More State and area news from KJAN News Director Ric Hanson.

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The Taylor County Sheriff’s Office reports two people were arrested Wednesday on drug charges, following the execution of a search warrant at a residence in Lenox. Taylor County Deputies, with the assistance of Deputies from Ringgold County, entered a home in the 600 block of E. Ohio Street in Lenox, and after conducting a search, charged 44-year Erron Bolinger, of Lenox, with Possession of a Controlled Substance, (methamphetamine), and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia. Bolinger was being held on a $1,300 bond, with additional charges are pending.

28-year old Samantha Gile-Smith, of Creston, was charged with Possession of Drug Paraphernalia and held on a $300 bond.

A Creston resident reported to the police department Wednesday morning, that someone had stolen a wallet from his car, while it was parked in the 300 block of S. Lincoln Street. The wallet was later recovered, but $300 cash and a check book and register, were missing. The loss was estimate at $350 altogether. It’s not clear what the time-frame for the theft was.

The area’s latest and/or top news stories at 7:06-a.m. From KJAN News Director Ric Hanson.

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DAVENPORT, Iowa (AP) — A Davenport woman accused of locking her intellectually disabled daughter in a bedroom has pleaded guilty. Scott County District Court records say 48-year-old Kimberly Williams entered a written plea Wednesday to recklessly committing dependent adult abuse resulting in physical injury. She denied in the plea document allegations that her daughter had been locked in her bedroom for 11 months. Williams’ sentencing is scheduled for July 31.

Williams’ husband, Eugene Harris, was convicted of neglect of a dependent person and sentenced in November to 10 years in prison. Authorities say officers sent to the home May 22 last year to check a report about a domestic disturbance were led by Harris to a bedroom locked from the outside. That’s where they found Williams’ daughter. Nearby were soiled adult diapers, a mattress on the floor and a few other items.

WAUKEE, Iowa (AP) — Police in a Des Moines suburb want residents to register their doorbell and other security cameras as a way to solve crimes. Waukee police Sgt. Mackenzie Sposeto told The Des Moines Register the city has received around 20 applications since launching the program a few weeks ago. Sposeto says registering a camera does not give police automatic access to the recordings. But police can quickly contact the owner and request recordings if a crime occurs nearby. The camera recordings can help police identify people or vehicles involved in a crime or to signal the path of someone leaving a crime scene.

Video from a home security camera in Brooklyn, Iowa, led police to the car of Cristhian Bahena Rivera, the man charged with killing University of Iowa student Mollie Tibbetts last summer. He’s pleaded not guilty.  For more information about selecting a home security system, see this link: https://www.safety.com/surveillance-systems/

Fremont County Sheriff Kevin Aistrope reports his deputies, Wednesday night, arrested 27 year old Courtney Bartles, of Hamburg, and 21 year old Dakota Girouex, of Red Oak. They were arrested in the 1200 block of Washington St. in Hamburg around 9-p.m., for controlled substance violations.

Dakota Girouex

Courtney Bartles

Bartles and Girouex were both transported to the Fremont County Law Enforcement Center where Bartles was charged with two counts of delivery of a controlled substance, use of a minor in the drug trade, possession of methamphetamine, possession of marijuana, and possession of drug paraphernalia. Her cash-only bond was set at $22,300.

Aistrope says Bartles is currently out on bond for drug charges in Missouri, and also previous drug charges in Fremont County. Girouex was charged with delivery of a controlled substance. Her cash-only bond was set at $5,000.

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The son of an Iowa civil rights attorney in the midst of a civil trial against a former governor has been arrested in the courtroom where his mother’s trial is taking place. Polk County Sheriff records say 50-year-old James Barton Conlin, the son of lawyer Roxanne Conlin, was arrested during break in proceedings Monday and charged with interference with official acts. He claims he was testing air in the courtroom, but officials asked him to leave because he was not a certified vendor.

OSKALOOSA , Iowa (AP) — A southeastern Iowa woman has been sentenced to two years’ probation and ordered to pay more than $14,000 in restitution and penalties for insurance fraud. The Iowa Insurance Division said Wednesday in a news release that 39-year-old Brandy Voss, of Oskaloosa, received the deferred judgment Friday. Investigators say that in February 2018, Voss made an insurance claim stating that she had lost valuable property. A month later, Voss sold that same property.

