(Red Oak, Iowa) – The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office reports a man was arrested following the theft of a vehicle from Griswold. Authorities were notified about the theft late Wednesday night. The vehicle was located near the 1100 block of Highway 48, and a traffic stop was initiated.

The driver of the vehicle (subsequently identified as 31-year-old Eric Vannausdle, from Red Oak) refused to yield and led deputies on a chase through Montgomery County. The chase finally ended when the vehicle ran over spike strips and became disabled.

Vannausdle was arrested and charged with Theft in the 2nd Degree. He was being held in the Montgomery County Jail on $6,000 bond, with additional charges pending in Montgomery County.

(Red Oak, Iowa) – Sheriff’s officials in Montgomery County, Thursday, reported that three individuals were taken into custody on felony charges connected with a burglary and attempted burglary in the county. Authorities say 38-year-old Garret Allen Horgdal, of Henderson, was arrested March 8th, 38-year-old Jannell Marie Davis, of Henderson, was arrested March 11th, and 39-year-old Jacob Kimball, of Carson, was arrested March 30th.

An investigation into their alleged activities began on February 21st. A burglary at 1377 130th Street resulted in the loss of an estimated $117,927 in tools. An attempted burglary at 1172 D Avenue resulted in damage to a door.

The Sheriff’s Department says Garrett Horgdal was originally charged with Possession of Methamphetamine with Intent to Deliver (Class B Felony) following a traffic stop. He was taken to the Montgomery County Jail and held without bond. Four additional charges arose after search warrants were conducted on his vehicle and residence. Law Enforcement found three loaded firearms while searching his Chevy Pickup on March 9th. This resulted in three Class D Felony Counts of Felon in Possession of a Firearm.

Two days later authorities uncovered numerous suspected stolen tools during a search of Horgdal’s residence at 501 Maple Street in Henderson. The search of the residence resulted in a Theft 1st Degree (Class C Felony) charge against Horgdal along with the arrest of Jannell Davis, who was also charged with Theft 1st Degree (Class C Felony) and transported to the Montgomery County Jail. Davis was arrested again on March 22nd, taken back into custody, and charged with Transfer of a Firearm to a Felon (Class D Felony).

On March 30th, the Sheriff’s Office executed a search warrant at 412 N Commercial Street in Carson. More stolen tools were seized and Jacob Kimball was arrested, for on a Theft 1st Degree (Class C Felony) charge. Tools seized from all three warrants have been identified as those of the 130th Street burglary. The incident remains under investigation.

CRESTON, Iowa – March 31, 2022 – A bridge deck and joint repair project on westbound U.S 34 between U.S. 71 and Montgomery County Road M-65 near Villisca will require reducing traffic to one lane in each direction beginning on Monday, April 4, until Friday, Aug. 26, weather permitting, according to the Iowa Department of Transportation’s Creston construction office.

Work will begin on the westbound lane of U.S. 34. Temporary barrier rail will be in place. There will be a 12-foot-7-inch lane-width limit restriction during this project.

(Radio Iowa) – A Senate committee has approved a bill that would send a million dollars state funding to a private organization operating a crisis pregnancy center. Senator Mark Costello of Imogene and the other Republicans on the Appropriations Committee voted for the bill. “This is what I call the ‘Mom’s Bill,'” Costello says. “It’s an effort to provide more options for maternal support for mothers who find themselves in unplanned pregnancies.”

Senator Ken Rozenboom, a Republican from Oskaloosa, says he’s the proud father of a son who was given up for adoption by a 16-year-old who got support from this kind of an organization in Kansas City. “His mother and I are eternally grateful for the opportunity that that young girl was given 35 years ago,” Rozenboom said, choking back tears. The bill says the goal is to assist pregnant women to choose childbirth rather than abortion.

“This is in the public interest,” Rozenboom says. “This will save children.” Democrats on the committee voted against the proposal. Senator Janet Petersen, a Democrat from Des Moines, says the state should spend more money to keep labor and delivery departments in hospitals open rather than fund crisis pregnancy centers.

“You’re creating a new program that is not evidence based,” Petersen says, “and we’ve seen problems with this with fraud in other parts of the country.” A spokeswoman for Planned Parenthood Advocates of Iowa says Crisis Pregnancy Centers prey on vulnerable women and have been known to shame and scare women planning to seek an abortion.

The second half of the bill — which has bipartisan support — would require the state’s Medicaid program to cover check-ups and other so-called “post-partum” care for up to a year after a woman has given birth.

(Council Bluffs, Iowa) – A “suspicious device” found at a fitness center in Council Bluffs, Thursday morning, resulted in an arrest. Authorities say the Pottawattamie County/Council Bluffs Bomb Disposal Unit was called at around 9:09-a.m to Planet Fitness (1442 Mall Drive, Ste. 500) when the object was found.

The business was temporarily shut-down while the bomb squad removed the item from the premises. Police say there are “No indications that the item was intended to disrupt the normal business operations [of the business] or the public.

Police said a person suspected of possessing the device was arrested, but their name, and other details, were not immediately released.

(Radio Iowa) – The U-S-S Sioux City is among a group of ships the U-S Navy is considering decommissioning to save money. The Navy’s plan is to eliminate five cruisers, nine littoral combat ships — including the U-S-S Sioux City — four landing dock ships, two submarines, two oilers, and two expeditionary transfer docks. That would save the Navy an estimated three-point-six (3.6) billion dollars over the next few years.

The nine littoral combat ships, including the Sioux City, are the Freedom class variant, which was found to have a major flaw with its combining gear that transfers power from the ship’s engines to its water jets.

USS Sioux City (Navy photo_