The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office released details on the arrest of three individuals following a traffic stop on Monday, April 4th. The traffic stop was conducted at 8:41 a.m. in the 1400 block of N 7th Street in Red Oak.

Deputies arrested 28-year-old Cody James Copeland of Graham, MO for Possession of Methamphetamine with Intent to Deliver, Possession of Marijuana 3rd or subsequent Offense, and Driving Under Suspension. He was held on $100,000 bond.

Also arrested was 25-year-old Dejonh Eugene Malik Delarge-Kimble of Olathe, KS for Possession of Methamphetamine 3rd or subsequent offense, Possession of Marijuana 3rd or subsequent offense. he was held on $7,000 bond.

20-year-old Carter Allen Christensen of Maryville, MO was also arrested during the stop for Possession of Marijuana. He was held on $1,000 bond.

Sheriff’s Deputies seized a sizeable amount of methamphetamine and some US currency during the stop. The Sherrif’s Office was assisted by the Red Oak Police Department.

(Radio Iowa) – President Joe Biden is scheduled to visit Iowa early next week. Officials from the White House told The Des Moines Register Biden will be in Des Moines on Tuesday, but details about when and where were not released. Biden’s last trip to Iowa was in the fall of 2020, for a pre-election rally at the state fairgrounds.

The Iowa Democratic Party’s chairman says he’s eager for Iowans to hire directly from the president next week about projects around the state that are financed by the infrastructure bill Biden approved last year. The Iowa Republican Party’s chairman says Biden is pursuing big government policies that are reckless.

(Radio Iowa) – A Republican lawmaker who is not seeking re-election is urging colleagues who’ll return next year to make another try at passing a “Second Chances” bill. It would establish a list of guidelines for when Iowa governors have the power to release inmates who’ve been sentenced to life in prison. “The ‘Good Book’ teaches that government needs both justice and mercy,” Representative Terry Baxter, a Republican from Garner, said during a retirement speech in the House this week. “Iowa needs a comprehensive pathway to commute just a handful of (sentences for) those who’ve made a big difference in their life and done significant things to change.”

Iowa governors have the general authority to commute, or shorten, life sentences, but rarely do. Baxter, who is an ordained minister, considers the “Second Chances” bill a piece of unfinished business as he ends his eight year career in the Iowa House. “I’ve had the opportunity of going into our prisons and spending time with some men and women who have been behind bars for 40, 50 or more years,” Baxter said. “Some of them made some very tragic decisions when they were intoxicated, stoned or themselves victims of some kind of abuse or dysfunction and they are radically different people today and I’ll just ask the question: How many of you are the same person today that you were 40 years ago?”

In 2010, Baxter co-founded a non-profit group called GoServ Global that provides aid to disaster stricken areas — with missions underway today in central America and Africa. Baxter said he’s retiring from the legislature to devote the majority of his time to the group.

(Radio Iowa) – The chairman of the Mills County Board of Supervisors says the decision to close the state-run facility in Glenwood that provides residential care for Iowans with intellectual and development disabilities is devastating. Mills County Supervisor Richard Crouch is also president of the Glenwood Resource Center’s parental and family support group. His son was a resident at Glenwood until his death in January. “I’ve had some parents calling me asking what’s going to take place, where’s my child going and so on,” Crouch says.

The governor announced late yesterday (Thursday) that the Glenwood Resource Center will close by 2024. Some residents will be transferred to a similar state facility in Woodward, but most will be placed in privately-run facilities, with the state covering the cost of care. Staff at the Glenwood Resource Center will be offered retention bonuses to keep working during the transition. Crouch says he’s concerned about job prospects for those workers — and the impact the closure will have on the local economy. “There’s quite a few workers up there yet and, yes, I know it’s going to take two years, they say, for it to close, but it’s still going to have an effect on the whole of southwest Iowa,” Crouch says.

It will be tough for the community to absorb the loss of a major employer, according to Crouch, who suspects many employees will move. “There are 300-400 people that work there,” Crouch says. “…You know, there’s not many facilities like this or paying jobs like this in southwest Iowa.” Glenwood is in the state senate district of Mark Costello, a Republican from Imogene. Costello is also the chairman of the senate panel that drafts the budget for the Iowa Department of Human Services — the state agency that oversees the Glenwood Resource Center. “It’s really something I could see coming for a while, but it’s still — when I heard the news that we had made that final decision — it’s really discouraging, you know, because we tried so hard to find a way to keep it going,” Costello says, “and we really couldn’t see a way forward.”