CLIVE, Iowa (AP) — A Des Moines woman has won a $300,000 scratch ticket lottery prize The Iowa Lottery says Patricia Inman won the sixth of 10 top prizes available in the Iowa Lottery’s “Colossal Crossword” scratch game. She bought the winning ticket at a convenience store in Des Moines and claimed her prize on Monday at lottery headquarters in Clive. Colossal Crossword is a $30 scratch game that features overall odds of 1 in 2.29.

FORT COLLINS, Colo. (AP) — A Colorado man has pleaded guilty to killing a father and daughter in a car crash. The Coloradoan reported Wednesday that 20-year-old Marcos Orozco pleaded guilty to two counts of second-degree murder Tuesday. Authorities say 38-year-old Nicole Nees of Fort Collins and 55-year-old John Nees of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, died in the November 2018 crash in Fort Collins. Authorities say Orozco was driving a stolen truck during the multi-car accident that killed the Neeses on Thanksgiving.

The Atlantic School District’s Board of Education, Wednesday night, approved several matters on their agenda, including a 2019-2020 contract for Superintendent Steve Barber. After previous discussions between the Board and Mr. Barber, it was decided there would be no change of language in his contract, and a 2% salary increase. Board member Dr. Keith Swanson indicated that was not sufficient.

Swanson said, “I think we’re being chintzy, ok? I sat with this Board and we approved a $5,000 raise to a person who had resigned. And this doesn’t come out near that, ok? And I think we have an excellent Superintendent and if we don’t pay him adequately, we aren’t going to keep an adequate Superintendent.” Barber has taken up many extra duties, including mowing for the District on the weekends. When it came time for a vote, Swanson paused, but then voted yes, along with the rest of the Board.

The Board also voted to approve a 2019-2020 Sharing Agreement with the CAM School District, with regard to the services of Atlantic’s Business Manager Sarah Sheeder. It will be the second year for the agreement, the costs of which are split 70-30 between the Districts.

In his report to the Board, Superintendent Barber said the District has received a Volkswagen Settlement Grant to replace two of the diesel buses with propane buses. Each grant is worth $28,150, for a total of $56,250. The District received $20,000 for their last bus purchase, and converting the two buses to propane from diesel will bring the propane-powered fleet from seven-to nine. He also reminded citizens that the Washington Parking lot and lane parking areas are closed until further notice, due to construction. Parking is available in the Middle School/Schuler parking lot, and surrounding street parking.

Cass County EMA Director Mike Kennon

The Atlantic School Board heard from Cass County Emergency Management Coordinator Mike Kennon, Wednesday. He spoke with regard to working on an Emergency Operations Plan (EOP). Kennon said he’s worked closely with Superintendent Barber to update Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD) information, and there’s been a lot of things happening behind the scenes that are not widely known.

He said also, that “The expectations of people, when they talk about the school, they expect the school to be ‘Fort Knox’ for ‘bad people,’ they’re not going to get in. But the reality is really much different. The school is exposed to many threats, hazards and vulnerabilities. The purpose of the Atlantic Community School District [EOP] is to outline the responsibilities and duties of school employees, students, parents, and guardians, in an emergency.”

Kennon said “Development of this plan has been done in collaboration with community response partners, to ensure coordinated stakeholder participation in the best utilization of available resources. The planning effort,” he said, “along with training and exercises, empowers everyone involved in an emergency to act quickly and knowledgeably.” The plan is similar to one in use by Cass County, but on a smaller scale. It’s still an “all hazards” approach, covering a full spectrum of emergencies and disasters, not just an “Active shooter” scenario.

The Iowa Dept. of Transportation reports mobility between Omaha and Council Bluffs should be easier, now that when Interstate 29 between I-680 near Crescent and N. 25th Street in Council Bluffs and I-680 from I-29 to the Nebraska border has re-opened to traffic. The roads officially re-opened at around 3-p.m., Wednesday.

All lanes of I-29 are open, but traffic will not be allowed to continue north of I-680 on I-29.  For I-680, both westbound lanes are open, and one eastbound lane is available for traffic.

Those areas had been closed since late May due to flooding in the area for a second time this spring. Part of the repairs from earlier flooding included adding stabilizing elements to the ditches on I-680 to minimize future flood damage. Those elements have proven their worth in that there is minimal damage from this second round of flooding to the roadway/shoulder and slope areas where the repairs were completed.

Other segments of I-29, as well as U.S. 34, Iowa 2, Iowa 275 and Iowa 333 remain closed. Travelers should check 511ia.org, the Iowa 511 mobile apps or call 511 (within Iowa) or 800-288-1047 (nationwide) for up-to-date closure information on state-owned roadways across Iowa. Closures due to flooding can be viewed by turning on the incident layer on the online map and mobile app.