(Sidney, Iowa) – Fremont County Sheriff Kevin Aistrope reports multiple arrests took place over the past week and a half. Early today (11/29), deputies arrested 58-year-old Vernon Lee Christiansen, of Percival, for Interference with Official Acts. Deputies were called to his residence for a disturbance. Deputies allege that Christiansen refused deputies commands and then approached them in an aggressive manner, resulting in a Taser deployment. Christiansen was released after posting $300 bond.

On Monday (11/27), Fremont County deputies arrested 65-year-old Daniel Jay Kitchens, of Thurman, for Extortion. It is alleged that Kitchens threatened the victim over the non-payment of a perceived debt. Kitchens is being held on a $5,000 cash/surety bond. He was previously released on 11/16/2023, after posting $18,000 cash bond for an incident on 11/03/2023, where it was alleged that Kitchens fired a gun during an altercation in Thurman.

Aldana

Christiansen

Donnelly

Kitchens

Lamkins

McNutt

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Smith

And, last Friday (11/24), deputies in Fremont County were called to an address in Hamburg for a report of a barricaded subject that had threatened to harm the residents of a house as well as himself. Deputies with the Fremont County K9 Unit as well as Shenandoah Police and the Mills County Sheriff’s Office responded to the call. Law enforcement forced entry into a shed and made contact with 22-year-old Joseph Troy Smith, of Springfield, Nebraska. Smith began fighting with officers and was quickly subdued. Smith was arrested for Harassment 1st Degree, Interference with Official Acts and Fugitive from Justice. Smith is being held on $5,000 cash bond as well as a no bond warrant out of Nebraska.

Also arrested on the 24th (on unrelated charges), was 37-year-old Stephanie May McNutt, of Council Bluffs. She was taken into custody after the Fremont County K9 Unit stopped to assist a woman – later identified as McNutt – walking in the 2200 block of Highway 2, at around 6:07-p.m. The woman provided deputies with a false name. She was later found to be in possession of approximately 7 grams of methamphetamine and a small bag of a substance that tested positive for Fentanyl. McNutt was arrested for: Possession of Methamphetamine; Possession of Fentanyl; Possession of Marijuana; Possession of Drug Paraphernalia; Bringing Contraband into a Correctional Facility; A Drug Tax Stamp Violation, and Providing False Identification Information to Law Enforcement. She was being held on a $13,600 cash/surety bond. McNutt was also being held without bond on a warrant for Parole Violation out of Pottawattamie County.

Other arrests in Fremont County include:

• On 11/16/2023, deputies arrested 18-year-old Mathew Stuart Lamkins, of Tabor, for Contributing to the Delinquency of a Minor. He was released on his own recognizance.
• On 11/17/2023, deputies arrested 31-year-old Jacob Juan Donnelly, of Tabor, for Domestic Abuse. He was released on bond.
• On 11/19/2023, deputies arrested 22-year-old Hannah Jo Aldana, of Nebraska City, Nebraska, for Operating While Intoxicated 1st Offense. She was released on bond.

On Nov. 26th, Fremont County Deputies, with assistance of the Fremont County K9 Unit, arrested 21-year-old Dustin Scott Robinson, of Sidney. Robinson was arrested for Possession of Methamphetamine, Possession of Marijuana, Possession of Drug Paraphernalia, and Failure to Affix a Drug Tax Stamp. He is being held on $5,000 cash/surety bond as well as a $10,000 cash/Surety bond on a warrant out of Pottawattamie County.