With KJAN News Director Ric Hanson.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (4.3MB)

Subscribe: RSS

SALIX, Iowa (AP) – A submerged pickup has been found at Snyder Bend Park near Salix in northwest Iowa.  The Sioux City Journal says a park ranger spotted the truck around 4:30 p.m. Sunday.

Sgt. Don Armstrong of the Woodbury County Sheriff’s Office says the pickup belonged to Ronald Mathison, of Sioux City. Mathison told officers that he’d been ice fishing Saturday night when the ice started to break up beneath him and the truck. He was able to get away before the truck plunged into the water.

Recovery of the truck could come as early as today (Monday).

Sheriff’s officials in Montgomery County report a Red Oak woman was arrested Sunday evening on a charge of Driving While Barred. 32-year old Michelle M. Storm was pulled over at around 7:30-p.m. for allegedly making an unsafe turn and Failure to use a continuous signal. A check of Storm’s driving record revealed she was barred from operating a motor vehicle for being a habitual violator.

Storm was booked into the Montgomery County Jail and released after posting a $2,000 bond.

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press…

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Civil rights groups and some Democrats in the Legislature say Iowa has a wage theft problem and it needs to be fixed. Senator Bill Dotzler, a Waterloo Democrat says it’s an epidemic involving up to 1,000 workers a year in Iowa. He’s proposed a bill that holds employers responsible and forces them to tell workers up front in writing how much they’ll get paid and what deductions will be taken from their checks.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The chairman of Iowa’s Republican Party will step down later this month once a replacement can be chosen. The Iowa GOP said Saturday that A.J. Spiker had submitted his letter of resignation. The party will chose a new chairman on March 29th. Spiker plans to become a political adviser to U.S. Sen. Rand Paul’s political action committee after supporting Paul’s father, former Texas Congressman Ron Paul.

WATERLOO, Iowa (AP) — The streets of Waterloo are a bit smoother now thanks to the efforts of a group of volunteers who spent part of their weekend filling potholes. The Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier reports the volunteers filled about 400 potholes Saturday.

WATERLOO, Iowa (AP) — Iowa authorities have identified the 34-year-old Waterloo man who died in the Black Hawk County Jail. The Black Hawk County Sheriff’s office says James Terrell Taylor died Friday evening after being found unresponsive in a cell. The State Medical Examiner performed an autopsy on Taylor Sunday, but toxicology reports are still pending.

One of two high speed pursuits that took place Sunday evening and night began in Cass County. The first began just after 7-p.m., when Cass County Sheriff’s Deputy Josh McLaren tried to stop a vehicle whose driver was wanted on Polk County warrant. The chase started on North Olive Street near the KJAN studios when McLaren initiated a traffic stop of a 2014 VW Passat.

Richard Randall Eatwell (Polk County Sheriff’s office photo) – 2013

The driver, 39-year old Richard Randall Eatwell, was wanted on a Polk County warrant for Parole Violation. The chase ended in a foot pursuit of the suspect, who was apprehended without further incident in the fenced-in back yard of a residence in Audubon, near the intersection of Poplar and Maple Streets, at around 7:26-p.m.

During the chase, the car traveled north on Olive Street towards Interstate 80, at speeds of up to 117-miles per hour. The VW then turned east onto Boston Road and reached speeds of 80-to 90 on the gravel, before it turned north on Highway 71.

The vehicle hit 118-miles per hour on the stretch between the Valley (Highway 71/Interstate 80), and Brayton. Along the way driver made several passes in a No Passing Zone and entered Brayton doing about 95 miles per hour.

Approaching Exira, speeds topped 120-miles per hour. The suspect’s vehicle turned east onto 250th Street near the Greenbriar Country Club in an effort to avoid stop-sticks, and then headed north on Lark Avenue until it came to the T-intersection with 220th, where it turned west while maintaining about 80-to 90 miles per hour. At 7:19-pm the car turned north onto Highway 71 heading into Audubon.

Assisting in the chase and arrest were deputies with the Audubon, Carroll and Shelby County Sheriff’s Offices, Audubon Police and the Iowa State Patrol. None of the officers or any civilians were injured during the chase and arrest.

Eatwell was previously arrested on March 27th, 2013 by Atlantic Police on a Feb. 2013 warrant out of Polk County, for a Parole Violation associated with Work Release. The second chase involved deputies with the Mills, Montgomery, Fremont, Cass, Adams and Pottawattamie County Sheriff’s Departments, and Omaha Police Helicopter Able 1. Details are currently not available on that incident.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The chairman of Iowa’s Republican Party will step down later this month once a replacement can be chosen. The Iowa GOP said Saturday that A.J. Spiker had submitted his letter of resignation. The party will chose a new chairman on March 29.

