(Radio Iowa) – Election Eve politicking saw the the top Republican statewide candidates flying to rallies in eight cities around the state, while Democrats at the top of the statewide ballot rallied in Council Bluffs, Sioux City and central Iowa.

On Monday morning, Governor Kim Reynolds spoke to a crowd at the Ankeny airport. “We aren’t taking anything for granted,” Reynolds said. “We are going to sprint right across the finish line and make sure that we have a big victory up and down the ticket.” Reynolds was joined by Senator Chuck Grassley and other Republican candidates throughout the day.

On Monday evening, Deidre DeJear, the Democratic candidate for governor, rallied with a crowd at a Des Moines union hall. DeJear asked the audience if they’d been discouraged by this weekend’s Des Moines Register Iowa Poll that showed her trailing Reynolds by 17 points. “This means it is now your duty to use your voice and let people know,” DeJear said, “…let people know that you support the next governor of this state. You have to use your voice now.”

DeJear and U.S. Senate candidate Mike Franken spoke at a rally in Ames last (Monday) night, too. On this Election Day in Iowa, the polls are open from 7 a.m. until 8 p.m. That closing time is an hour earlier than in previous General Elections.

THURMAN, Iowa – State, local, and federal law enforcement officials are continuing their efforts to corroborate the report of multiple historic homicides in rural Fremont County, Iowa.  The investigation began in earnest,  after a woman claimed that as a child, her father forced her to help dispose of bodies on land he owned west of Tabor. In an article posted on Newsweek.com, the woman suggested there may be as many as 70 bodies at the bottom of a 100 foot well. All of the people were allegedly killed by her father, Donald Dean Studey, over the course of three decades.

The Iowa DCI is working in conjunction with the Fremont County Sheriff’s Office and federal authorities. Law enforcement will keep the public apprised of any significant developments.  No new information concerning the investigation is available.

The Mills County Sheriff’s Office reports the arrest on Friday (11/4), of 43-year-old James Leroy Shirley, of Red Oak. Shirley was arrested at around 11:30-p.m. for Driving Under Suspension.

There were two, non-injury accidents over the weekend, in Mills County. Saturday nights, 37-year-old Lacey Cochrane, of Glenwood, was driving a 2021 Ford on 250th Street near Quandt Road, when the vehicle went out of control and into the east ditch, where it rolled over and came to rest on the driver’s side.

Authorities say no one was around, and that the vehicle had been there for a while. They observed alcoholic beverages and coolers thrown from the vehicle, which was a total loss. The registered owner was notified and explained who was driving, resulting in the issuance of a citation.

And, Sunday afternoon, a vehicle driven by 37-year-old Tesha Fritz, of Pacific Junction, was northbound on Levi Road, when the vehicle began to drift onto the shoulder. Fritz over-corrected, causing the vehicle to skid across the road and strike a mail box before coming to rest on its side, in the east ditch.

COUNCIL BLUFFS, IA – A Nebraska man was sentenced late last month in Council Bluffs, to serve 84-months (7 years) in prison. According to U-S Attorney Richard D. Westphal, 36-year-old Richard Joseph Moreno, of Omaha, was sentenced following his plea of guilty to Prohibited Person in Possession of a Firearm. After he is released from prison, Moreno will serve three years of supervised release.

On August 17, 2021, a Mills County Sherriff’s Deputy stopped Moreno for traffic violations. The deputy discovered the truck had been reported stolen. The truck smelled of spray paint and appeared as if it had been recently repainted from white to black. When Moreno stepped out of the vehicle, a marijuana pipe fell off his lap. During a search of the truck, officers located a locked bag and later opened it after obtaining a search warrant. Inside the locked bag was ammunition and a loaded firearm that had been reported stolen. Moreno had a prior felony conviction that prevented him from possessing a firearm.

The Mills County Sheriff Department and the Southwest Iowa Narcotics Enforcement Task Force investigated the case. This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN).

COUNCIL BLUFFS, IA – A Council Bluffs woman, 40-year-old Shanna Michelle Jacobsen, was sentenced on Thursday (11/3/22) in Pottawattamie County, to serve 188 months (15.6 years) in prison following her plea of guilty to Conspiracy to Distribute Controlled Substances.

Beginning in June 2020, and up to and including January 2022, Jacobsen purchased controlled substances, including methamphetamine, fentanyl, cocaine, and marijuana from a source of supply and sold these controlled substances to others in Nebraska and Iowa. Jacobsen knew that these controlled substances were being unlawfully imported from Mexico to the United States and that the scope of the conspiracy was extensive. She maintained her residence and a storage unit in Council Bluffs for the purpose of distributing these controlled substances.

United States Attorney Richard D. Westphal of the Southern District of Iowa made the announcement. The Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement and Southwest Iowa Narcotics Enforcement Task Force investigated the case

COUNCIL BLUFFS, IA – The U-S Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa reports a Council Bluffs man, 34-year-old Andre Alexander Shupe, was sentenced November 3, 2022 in Council Bluffs U-S District Court, to serve about 7 1/2 years (92 months) in prison, following his pleas of guilty to charges of Possession and Sale of a Stolen Firearm and Prohibited Person in Possession of a Firearm. After he is released from prison, Shupe will serve three years of supervised release. He was also ordered to pay restitution for the stolen firearms and other items.

On November 6, 2021, at approximately 2 am, four firearms and hunting gear were stolen from a truck parked at Harrah’s casino in Council Bluffs. Casino surveillance located footage of a female who burglarized the truck and stole the firearms and hunting gear. Law enforcement received information that Shupe was romantically involved with the female who stole the firearms, and that Shupe was trying to sell or trade the stolen firearms. A home in Omaha, Nebraska was searched and one of the stolen firearms was recovered. The other three firearms were not recovered. Shupe had a previous felony conviction that prevented him from possessing any firearm and was also prohibited from possessing firearms because he was a drug user.

The Bellevue Police Department, the Council Bluffs Police Department, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation investigated the case. This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. In May 2021, the Department of Justice launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.