Three people were taken into custody Tuesday night in Red Oak, after a search warrant was executed at a residence in the 1000-block of East Washington Avenue. Red Oak Police say nearly 390-grams of a substance suspected to be marijuana, $4,260 in currency, a .25-caliber handgun and numerous items of drug paraphernalia were seized during the search, which was conducted at 10:15-p.m..

59-year old Ricky Allen Straw, of Red Oak, was charged with 3 felony counts of Delivery of a Controlled Substance/Marijuana, along with felony Possession of Marijuana with the Intent to Deliver, felon in possession of a firearm, a drug tax stamp violation, as well as 2 counts of Child Endangerment (Aggravated misdemeanors), a Serious misdemeanor charge of Gathering where controlled substances are unlawfully used, and a simple misdemeanor charge of Possession of Drug Paraphernalia. Straw was being held in the Montgomery County Jail on $5,000 bond.

44-year old Susan Elaine Rooker, of Red Oak, faces 2 counts of Child Endangerment, along with Possession of Marijuana and Drug Paraphernalia charges. Her bond was set at $2,000. And, 22-year old Tiffany Renee Fulcher, of Red Oak, was cited for Possession of Drug Paraphernalia.

Officials say two children were removed from the home and placed in the custody and control of a family member. The investigation continues, and additional charges are pending. Red Oak Police were assisted in their investigation and search of the home, by deputies with the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office, and a Cass County K-9 unit.

A man whom authorities say stole a car from Nebraska led law enforcement officials on a chase Tuesday morning in Pottawattamie County, and managed to elude his pursuers. Sheriff’s officials told the Daily NonPareil the pursuit started around 9:50 a.m. in Crescent, when an unidentified white male driving a red Chevy Cavalier stolen out of Omaha, failed to stop for authorities.

The pursuit followed Old Lincoln Highway before turning onto Leisure Avenue. The vehicle eventually entered a cornfield near the intersection with 190th Street, at which point the driver took off on foot. Several law enforcement agencies including at least seven k-9 units engaged in a search for the driver, but the hilly, wooded terrain in the area made the search difficult. Adding to the difficulty in finding the man, was an unharvested corn crop, cloud cover and a light mist. The sheriff’s office, Iowa State Patrol and Iowa Department of Criminal Investigation and others were on the scene.

The manhunt was called-off at around 2:30-p.m., after search teams lost the trail in a corn field.  The suspect is described as a 5-foot-7 white male around 50 years old with shoulder-length hair. Sheriff Jeff Danker said authorities believe they know who the suspect is, but he declined to release a name. The sheriff’s office and other agencies were gathering evidence in an effort to obtain an arrest warrant.

One person was killed and another injured during a collision between a car and pickup Tuesday evening in Guthrie County. The Iowa State Patrol says a 1997 Olds Cutlass driven by 23-year old Jacob Cody Stringer, of Bayard, was traveling west on Highway 141 at around 5:30-p.m., when his car hit a guard rail and veered across the centerline before hitting a 1997 Ford F-150 pickup. Stringer, who was not wearing a seat belt, died at the scene of crash west of Bayard. The driver of the pickup, 60-year old Laverne Joseph Tigges, of Adel, was trapped in his vehicle.

Tigges was extricated and flown to Mercy Hospital in Des Moines by Mercy Air 1. A report on his condition is not available. The accident remains under investigation.

Sheriff’s officials in Montgomery County report a Villisca man was arrested Tuesday afternoon on sexual exploitation and child pornography charges. 60-year old James L. McDaniel, of Villisca, was taken into custody at around 2:10-p.m. following a three-month long investigation that was conducted by the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office along with the assistance of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, the Nashville, TN Metropolitan Police Department and Iowa Department of Criminal Investigation.

Authorities say McDaniel allegedly engaged in an online relationship with a then-16-year-old girl in Tennessee and was able to coerce the teenager to send explicit pictures,

McDaniel faces charges that include felony Sexual Exploitation of a Minor, as well as Possession of Child Pornography (an aggravated misdemeanor), and Dissemination and Exhibition of Obscene Material to a Minor (a serious misdemeanor).

McDaniel was being held in the Montgomery County Jail on $10,000 cash bond.