Spiker plans to become a political adviser to U.S. Sen. Rand Paul’s political action committee. Rand Paul is a potential 2016 presidential candidate, and Spiker had previously backed Paul’s father, former U.S. Rep. Ron Paul. Spiker became chairman in 2012 after tea party conservatives and Paul supporters worked at the precinct level to take control of the state GOP leadership.

On Saturday most of the GOP state convention delegates chosen were moderate candidates who back Gov. Terry Branstad.

Authorities in Montgomery County say two men face separate charges following their arrests over the weekend. Early Sunday morning, police in Red Oak arrested 26-year old Myles Dustin Longcor, of Henderson, after officers responded to disturbance caused by an allegedly intoxicated man.

When police arrived at 404 1st Avenue in Red Oak at around 3:30-a.m., they found Longcor creating the disturbance inside the residence. After he was escorted outside Longcor began to ignore officers’ commands and allegedly became physically aggressive. One of the officers deployed a stun gun, which incapacitated Longcor, who was subsequently put in handcuffs. As police were bringing to a cruiser, Longcor allegedly resisted arrest again, and tried to pull away several times. His actions caused both the officers and Longcor to fall to the ground. During the scuffle, one of the officers suffered an ankle injury.

Longcor was then taken to the Montgomery County Law Enforcement Center and charged with interference with official acts, an aggravated misdemeanor. He was being held in jail on $2,000 cash bond.

The other incident happened at around 4:30-p.m., Saturday. Police in Red Oak arrested 23-year old Nicholas Philby, of Red Oak, on charges that include OWI 1st Offense,Possession of a Controlled Substance, Possession of a Drug Paraphernalia, and Failure to Obey a Stop Sign. Philby was being held in the Montgomery County Jail on $1,000 bond.

Authorities say Philby was taken into custody after officers pulled over the 1989 Ford Ranger pickup he was driving in the 1600 block of Miller Avenue. Philby was given a field sobriety test, which he failed. A search of his vehicle by the Red Oak K-9 Unit resulted in the discovery of marijuana and drug paraphernalia.

Police in Lenox arrested one person late Sunday morning (3/9) on a felony burglary charge. Authorities say officers were called to an address on N. Main Street in reference to an assault.

Jesus Alvarez

An investigation determined 18-year old Jesus Alvarez, of Lenox, allegedly kicked in a door and assaulted a male in the home. Alvarez was seen running from the area when the officer responded.

The teen was located at his home and arrested by officers of the Lenox Police Department and deputies with the Taylor County Sheriffs Office. He was charged with Burglary in the 1st degree, a Class B Felony, and transported to the Taylor County Sheriffs Office

(Updated 3/12/14, with bond set & court dates)

Authorities in Lenox report Sheriff’s deputies in Union County South Dakota have arrested a man wanted on a Lenox Police Department warrant for harassment in the 1st degree and  stalking, in violation of a protective order. 40-year old Chadwick David Sager, of Beresford, SD, was arrested Thursday after deputies were called to a residence in rural Beresford, with regard to a domestic dispute.

Chad Sager

Sager waived extradition at a court appearance on Friday, March 7th. He was transported back to Iowa by Officers of the Lenox Police Department on March 8th. He is currently being held in the Adams County Jail on $7,000 bond. His preliminary hearing was set for March 20th at 9:30-a.m. A judge Monday ordered Sager to have no contact with the alleged victim.

The charges originating in Lenox stem from a 5 month investigation during which Sager is alleged to have stalked and harassed a female who lives in Lenox. The Lenox Police Department was assisted in their investigation by the Taylor County Sheriffs Office, the Iowa Department of Criminal Investigation Cyber Crimes Unit, the Delaware State Police, the San Diego Calif. Police Department, and the Florida Division of Law Enforcement.

The Atlantic Community School District’s Board of Education will meet Monday evening in the High School Media Center, beginning at 7:30. On their agenda is a special presentation with regard to the “Friend-to-Friend” Program, and action on approving resignations,  recommendations with regard to the 2014-2015 District Calendar and Snow Make-up days schedule.

Following their Feb. 10th meeting, Superintendent Mike Amstein had said the those days will be added to the end of the current school year, which will mean classes would dismiss May 23^rd instead of  May 21st, assuming there are no more make-up days due to the weather.Since then however, the district has missed some time because of both snow and cold weather.

In other business, the Atlantic School Board, Monday, will update the Facility Use fee schedule, and act on: A District Early Retirement proposal; the termination of the Head Tennis Coach’ contract; the hiring of a 1-to-1 Special Education Paraprofessional and then discuss the 2014-2015 budget, as well as review the District’s 1-to-1 computer proposal.