From October 5th through October 10th, the Guthrie County Sheriff’s Office’s K9 Unit participated in the Heart of America Police Dog Association’s certification process in Manhattan, Kansas. Certification was attended by approximately twenty five K9 teams from Kansas, Missouri and Iowa.

Guthrie County Sheriff’s Deputy Kent Gries and his K9 partner “Rage.”

During the week, the K9 team consisting of K9 Rage and Deputy Kent Gries were certified in numerous areas of police work including: tracking, narcotics detection, article search, suspect search, obedience and handler protection. Rage and Deputy Gries passed all of the certification scenarios without issue.

On the last day of certification, two certified K9 judges created a difficult scenario involving a barricaded subject inside of a commercial building structure.

The K9 teams were tasked with safely apprehending the barricaded subject while navigating obstacles presented to them throughout the scenario. Upon completion of the scenario, the judges graded each team’s performance and awarded first, second and third place trophies. K9 Rage and Deputy Kent Gries were awarded 2nd place for their efforts.

The Guthrie County Sheriff’s Office wishes to thank all of the donors to the K9 unit and appreciate all of the well wishes that have been offered after Rage’s recent emergency surgery. Rage is doing well and is back to full duty.

An non-jury accident was reported to authorities in Montgomery County, Monday. Sheriff’s officials say Michael Allen Williams told them he was traveling west on 148th Street Monday in a 2002 Ford Ranger pickup, when he met an eastbound white Jeep Cherokee with a U-S Postal Service logo on it, that failed to yield half of the road. Williams said when he took evasive action, he ended-up driving into the north ditch. The right side of his pickup scraped the ditch embankment, causing an unknown dollar amount of damage.

Williams said the Jeep continued eastbound. Deputies in Montgomery County contacted officials with the Post Office, who looked into their records. The USPS said there were no mail carriers on that particular road, and had spoken to all their local carriers with vehicles close to that described by Williams.

The investigation into the alleged incident is complete, unless new information is uncovered.

Childcare professionals working in daycare/preschool centers and home child care providers are invited to attend a workshop in Onawa offered by ISU Extension and Outreach-Monona County. Color Me Healthy is a two hour training that guides child care providers in fun ways to keep preschoolers moving and eating healthy. The training is on Monday, November 17th, from 6:30 to 8:30-pm, at Monona County ISU Extension, 119 Iowa Avenue in Onawa.

Renee Sweers, ISU Extension and Outreach Nutrition and Health Program Specialist and program presenter, says “Color Me Healthy is a hand-on training that is a lot of fun. Participants learn activities to do with preschoolers that promote eating healthy and being active. Additionally, each child care center or home will receive a Color Me Healthy curriculum kit, so they will have all the tools they need to do the activities in their own child care setting.”

Color Me Healthy was developed by North Carolina Cooperative Extension. It provides fun, innovative, interactive learning opportunities on physical activity and healthy eating. The program is designed to stimulate all of the senses of young children: touch, smell, sight, sound, and, of course, taste. Color Me

Healthy uses color, music, and exploration of the senses to teach children that healthy food and physical activity are fun! Register online at the Iowa Childcare Provider Training Registry https://ccmis.dhs.state.ia.us/TrainingRegistry/ or call Monona County ISU Extension and Outreach at 712-423-2175.

Costs for the program are covered in-part by Early Childhood Iowa – Monona, Shelby, Harrison counties.

The Guthrie County Sheriff’s Office reports an investigation into an assault in Menlo last Friday, has resulted in the arrest of 50-year old Jeffery J. Godron, of Adair. Godron was arrested on a charge of  Assault Causing Injury, a serious misdemeanor.  Godron is alleged to have assaulted his 84 year old mother at her residence in Menlo.

Godron was booked into the Guthrie County Jail. After an appearance before the Guthrie County Magistrate, Godron was held on $1,000 cash or surety bond.  Godron was also found to have warrants out of Adair County for Willful Injury and Domestic Abuse Assault. A hold has been placed on Godron by Adair County.

The Taylor County Sheriff’s Office reports deputies engaged in a pursuit Saturday that entered the County from Page County. The S/O was notified about the pursuit at around 6:30-p.m. Page County authorities pursued the vehicle north of New Market. The vehicle being pursued was silver 2003 BMW. For a short time location of the BMW was unknown before deputies with Taylor County located the vehicle north of New Market on Badger Avenue at the intersection with 205th.

A restaurant owner in northwest Iowa has landed in the national news spotlight over her fight with the federal government. Carole Hinders has operated Mrs. Lady’s Mexican Food in Spirit Lake for 38 years. On May 22nd of last year, she says her life was turned upside down. “I got a knock on the door and it was two IRS agents who informed me they had closed my business bank account and seized all my money, which was almost $33,000,” Hinders said.

