Officials with the Harlan Police Wednesday (Today), reported just two arrests. Authorities say 42-year-old Brian Alan Mark, of Harlan, was arrested this (Wednesday) morning following a call for service. Mark was transported to the Shelby County Jail where he was charged with assault.

And, on Oct. 6th, 25-year-old Emily Rhea Claussen, of Harlan, was arrested following a traffic stop. Claussen was transported to the Shelby County Jail where she was charged with theft in the 2nd Degree, and  cited for having an improper rear lamp.

DES MOINES, Iowa – State Treasurer Michael Fitzgerald’s Great Iowa Treasure Hunt includes many properties for deceased Iowans. “When an individual doesn’t do the proper planning, it can make a difficult time even more complicated,” Fitzgerald said. “I know estate planning can be a sensitive topic to discuss with family, but it is the only way to ensure your funds go to the people or organizations you choose. Our goal is to ensure that your accounts or property do not end up in the Great Iowa Treasure Hunt.”

Financial institutions or businesses may not be aware of certain life events – such as change of address, marriage, divorce or death – which can result in the money being deemed ‘lost’. Estate planning conversations can aid in preventing these ‘lost’ funds from being reported to the Treasurer’s Office as unclaimed property by informing loved ones of your assets and financial plans. “There have been many instances in which a grandparent had a safe deposit box that nobody knew about or a life insurance policy that could have made a difference to the family,” Fitzgerald added. “Take the time to plan now.”

Tips to keep track of money and prevent it from being unclaimed property:

Download and complete the Vital Statistics document from the Treasurer’s website to provide direction and guidance for your loved ones.
Make sure you have a will on record and designate the beneficiaries of your estate. Otherwise, a court could be left to decide the fate of your funds.
Designate individuals for different roles as needed: power of attorney, executor, trustees, etc. These roles come with a lot responsibility, so consider your designations carefully.
Unclaimed property refers to property or accounts within financial institutions or companies in which there typically has been no activity for several years and the business cannot locate the owner. In Iowa, the assets are safeguarded in the Great Iowa Treasure Hunt until the owner or heir of the property is found. Common forms of unclaimed property include forgotten savings or checking accounts, stocks, uncashed checks, unpaid life insurance benefits, utility security deposits and safe deposit box contents. The program has returned over $287 million in unclaimed property since Fitzgerald created it in 1983.

Visit GreatIowaTreasureHunt.gov to begin your search and make your claim today. Keep up with all of Treasurer Fitzgerald’s programs on Facebook and Twitter.

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — An Iowa prosecutor has been charged with harassment for allegedly threatening to pursue meritless criminal charges against his ex-fiancee, a doctor from Iran, that he warned could cause her deportation. A criminal complaint alleges that Ryan McCord was an assistant Des Moines County attorney in Burlington when he allegedly harassed the woman for months after they ended their relationship. The woman works as a physician at the Great River Medical Center in Burlington on a visa for foreign-born doctors. McCord allegedly falsely told the woman that he had a pending domestic violence charge against her at the sheriff’s office that could be filed if they didn’t get back together.

ALTOONA, Iowa (AP) — A central Iowa man has been arrested after police say he threatened to bring a loaded shotgun to an Iowa Workforce Development office. The Des Moines Register reports that 29-year-old Matthew Goodrich, of Altoona, was arrested Monday, and charged with making a threat of terrorism and two counts of harassment. Police say Goodrich was upset about not getting his unemployment check when he called the office.

An employee there said Goodrich threatened to bring a loaded shotgun to the office and that he said the office should be blown up with a pipe bomb. Goodrich’s preliminary hearing is set for Oct. 23.

Page County Sheriff’s Deputies who responded to a report about a suspicious vehicle in the northwest part of the county, Tuesday, came upon a vehicle towing another vehicle, without the proper equipment. Those two vehicles were being followed by another vehicle. During an investigation, Deputies made contact with 49-year old Mark Anthony Ross, of Shenandoah. He was subsequently arrested for Driving while license suspended, denied, or revoked.

Ross was transported to the Page County Jail where he later posted bond in the amount of $491.25, pending further court proceedings.

A woman from Creston suffered suspected minor/non-incapacitating injuries, during an accident Tuesday afternoon on Cromwell Road. The Union County Sheriff’s Office says 44-year old Colleen Ann Reed was traveling westbound at around 2:50-p.m., when a vehicle crossed the center line and she swerved to avoid hitting it. Her 2002 Buick LeSabre entered the south ditch and apparently rolled over before coming to rest. Reed – who was wearing a seat belt – became trapped in the car and was extricated by mechanical means before being transported by Medic 1 EMS to the hospital in Creston.

Her car sustained about $6,000 damage and was declared a total loss. Reed had a suspended driver’s license, but was not issued a citation at the scene.

Sheriff’s officials in Sac County report the second of two inmates who escaped from the Sac County Jail Friday afternoon, was apprehended Tuesday evening in Walnut. Authorities say Pottawattamie County Sheriff’s Deputies arrested 25-year old Shawn Patrick Freier at a residence in Walnut at around 6:30-p.m., Tuesday. He was found in an upstairs area of a garage, taken into custody without incident, and transported to the Pott. County Jail. Freier was set to be transported by Sac County Deputies to the Sac County jail sometime today (Wednesday).

{Previous story} The Sac County Sheriff’s office said Saturday, that at around 4:25 p.m. Friday (Oct. 9th), two inmates in the Sac County Jail over powered a female correctional officer. Authorities say 35-year old Joseph Lee Sly,  of Rockwell City, was being moved from the main cell area back to a holding cell after a shower. As the correctional officer was opening the main cell door, she was grabbed by 25-year old inmate Shawn Patrick Freier, of Lake View.

Joseph Sly

Shawn Freier

Freier and Sly pulled the correctional officer in to the main cellblock and shut the door locking the correctional officer inside. The two inmates then ran down the stairwell. A courthouse custodian heard the correctional officer screaming and opened a locked door at the bottom of a staircase. Joseph Sly pushed the custodian out of the way and ran down the hall. Sly exited the building. Shawn Freier at the bottom of the stairway enter the kitchen area through an unlocked door. Freier jumped out a first floor window.

Freier ran south from the jail and Sly ran north. Law enforcement officer from surrounding areas responded to assist in looking for the two. A drone with thermal imaging capabilities was used as well as Sac County Sheriff’s K-9. The ground search was called off after dark. On Saturday, October 10th, an off-duty Lake View Police Reserve officer was traveling through Sac City, and spotted Joseph Sly around 7:28-a.m., walking on North 5th Street. The off duty reserve officer was able to take Sly in to custody without incident and return him to the Sac County Jail.

Freier was serving time for domestic violence charges. Joseph Sly faces charges in Calhoun County for domestic violence and sex abuse charges. Both men are now charged with escape from custody. Additional charges are expected. No injuries were reported.