Police in Council Bluffs, Thursday night, arrested a man wanted in connection with an alleged attempted abduction late Sunday morning. At around 7:20-p.m. Thursday, officers were dispatched to the Pottawattamie County Jail on a report of a male wanting to turn himself in on a warrant. Officers arrived and located 37-year old Terrance L. Prine, Jr., who was arrested without incident and booked into the jail on the Kidnapping 3rd charge.

Bluffs Police originally stated that the alleged attempted abduction took place at approximately 11:10-a.m., Sunday, outside of the Burger King Restaurant, at 1529 W. Broadway. The suspect (Prine) grabbed a 27-year old female from Council Bluffs by the arm, and tried to get her to come with him, but the woman was able to get away. The suspect then fled the scene in a vehicle. The female victim suffered a minor injury to her arm, but did not require medical attention.

Families with young children in Griswold and the surrounding area are being asked to complete a survey to gauge the need for child care in the area.  The survey can be accessed online at the link:  Child Care Center Survey for Families   http://www.quia.com/sv/891022.html

The survey may be answered anonymously as names are optional.  Although focused on families in the Griswold Community School District, anyone working or living in the Griswold area as well as anyone who would potentially utilize a child care center in Griswold as they commute to work should participate in the survey.  The survey will be used by a non-profit group in the community to determine the level of need in the area.  The non-profit was initiated with a gift of $65,000 from the Noble Center Church.

Since the first meeting of this group, the board of Griswold Communications has stepped forward to match the initial gift with another $65,000 to provide a financial foundation to make a child care center a reality.  Meetings have been held with current child care providers in the area and also with representatives of school, business, civic, governmental, and other community groups.

If anyone has questions or would like to complete a survey but does not have internet access, please contact Steve or Barb Baier at (712) 778-4452.

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (AP) — A farmer who owned an Iowa grain brokerage has pleaded guilty to falsely marketing $140 million dollars’ worth of corn, soybeans and wheat as “certified organic.”
Sixty-one-year-old Randy Constant of Chillicothe, Missouri, pleaded guilty to wire fraud Thursday under a plea agreement with federal prosecutors in Cedar Rapids.

Constant faces a potential prison sentence of 12 years or more, but that could be reduced at sentencing due to his ongoing cooperation. The deal calls for Constant to forfeit $128 million, but his lawyer says he’s broke.

Attorney Mark Weinhardt says Constant’s profit was a tiny fraction of the $140 million in total sales and mostly supported a sustainable fish production company that has failed. Weinhardt says Constant “accepts full responsibility” for falsely representing that grain he sold was organic.

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (AP) — A $5 million bond has been set for a northeast Iowa man charged with murder in the 1979 killing of a Cedar Rapids high school student. A judge set the bond for 64-year-old Jerry Lynn Burns on Thursday during his initial appearance in Linn County District Court in Cedar Rapids.

Police arrested Burns, of Manchester, on Wednesday, charging him with first-degree murder 39 years to the day after the killing of 18-year-old Michelle Martinko. Her body was found early the next day inside her family’s car parked at a shopping mall. She had stab wounds to her face and chest.

Police say they matched a blood sample from the crime scene with a sample taken from the suspect.
The next court hearing is set for Dec. 28.

Sheriff’s Officials in Taylor County report 26-year old Richard Haila, of Bedford, was arrested Thursday (Dec. 20),  and charged with Child Endangerment Causing Bodily Injury, a class D felony. Haila was arrested in Bedford, and was being held at the Taylor County Jail on $5,000 cash only bond.

The Audubon County Sheriff’s Office reports they were notified at around 5:40-a.m. today (Thursday), about a burglary in progress in the 3000 block of Heron Place. When the deputy arrived he arrested two suspects, 30-year old Jay Robert Pedrin, and 22-year old Brandon William Henderson, both of Audubon.

Pedrin also had two outstanding warrants for Domestic Abuse Assault-Impeding air flow and Willfull Injury. Later in the morning a third suspect, 45-year old Danielle Delrey Frasier, of Audubon was also arrested. All three suspects were charged with Burglary 2nd degree. All are currently being held in the Audubon County Jail after their appearance before the magistrate. Henderson and Fraiser’s bonds are $10,000 and Pedrin’s bond is $32,000.

On Tuesday, Jacob Ryan Craft turned himself in to the Audubon County Sheriff’s Office on an outstanding Bench warrant for Violation of Probation.  Craft was being held on a $5,000 bond.

