(Sidney, Iowa – Fremont County Sheriff Kevin Aistrope reports that a man from northwest Iowa was arrested on Monday for driving a stolen vehicle, faces additional charges following the alleged assault of a Sheriff’s Deputy at the Fremont County Jail, on Wednesday. The deputy suffered minor injuries during the incident.

The Sheriff said that on Monday (March 20), Sheriff’s Office received a report of a possible stolen vehicle near a truck stop at the intersection of Highway 2 and Interstate 29. Deputies located a 2015 Chrysler 200, reported stolen out of Dickinson County, Iowa at that location. The driver, 20-year-old Kendel Cole Schmidt, from Spirit Lake, Iowa was arrested for Theft in the 1^st Degree. Schmidt also had a warrant for his arrest out of Dickinson County, and was being held at the Fremont County Jail on $10,000 cash/surety bond.

Kendel Cole Schmidt

On Wednesday, Schmidt assaulted a Fremont County Correctional Officer, tearing the correctional officer’s uniform in the process, and attempted to steal items from their person in an attempt to escape.

Schmidt was additionally charged with:

• Criminal Mischief 5^th Degree, a Simple Misdemeanor
• Assault on persons in certain occupations, an Aggravated Misdemeanor
• Attempted Escape, a Class D Felony
• Robbery 2^nd Degree, a Class C Felony

He remains in the Fremont County Jail on an additional $17,300 cash bond.