DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A woman has been accused of stealing thousands of dollars from several businesses in Polk County. Polk County court records say 65-year-old Janet Cole is charged with six counts of theft, three of forgery, two of fraudulent practices and one of money laundering.  Her preliminary hearing is scheduled for March 18. Court documents say since 2012 she wrote unauthorized checks to herself and forged signatures on checks written to the companies. The records say she lives in Altoona.

Police in Creston report 40-year old Seth Jacob Preston, of Creston, was arrested Thursday afternoon. Preston was arrested at the Adult Probation Office, for a State narcotics warrant – controlled substance violation, a Class-B Felony. Preston was being held without bond, in the Union County Jail.

And, Creston Police say a resident reported to them on Wednesday, that a lock on his truck was cut. A drill and grinder were reported missing. The incident resulted in a loss of about $150.

Sheriff’s officials in Mills County, Thursday, reported three recent arrests. On Wednesday, 42-year old Travis Matthew Handley, of Glenwood, was arrested in Glenwood, on two warrants for Violation of Probation. His bond was set at $20,000. And, 32-year old Jessie James Baker, of Council Bluffs, was arrested at the Clarinda Correctional Facility, on a Mills County warrant for Theft in the 1st Degree. His bond was set at $10,000.

On Thursday, 50-year old Roger Wayne Brock, of Kansas City, was arrested following a traffic stop on I-29 in Mills County. Brock faces charges that include Unlawful Possession of Prescription Drugs, Possession of Drug Paraphernalia, Theft in the 5th Degree, Fraudulent use of Registration, and Failure to provide proof of insurance. Brock was also cited for improper license plate lamp. His bond was set at $1,600.

Mills County Sheriff’s officials said also, two people were transported to the hospital in Red Oak, following a collision at around 6:10-a.m. Thursday. A 2015 GMC driven by 50-year old Peter Phillips, of Glenwood, was traveling east on Highway 34, when the front and rear tires on the passenger side of his vehicle left the road and entered the deep snow on the shoulder. When Phillips over-corrected, the vehicle went across the center line of the highway and collided head-on with westbound 2002 Dodge, driven by 52-year old Barbara Stegall, of Emerson. Both drivers were transported to the hospital by Malvern Rescue,

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A man charged with murder in the fatal shooting of a Des Moines resident has been convicted of assault. The Des Moines Register reports that 32-year-old Cornelius Davis was found guilty Wednesday of two counts of assault causing injury. He’d been charged with robbery, willful injury and first-degree murder in the slaying of 42-year-old Thurmon Cole. He’d been killed Oct. 4 on Des Moines’ north side.

A defense attorney says Davis was attacked by Cole when Davis went to Cole’s apartment to sell him marijuana. Police had said Davis went there to rob Cole, thinking Cole had money and drugs. Cole’s girlfriend was injured during the incident.

West Central Valley School District Superintendent Lance Ridgely reports the West Central Valley School Board held a special meeting Wednesday night to address the issue of weather-related delays & cancellations for the 2018-19 school year. Ridgely says “Due to the number of weather-related school closings/delays/early releases we need to make up some of the time that we’ve lost. Our total lost time at this point is 55 hours (7 full days and some late starts and early dismissals).”

To compensate for the lost time, he says the Board approved the following adjustments to the 18-19 calendar.

1. Students will attend school 4/19, 5/28, 5/29. These will be full days of school and recover 19.5 instructional hours

2. The last day of school for students will be 5/30. This will be a 1:30 dismissal and bring the total instructional hours recovered to 24.

3. Students will attend 4/3, 4/17 & 5/8 as full days of school. This brings our total instructional hours recovered to 33.

4. Any further weather cancellations (full days) will be added to the end of the school year.

The remainder of the hours missed are accounted for through time spent during Parent Teacher conferences last fall and this spring.

The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office says no injuries were reported following a collision 2-p.m. Thursday, at the intersection of 203rd Street and J Avenue. Vehicles driven by 19-year old Cameron J. Pryor, of Red Oak, and 28-year old Tiffany J. Medenwaldt, of rural Red Oak, collided in-part due to icy road conditions. Authorities say Pryor was traveling south on J Avenue in a pickup truck and approaching the railroad tunnel, when he saw Medenwaldt’s SUV traveling northbound and entering the tunnel.

Pryor tried to stop, but the snow- and ice-covered road conditions prevented him from doing so. The 2007 Dodge Ram pickup he was driving slid and struck the 2015 Ford Escape on the left front side, causing sideswipe damage to the SUV. Authorities noted that the speed limit for the roadway changed from 55-to 35 mph on the south side of the tunnel, and there are no stop signs or control signs on either side, for tunnel traffic.

No citations were issued. Damage from the collision amounted to $10,500.

FORT DODGE, Iowa (AP) — The Webster County attorney has cleared two officers who killed a man during an exchange of gunfire. Forty-five-year-old Matthew Hurley, of Wall Lake, died Dec. 31 after engaging in a gunfight while driving away from officers who had been called to a disturbance just outside Fort Dodge. Hurley’s vehicle eventually stopped in a field, and he was found dead inside.

The review released Thursday says each officer was “justified in the use of reasonable force, including deadly force, in that each reasonably believed that such force was necessary to defend himself or another from an actual or imminent use of unlawful force by Matthew Thomas Hurley.”