Costello says moving will be difficult for some residents. “Transition is never easy, even when it’s good,” Costello says. “And it’s a little bit harder, even, for intellectually disabled people than for the average person.”

The U.S. Justice Department has been investigating operations at the Glenwood Resource Center over allegations that residents were not being provided adequate care. Federal officials say the state will be able to spend less — and provide better care — if residents are moved out of Glenwood’s institutional setting and into community-based care.

(Glenwood, Iowa) – The Glenwood Police Department reports 56-year-old Ralph Springs, of Glenwood, was arrested Thursday (April 7, 2022). Springs was taken into custody on a Mills County warrant associated with a Class-D Felony Possession of a Controlled Substance/3rd or subsequent offense, charge. His cash-only bond was set at $5,000.

(Harlan, Iowa) – Officials with the Southwest Iowa Planning Council (SWIPCO) say the organization recently worked with the Shelby County Fair Board, to secure a $25,000 grant for upgrades to infrastructure and amenities. The money comes from Iowa West Foundation, which routinely assists with projects throughout southwest Iowa. Darren Goshorn, Shelby County Fair Board President, says “Funding through the Iowa West Foundation will allow us to make improvements and additions to the fairgrounds. As a result, we will be able to host bigger events and attract more visitors, which we see as a benefit for all of Shelby County. The Shelby County Fair Corporation is extremely grateful for being awarded this grant.”

The funds from the grant will be used toward construction of new public restrooms; providing 14 additional camper hook-ups for electricity, water and sewer; and providing a non-potable water source that consists of a new well and two storage tanks. Tim Galligan, program officer at Iowa West Foundation, says the “Iowa West Foundation is glad to support the Shelby County Fairground improvements project. The project is well-planned and will help build on their current success. The increase of amenities and improvements will support not only the community but also area visitors.”

The Iowa West Foundation is committed to helping communities achieve their dreams. Letters of Inquiry (the first step in the grant application process) are accepted year-round with deadlines of Jan. 1, May. 1 and Sept. 1 prior to each of the three grants cycles. For more information on the application process, a virtual grants workshop will be held on April 22nd. Details and registration can be found at: www.iowawestfoundation.org.

(Council Bluffs, Iowa) – An investigation into a fatal motorcycle crash that occurred Feb.16th in Council Bluffs, has resulted in an arrest. According to Sgt. Joshua Hughes with the Council Bluffs Police Department’s Special Operations/Traffic/K-9 Unit, 29-year-old Caleb Jefferson Bartels, of Council Bluffs, was arrested Tuesday (April 5, 2022), on charges of Homicide by Motor Vehicle while Under-the-Influence, Failure to Maintain Control, and Operating a vehicle without a license. Alcohol and speed were believed to be factors in the crash.

Bartels was being held in the Pottawattamie County Jail on $50,000 bond. His next hearing is set for April 14th.

Caleb J. Bartels

The accident happened at around 2:06-a.m. Feb. 16th, on Interstate 29 northbound at the 48.9-mile marker , in Council Bluffs.  Upon arrival Police found a man suffering from serious injuries, and a female who had died from her injuries. During the investigation that followed, authorities determined Bartels was operating a 2013 Harley Davidson motorcycle when it went off the road. Bartels and his passenger, 33-year-old Tomorrow Riley, of Omaha, were thrown from the cycle.

She was the mother of a 13-year old son.

DAVENPORT – The Iowa Department of Corrections, on Friday (today) said 22-year-old Jarrett Anthony Bonnell, convicted of Intimidation With a Dangerous Weapon in Scott County, failed to report back to the Davenport Residential Correctional Facility as required, Thursday.

Jarett Bonnell (I-DOC photo)

Bonnell is awhite male, height 6’1″, and weighs 224 pounds. He was admitted to the residential facility on February 7, 2022. Persons with information on Bonnell’s whereabouts should contact local police.