(Red Oak, Iowa) – Two people were arrested on separate charges, Tuesday night, in Red Oak. Police say 40-year-old Elysia Tylene White, of Red Oak, was arrested at around 9-p.m. in the 600 block of N. 5th Street, in Red Oak. White was charged with Theft in the 5th Degree. Her bond at the Montgomery County Jail was set at $300. And, at around 8:30-p.m., 56-year-old John Philip Gekas, of Omaha, was arrested in Red Oak, following a traffic stop near Joy Street and Miller Avenue. Gekas was taken into custody on an active Ida County warrant for Contempt of Court. His bond was also set at $300.

(Red Oak, Iowa) – An investigation into an accident that took place at around 2:30-p.m. Tuesday, in Red Oak, resulted in an arrest. According to Red Oak Police, 25-year-old Hailey Ann Fada, of Red Oak, was arrested for OWI/1st offense. She was also cited for Failure to Maintain Control. Hailey Fada was being held in the Montgomery County Jail on a $1,000 bond.

The accident happened in the 1400 block of Eastern Avenue, when a 2017 Chevy Malibu driven by Fada, sideswiped a legally parked 2011 Ford F-250 pickup, registered to Charles Shipley, of Red Oak. Damage to the vehicles amounted to $3,500 for the pickup, and $4,000 to the Malibu.

(Rad Oak, Iowa) – Police in Red report a man was arrested Tuesday afternoon, for failing to appear in court on drug charges. Authorities say 29-Cody James Copeland, of Red Oak, was arrested on a Montgomery County warrant for failure to appear on original charges of possession of a controlled substance and a controlled substance violation.

Copeland was being held in the Montgomery County Jail on a $25,000 bond.

COUNCIL BLUFFS, IA –Three Cass County (Iowa) residents were sentenced on May 16, 2023 for conspiring to distribute fentanyl causing serious bodily injury or death.

Cam Christopher Jahnke, 33, was sentenced to 193 months in prison. Chase Daniel Jahnke, 29, was sentenced to 204 months in prison. Kelsi Thurman, 27, was sentenced to 156 months in prison. There is no parole in the federal system.

According to court documents, each defendant plead guilty to agreeing to obtaining fentanyl pills from sources in Omaha, Nebraska, and selling those pills in and around Cass County, Iowa. The investigation determined that between August 2019 and June 2022, the group obtained and distributed over 10,000 pills containing fentanyl. Fentanyl distributed by the group caused two fentanyl overdose deaths.

Two additional co-defendants, Colby Clarken, 20, and Collin Clarken, 25, have also plead guilty to the same charge of conspiracy to distribute fentanyl causing serious bodily injury or death. Both are scheduled to be sentenced in August 2023.

United States Attorney Richard D. Westphal of the Southern District of Iowa stated the convictions disrupted a major source of supply of fentanyl in Western Iowa and was accomplished through the cooperation of numerous law enforcement agencies.

Agencies involved in this investigation included the Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement, Atlantic Police Department, Cass County Sheriff’s Office, Shelby County Sheriff’s Office, Southwest Iowa Narcotics Enforcement Task Force (SWINE) Task Force, Council Bluffs Police Department, Iowa Division of Intelligence, Iowa State Patrol, Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation Crime Lab, United States Postal Inspection Service, and Omaha Police Department.

(Radio Iowa) – The nearly 100 officers in the Iowa D-O-T’s Motor Vehicle Enforcement Division will soon become part of the Iowa Highway Patrol. The switch takes effect July 1st. Governor Kim Reynolds says it makes sense to have units with similar functions under the same roof at the Iowa Department of Public Safety. Iowa State Patrol Colonel Nathan Fulk says the organizations have been partners for many years.

“In 2022, we collectively assisted more than 14,000 stranded motorists and the Iowa State Patrol investigated over 4600 traffic collisions,” Fulk says. “As we come together, we will in a position to improve the public safety services with consistency, collaboration and teamwork.” Tom Bruun is chief of the D-O-T’s Motor Vehicle Enforcement Division. “For years, Motor Vehicle Enforcement has worked side by side with our partners with the Iowa State Patrol to keep Iowans safe,” Bruun says.

“This transition will continue to strengthen that partnership by bringing all state traffic law enforcement together under the umbrella of the Iowa State Patrol.” Brunn, Fulk and the state public safety commissioner will meet next week with the 365 state troopers and the 98 officers in the D-O-T’s Motor Vehicle Division to discuss how the merger will work. Bruun, who has worked in the D-O-T for nearly 34 years, says the focus for his officers will remain on commercial trucking and operating the 11 weigh stations in Iowa for semis.

Gov. Reynolds visited the Dallas County weigh station and signed legislation to move Motor Vehicle Enforcement officers and staff to the Iowa State Patrol. This move will enhance the footprint of state officers on the road and improve safety and the ability of officers to protect through increased efficiencies, consistency in purpose and operations, and consistent training. The MVE officers will officially join the Iowa State Patrol on July 1, 2023 (IA DOT photo)

“Enforcement of size and weight regulations prevents damages to the roads and bridges, which makes them safer for the motoring public,” Bruun says. Governor Reynolds signed the bill into law at the D-O-T weigh station for semis that’s along eastbound Interstate-80, just after the Van Meter exit. It was open for parts of 21 days last month — and 25-thousand commercial vehicles passed through.

State troopers and D-O-T Motor Vehicle Enforcement Officers drive vehicles that are different colors and, while the style of their uniforms are similar, troopers have brown hats and shirts, while blue is the color worn by D-O-T officers. Officials haven’t announced whether those color-coded differences will remain after the merger.