A District Court Judge in Council Bluffs, Thursday, sentenced a Fremont County man to 6 1/2-years in prison on drug distribution charges. 50-year old John Tracy Miller received his sentence for Possession with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine. Miller was sentenced to 78 months in prison, to be followed by a term of supervised release of four years.

In August 2018, Miller was a passenger in a vehicle stopped by a Fremont County Deputy for speeding and a broken headlight. In a search subsequent to the stop, 59.2 grams of methamphetamine was located in Miller’s pocket.

The case was investigated by Fremont County Sheriff’s Department, Omaha Police Department and the Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement. The case was prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa.

The East Nishnabotna River continues to rise in Montgomery County. Flood control efforts are ongoing within the City of Red Oak and City of Elliott. The City of Red Oak has 3 large pumps working on the Red Oak creek, at this point it appears those pumping efforts are keeping up with the creek on the city side of the levee. The City of Elliott has trash pumps working and an additional larger pump has been requested by Iowa Homeland Security and Emergency Management.

Travel is not advised on all secondary roads within Montgomery County due to current and deteriorating conditions. Highway 34 is being actively monitored west of Red Oak. Below is a list of closures that are known as of Thursday afternoon.

NEW – NUMEROUS CLOSURES around W Coolbaugh Street x G Ave south to 210th Street. AVOID THE AREA.

NEW – 100th Street CLOSED between Kirkwood & Lumber Ave north of Elliott due to a stuck semi.

EXPECTED CLOSURE – Kirkwood Ave north out of Elliott to be closed for flood control measures.

FULL HARD CLOSURE on Highway 48 west of Elliott. Detour being established by Iowa DOT. Please check www.511ia.org for more information once available. DO NOT TRAVEL NORTH ON KIRKWOOD AVE.

J Ave between Highway 48 south past the Schildberg quarry drive near 144th street.

250th Street between Evergreen and Railroad Tracks is now CLOSED.

145th Street at Stennett is CLOSED due to water over the roadway. The closure is between 148th St x 150th.

The Red Oak Police Department reports the arrest Thursday of 36-year-old George Allen Alfred Wesbrook of Villisca. Wesbrook was arrested at 12:08pm in the 300 block of East Coolbaugh Street in Red Oak for Driving Under Suspension. He was taken to the Montgomery County Jail and held on $566.25 bond.

COUNCIL BLUFFS – The Pottawattamie County Emergency Management Agency reports, the American Red Cross Shelter established in Avoca, has closed. The Nishnabotna River waters in the area are beginning to recede and officials have determined there is no longer an imminent threat that would require emergency sheltering.

The Shelby and Audubon County County Boards of Supervisors have placed a 10-ton load embargoes on all County Rock (gravel) roads. The embargo is in place until further notice. No vehicle heavier than 10-tons is allowed to traverse gravel roads.

The Shelby County Emergency Management Agency reports officials with Windstream have notified the Shelby County EMA that there is a phone outage that is effecting landline 911 services in the city of Shelby. They do not have a time frame of when it will be fixed. The EMA is asking people to use cell phones if there is an emergency until landline services are restored.

Elk Horn Fire and Rescue reports also, landline 911 services are currently down in their area. If you need help, please call 911 on your cell phone or call 712-755-2121.

Windstream customers in the Minden prefix area of Pottawattamie County are also experiencing a phone outage that has disrupted 9-1-1 service to this area. If a cell phone is not available, you are asked to go to the Minden Fire Station for assistance. The station will be staffed until service is restored. This outage does not affect CenturyLink customers. To receive emergency weather warnings and community alerts such as evacuations, shelter locations, water/sewer system alerts and other emergency notices, sign up for free alerts from Pottawattamie Alert, part of the Alert Iowa Network, at www.pottcounty-ia.gov.