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Keep up-to-date with Fox News Radio, Radio Iowa, Brownfield & the Iowa Agribusiness Networks!
On Saturday at approximately 3:40 AM, deputies of the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office arrested Seth Michael Lewis of Farragut at the intersection of Main street and Frankfort street in Stanton. Lewis is charges with possession of drug paraphernalia and minor in possession of alcohol. Lewis was transported to the Montgomery County Law Enforcement Center, processed, and released to the custody of his parent.
Authorities say the former fire chief of Missouri Valley lied to police about his credentials and the steps he was taking to investigate suspected arsons at two local homes. The Daily NonPareil says Johnnie Walker, the former fire chief, pleaded guilty to providing false information to authorities.
Johnnie Thomas Walker (Harrison Co. Jail photo)
In return, prosecutors dropped a charge of interfering with official acts. Judicial Magistrate Jack White sentenced Walker to a 30-day jail sentence, which was suspended. Walker also was ordered to pay $120 in court costs.
Missouri Valley Police Chief Ed Murray said Walker provided false information to investigators on suspected arsons at two abandoned houses. One of the houses, on the northeast corner of 10th and Granite streets, was set ablaze three times in October. The other house, at 105 W. Superior St., was set on fire on March 7th. According to Murray, during the investigation of the Granite Street fires, Walker said that he was a certified arson investigator when he is not and that state arson investigators wouldn’t investigate such a fire when they would.
On the West Superior fire, he told Murray he had taken samples from the scene to a crime lab in Ames when he had not. He also said he was out of town on the night of the fire when he later said he was at home. Walker has said he was home ill at the time. At one point, Walker was supposed to meet with local and state investigators to discuss the West Superior fire but missed the meeting. Murray called him on his cell phone. Walker told him he was traveling to Ames to deliver samples from the fire to the lab.
But Murray could hear wind blowing in the background. He became suspicious and asked one of his officers to go by Walker’s house. The officer found Walker in his front yard, talking to the chief on the phone, not on the way to Ames. State arson investigator John Ticer said that’s impossible, because there isn’t a lab in Ames to test the samples. That was the first piece of evidence that led them to suspect Walker was not telling the truth.
Asked why Walker had misled him, Murray said he didn’t know and would only be speculating. 19-year old Coty Cates, of Missouri Valley, has pleaded guilty in an agreement with prosecutors to one count of second-degree arson in connection to the Granite Street fires. He received a suspended fine of $1,000, ordered to pay restitution to the victim and placed under drug court supervision for two years. Two other arson charges against Cates in connection to the Granite Street fires were dismissed.
Investigators know of no connection between Walker and Cates. The teen is believed to have acted alone. In addition to the Superior Street blaze, state and local officials continue to investigate several other possible arson fires in the area, including a house at 2279 U.S. Highway 30 that exploded Oct. 27, 2013, and numerous hay bales set ablaze on Oct. 31, 2014.
Anyone with information on the fires is asked to call Missouri Valley police at (712) 642-2736 or Ticer at (712) 308-3977.
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Iowa agriculture officials say an additional turkey farm in Pocahontas County has tested positive for bird flu. If confirmed, the case will be the third in that county. The case brings the Iowa total to 64 farms with bird flu. The Iowa Department of Agriculture estimates 21,000 turkeys on the farm. Iowa has just over 1 million turkeys already killed or to be euthanized as a result of the virus.
Iowa will lose more than 25 million birds, mostly chickens, as a result of the disease which first surfaced just over a month ago. The spread of the disease seems to be slowing with fewer new cases reported daily. Minnesota reported no new cases Friday, the seventh day with no new cases reported.
A truck driver from Nebraska was injured during a rollover accident Friday morning, in Pottawattamie County. The Iowa State Patrol says a 1999 Freightliner semi driven by 45-year old Trevor Lierman, of Stanton, NE., was traveling east on Interstate 80 at around 12:20-p.m., when Lierman took exit 27 to head west on I-680.
Photo courtesy Brian Rink
The semi went out of control on the curve and entered the north ditch, where the trailer, loaded with cattle, rolled over. Lierman, who was wearing his seat belt, was trapped in the cab of the semi for about 30-minutes until he could be extricated by Neola Fire and Rescue personnel.
