NEMAHA, Iowa (AP) — A volunteer firefighter and another man have been accused of setting fire to a corncrib in western Iowa’s Sac County so the firefighter could respond with his department and help put it out.

Sac County court records say 25-year-old Brent Mack and 18-year-old Alexander Lilly have been charged with arson. A 17-year-old girl has been charged with conspiracy to commit a felony. The records don’t list the names of any attorneys for them. All three live in Newell.

The Nemaha and other departments responded early Monday morning to battle the blaze a little more than a mile (1.7 kilometers) north of Nemaha. Suspicions grew after another firefighter found Mack had arrived first at the station even though Mack lived at least 15 minutes away in Newell.

The court records say Mack later told investigators that he, Lilly and the girl had driven around the area, looking for a place to set a fire, and settled on the corncrib. It was a total loss.

The Union County Sheriff’s Office reports that a sign in Creston was stolen sometime in early August. A resident reported that the sign was taken from North Cherry Street Road and it had Rotary, Kiwanis, and Lions Organization signage on it. The approximate value of the sign is $500.  It is believed the sign was taken between August 1st and 15th.

DES MOINES – City and school elections will be conducted simultaneously this year, on Tuesday November 5. A law passed by the Iowa Legislature in 2017 ended the longstanding tradition of holding school board elections in September.

Secretary of State Paul Pate hopes the combined elections will increase voter participation.

“Turnout for city and school elections is usually not very high and I hope that changes this year,” Secretary Pate said. “A lot of voters might not realize that these local elections tend to have a much greater impact on their daily lives than the races for president and the U.S. Senate.”

The filing period for candidates in city and school general elections begins Monday, August 26 and runs through Thursday, September 19.

Some cities also conduct primary elections for city council positions. That filing period runs through August 29. Primary elections will take place on October 8.

Candidate’s Guides, which include deadlines and information about collecting petition signatures to qualify for the ballot, are available at the Iowa Secretary of State’s website, sos.iowa.gov, in the Elections section.

Sheriff’s officials in Cass County report that on Sunday, August 18th, deputies arrested 47-year old Clayton Eugene Henry, of Cumberland, on a charge of Domestic Abuse Assault Causing Bodily Injury. Henry was taken to the Cass County Jail and released the following day on $1,000 bond.

And, on Wed., August 21st, Cass County deputies arrested 27-year old Seth Robert Hart, of Atlantic, on a charge of Domestic Abuse Assault 1st Offense. Hart was booked at the Cass County Jail and released today (Thursday), on his own recognizance.

The Creston Police Department reports one arrest and one citation issued on Wednesday.

Allen Long

At 11:59am Officers arrested 35-year-old Allen Scott Long of Prescott at the Southern Prairie YMCA in Creston on a Union County Warrant for Lascivious Acts with a Child. He was taken to the Union County Jail and held on a $10,000 cash only bond.

At 2:45pm Creston Police issued a citation to 35-year-old Brandi Lynn Atkins for Allowing Animal to Run at Large.

A Red Oak man was arrested on Wednesday night. At 10:34pm Red Oak  Police arrested 29-year-old Dylan Thomas Griffith of Red Oak in the 300 block of East Market Street for Interference with Official Acts. Griffith was taken to the Montgomery County Jail and held on $300 bond.