police say 45-year-old Michael Laughlin was on a motorcycle Wednesday afternoon heading south on 11th Street when a northbound car turned left in front of the bike, causing the crash. The car then slid into an eastbound pickup truck.

Laughlin was taken to an Omaha hospital, where he was pronounced dead. The car’s driver, a 27-year-old man from Council Bluffs, Iowa, was not injured. The driver of the pickup also was not injured.

Police say charges in the case are pending.

COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa (AP) — A former western Iowa high school teacher has been arrested and charged on suspicion of having sex with one of his students. Council Bluffs police say 56-year-old Mark Mendell, of Crescent, was arrested Thursday at his home on two charges of sexual exploitation by a school employee. Police say an investigation that began last month revealed a sexual relationship between Mendell while he was Abraham Lincoln High School’s band teacher and a 17-year-old student.

Mendell (Photo courtesy Council Bluffs PD)

Officials say Mendell is no longer employed by the school, and the student is no longer attending classes after having met all graduation requirements.

The age of sexual consent in Iowa is 16, but state law prohibits school employees from having any sexual contact with students.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The Iowa attorney general’s office says Deere & Co. has agreed to pay $1 million for violating air quality standards at its Cedar Falls facility. A news release said Thursday that the Moline, Illinois-based heavy equipment company has agreed in a consent decree to annual third-party environmental audits for at least three years. They will continue until Deere receives two consecutive audits reports with few or no violations.

The Iowa Natural Resources Department has said Deere didn’t comply with emissions limits at its Performance Engineering Center, operated without proper air quality permits in some cases and provided inaccurate information on compliance reports to the department from 2005 to 2016. Deere spokesman Ken Golden says problems arose from past errors in air permits issued in 2005 for the center’s engine test cells. He says that Deere took corrective actions and worked with Iowa officials toward the issuance of new permits after learning of the problems in late 2016.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — The University of Nebraska-Lincoln has received a nearly $12 million federal grant to research challenges connected with rural drug abuse in the Midwest. The five-year grant from the National Institutes of Health will fund a research initiative called the Rural Drug Addiction Center. Researchers will track 600 rural drug users in Nebraska, Iowa, Kansas and Missouri.

Nebraska has seen a drastic jump in its drug overdose rate in recent years. The issue is complicated by a trend among the state’s drug users who are often addicted to a combination of substances. It’s an understudied phenomenon that’s been seen in other Midwestern states. The program’s leader, Kirk Dombrowski, says current drug addiction treatment focuses on brain chemistry, but understanding social patterns of abuse can lead to new treatments.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The flurry of activity that often signifies the end of a legislative session is evident at the Iowa Capitol this week. The exact end of the 2019 session isn’t set, but lawmakers were preparing Thursday to wind down their work and go home for the year. A Friday adjournment would be a week earlier than the scheduled May 3 session end. The Iowa House debated a Republican priority property tax bill until nearly 3 a.m. Thursday. Only a few must-do budget bills remain.

Some controversial issues also are unresolved, including a bill to impose a fee on solar energy installations, a measure that remaking the way Iowa nominates judges and a bill seeking election day changes, including moving up the closing time for voting. If leaders pull together the needed votes, those issues could surface in the final hours.

Officials with the City of Atlantic announced on Thursday morning that the compost yard waste site near Schildberg Recreation Area has been closed today. The site will be closed until further notice.

DES MOINES, Iowa—The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has an immediate need to fill temporary positions in Fremont, Harrison, Mills, Monona, Polk, Pottawattamie, Shelby and Woodbury counties to assist with disaster recovery. FEMA is looking for qualified candidates for a variety of emergency management functions. Posted positions include public assistance specialists, site inspection specialists, travel specialists, equal rights specialists, emergency management specialists and external affairs specialists and many more.

The temporary positions are for 120 days and may be extended, in 120-day increments, for a maximum 365-day appointment, based on the needs of the disaster. To see posted positions, go online to USAJOBS.gov and type “FEMA local Hire” in the search box and “Iowa” in the location box. Detailed information is provided for each position, including pay, benefits and application deadline. The deadline to apply is April 30, 2019.