He was flown by LifeNet helicopter to the University of Nebraska Medical Center for treatment of non-life threatening injuries. Several cattle were trapped in the wreck, while others escaped. They were rounded up by area farmers and ranchers. Officials say anywhere from 15-to 20 cows involved in the crash may have to be euthanized. I-680 was closed in both directions while the cattle were being rounded-up.
The accident remains under investigation.
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Iowa lawmakers say they’ve made progress in determining how much to spend on the state’s overall budget, including K-12 education. Republican House Speaker Kraig Paulsen and Democratic Senate Majority Leader Mike Gronstal say they’re optimistic, despite not reaching a deal Friday following another round of meetings at the Capitol. Paulsen, of Hiawatha, predicted lawmakers could be debating budget bills as early as Wednesday. Gronstal, of Council Bluffs, also indicated his office was communicating with various departments over proposed numbers.
But neither lawmaker elaborated on potential concessions over the budget for the fiscal year that begins July 1. The Senate and Gov. Terry Branstad have proposed overall general fund budgets of about $7.34 billion. House Republicans want to spend $7.17 billion. For schools, the two sides are about $50 million apart.
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Iowa egg production for April fell 8 percent from the month before and 4 percent from a year ago as the bird flu claimed millions of egg-laying hens. The first case was found in Iowa chickens around April 20 so the decline reflected in the U.S. Department of Agriculture monthly report reflects only some infected farms. The June 22 report will show a more complete picture. The virus has spread to 63 farms killing more than 21 million egg-layers.
The average number of layers on hand was 56.1 million in April, 5 percent lower than the year before. The loss drove egg prices to a record on Friday. Midwest large eggs reached $2.32 a dozen. Commodity market analyst Urner Barry says the previous record was $2.27 set on Dec 4.
A man driving a stolen forklift in Council Bluffs tried to ram a police cruiser this (Friday) morning. According to Bluffs Police, officers responded at around 9:20-a.m. to the area of 16th Avenue and High Street, for a reported hit-and-run accident, in which the caller said the vehicle responsible was a construction-type forklift.
While officers were enroute, the communications center received numerous other calls about the driver of the forklift operating the machine erratically. Council Bluffs Police Officer Ron Branigan saw the forklift in the area of South 10th Street and 7th Avenue. When the driver of the machine saw the officer’s cruiser, he turned sharply in an alleged attempt to ram the cruiser.
Officer Branigan was able to avoid a collision, and followed the machine in an attempt to stop it. At the intersection of South 10th and 5th Avenue, the driver spun the forklift around, and again tried to ram Branigan’s cruiser. The officer again avoided the collision. In the area of South 12th Street and 5th Avenue, the forklift stopped after essentially being surrounded by police.
The driver, 39-year old Michael Lynn Burgess, of Council Bluffs, was taken into custody without further incident and brought to the Pottawattamie County Jail. Burgess was charged with 1st Degree Theft, Assault on a Police Officer with a dangerous weapon, and leaving the scene of an accident. Authorities determined the forklift was stolen from Midwest Walnut, at 1914 Tostevin Street.
Police in Glenwood arrested 38-year old George Galvan, of Glenwood, Thursday, on two Mills County warrants. The warrants charge Galvan with Domestic Abuse Assault causing injury, and Domestic Abuse Assault impeding blood/and-or air flow. Galvan was being held without bond in the Mills County Jail, pending an appearance before a magistrate. And, 43-year old Dustyn Bond, of Malvern, was arrested Wednesday, for Parole Violation. He was being held without bond, as well.
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – Gov. Terry Branstad plans to attend the funeral of an Omaha police officer from Iowa who was killed in the line of duty. Branstad says he will travel Tuesday to Omaha to attend the funeral of Officer Kerrie Orozco. The 29-year-old died Wednesday after she was shot by a man who was being served a felony arrest warrant. She and another officer had responded to a call for backup from officers who had come under fire from the suspect, who was also killed.
Orozco was a seven-year veteran of the department who lived in Council Bluffs and was a native of nearby Walnut. She was also a new mother with a premature baby in the hospital. Branstad has ordered all flags in Iowa be flown at half-staff Tuesday.
A man from south central Iowa was arrested Thursday night at the Union County Law Enforcement Center on a Union County warrant for Probation Violation. 25-year old Trevor Jack Dillon Loudon, of Bevington, was being held in the Union County Jail on $5,000 bond.
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