Carole Hinders

The restaurant only accepts cash, which means Hinders makes frequent trips to the bank to avoid having large sums of money in the business. Larry Salzman is with Institute for Justice, a Washington, DC-based public interest law firm that’s helping Hinders with her case. “Federal law requires banks to report cash deposits greater than $10,000. The federal government used civil forfeiture to seize Carole’s bank account, claiming by making small deposits, she was evading that requirement,” Salzman said. Institute for Justice produced a video telling Hinders’ story.

“It’s been a year from Hell,” Hinders said in the video. “I decided to fight this fight because I didn’t do anything wrong. They took my money and I don’t think they should have the right to do that.” The law firm reports federal law enforcement agencies — using civil forfeiture — can take cash, cars and other property without charging the property owner with a crime.

The 67-year-old Hinders said she received no warning from either her bank or the government before her money was taken. Since then, she’s borrowed money and used credit cards to pay bills and keep her restaurant in business. The New York Times recently featured a story about Hinders’ plight on its front page.

The Institute for Justice analyzed civil forfeiture, or “structuring,” data from the I.R.S., and determined the feds made 639 seizures in 2012, up from 114 in 2005. Only one in five was prosecuted as a criminal structuring case.

(Radio Iowa)

Two separate incidents at an apartment complex in Clarinda last Friday resulted in two arrests. Clarinda Police report at around 3:10-p.m., Friday,  officers responded to a disturbance at the Timber Creek Apartment Complex. Upon investigation, they arrested 38-year old Chad Jeffery Newberg, of Clarinda, for public intoxication and resisting arrest. Newberg scuffled with the officers as he was being arrested, but the officers did not sustain any injuries. Newberg was transported to the Page County Jail and held in lieu of $300 bail.

At around 6:30-p.m.  Friday, officers responded to another disturbance at the Timber Creek Apartment Complex. The subsequently arrested 19-year old Caleb Ennen, of Clarinda, without incident, for simple misdemeanor trespass. Ennen was transported to the Page County Jail and held in lieu of $300 bail. He was arrested again late Saturday evening at the same apartment complex, on the same charge. Ennen was held again in the Page County Jail, on $300 bond.

Earlier that same evening, Clarinda Police attempted to execute a traffic stop at 12th & Washington Streets. The driver refused to stop and a pursuit ensued. The pursuit was short in duration and subsequently called off. Additional investigation revealed the identity of the driver who was arrested later the same night. A 17 year male juvenile of Clarinda was arrested for driving while revoked and felony eluding of a law enforcement vehicle. The juvenile was released to the custody of a parent pending action by Page County Juvenile Court Services and review of the charges by the Page County Attorney’s Office.

Surveillance by the Iowa Department of Public Health (IDPH) Iowa Influenza Surveillance Network shows while flu activity in the state is slowly increasing and remains low, there already are two strains of the virus circulating. IDPH Medical Director, Dr. Patricia Quinlisk says “This is the perfect time to get your flu vaccination. Identification of two circulating strains by the State Hygienic Lab means that without a flu vaccination, an individual could become ill with the flu two different times.”

This season’s flu vaccines cover three or four strains of flu, depending on which type of vaccine you receive. Quinlisk says the early identification of several flu strains circulating in the state means the upcoming influenza season could be more severe than a typical season. IDPH and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommend annual influenza vaccinations for everyone 6 months of age and older. It’s especially important to be vaccinated if you have regular contact with people more vulnerable to the complications of flu, including babies, children with asthma, and the elderly. IDPH also recommends pregnant women be vaccinated to protect themselves, and to pass on some immunity to their baby.

The flu is a serious respiratory illness caused by viruses. The flu comes on suddenly and symptoms may include fever, headache, tiredness, cough, sore throat, nasal congestion, and body aches. Illness typically lasts two to seven days, and often puts healthy people in bed for days. Influenza may cause severe illness or even death in people such as the very young or very old, or those who have underlying health conditions.

Influenza is not a ‘reportable disease’ in Iowa, which means health care providers are not required to notify IDPH each time a patient tests positive for influenza; however, IDPH conducts year-round statewide influenza surveillance through the Iowa Influenza Surveillance Network. This surveillance indicates what types of influenza viruses are circulating and how widespread influenza illness is. For more information about where and what kind of influenza is in Iowa, go to www.idph.state.ia.us/Cade/Influenza.aspx?pg=FluHome.

Contact your health care provider or local health department to find out where the vaccine is available in your community or use the Flu Vaccine Finder at www.flu.gov/.