On Dec. 9th, 24-year old Zachary Taylor Koch, of Atlantic was arrested in Audubon County for Operating While Intoxicated 2nd offense. He was later released after his appearance before the magistrate. And on Dec. 7th, 53-year old Karen Jane Rea, of Kimballton, was arrested on an outstanding warrant from Minnesota. She was taken before a district judge to waive extradition and was extradited back to Minnesota on Dec. 12th.

Five Iowa Great Places have been awarded nearly $1 million in grants for projects in Burlington, Decorah, Dubuque, Malvern and Maquoketa. Chris Kramer, acting director of the Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs said Thursday, “We’re proud to partner with the leaders of these communities to invest in Iowa’s quality of life. Our Iowa Great Places program aligns with our department’s mission to build and sustain culturally vibrant communities through investments in arts, media, history and culture.”

The Malvern Betterment Association received a grant amounting to $40,525 from the IDCA, for the : Malvern City Entrance Beautification Project. The total cost of the project amounts to $84,535. Malvern was designated an Iowa Great Place in 2016.

The project will extend Malvern’s welcoming atmosphere further to the north, since the town sits about two miles south of Highway 34 and can be easily missed by through traffic. The project plan calls for the construction of a lighted monument sign directly north of town. The sign’s artistic design will tie in with the downtown’s established aesthetic theme, including several metal tree sculptures.

The trees will echo the Main Street improvements that visitors will see as they enter the town. To extend the welcoming atmosphere of the community, the project also calls for more decorative light poles north of the existing ones on Main Street. The combination of the illuminated entrance sign and the decorative light poles will provide both wayfinding and an extension of the welcoming atmosphere in the downtown business district.

The Iowa Great Places program recognizes and partners with Iowans who cultivate the unique and authentic qualities of their local places, such as neighborhoods, districts or regions, to make them great places to live and work. Iowa Great Places receive access to funding opportunities, professional development training, technical assistance opportunities, a network of vibrant communities and passionate leaders, and other state and local resources.

Police in Council Bluffs have identified the suspect allegedly involved in an attempted abduction late Sunday morning, in Council Bluffs. Authorities say 37-year old Terrance L. Prine Jr., a white male with an unknown address, was last seen driving a gray/silver 1999 Chevy Malibu, Iowa plate FIG 438.  A warrant for Kidnapping 3^rd has been issued for his arrest.   If you have contact or know where his is located please contact 911 or call Crime Stoppers at 712-328-7867.

Bluffs Police originally stated that the alleged attempted abduction took place at approximately 11:10-a.m., Sunday, outside of the Burger King Restaurant, at 1529 W. Broadway.

Abduction attempt suspect

The suspect, a 30-to 40-year old heavy set adult male with facial hair, who was wearing a plaid jacket, blue jeans and a jersey with the #9 on it, grabbed a 27-year old female from Council Bluffs by the arm, and tried to get her to come with him. The woman was able to get away from the man. The suspect then fled the scene in grey vehicle, possibly Chevy or Ford sedan which was parked in the parking lot.

The female victim suffered a minor injury to her arm, but did not require medical attention.

DAVENPORT, Iowa (AP) — A Coralville attorney has been given 38 months in prison for filing false tax returns and stealing money from clients. Federal prosecutors say 46-year-old Soo Hyun Jung, also known as Jay Jung, was sentenced Wednesday in U.S. District Court in Davenport. He’d pleaded guilty to two counts of mail fraud and one count of false claims.

Prosecutors say Jung admitted that in 2015, he stole more than $200,000 in federal tax refunds meant for a client and used $83,200 of the funds to buy a BMW sports car. He also filed additional, false tax returns without the client’s consent to get a more than $15,000 refund.

Prosecutors also say Jung cashed out an investment fund in 2016 for a different client for $200,000 and deposited it into his own account.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A legislative panel has dismissed an ethics complaint against Sen. Nate Boulton that alleged he inappropriately touched a woman at a bar a year before he was elected. The Iowa Senate Committee on Ethics says its jurisdiction is limited to legislators’ actions while in office. The panel’s three Democrats and three Republicans voted to dismiss the complaint for lack of jurisdiction.
Boulton was elected on Nov. 8, 2016, and took office in January 2017.

Last week, Boulton challenged the truthfulness of Des Moines attorney Sharon Wegner’s complaint that he repeatedly placed his hand on her buttocks at two bars during an evening in November 2015. He retained his Senate seat but quit the race for the Democratic nomination for governor because of the allegations. Sen. Joe Bolkcom, a Democrat on the committee, says Boulton should reconsider his decision to stay in the Senate.

Boulton currently has no committee assignments for the session beginning in January.