(Des Moines, Iowa/WHO-TV) – An Indianola man was arrested Sunday and charged in connection with the violent kidnapping of his ex-girlfriend from Des Moines. WHO-TV reports 40-year-old Jordan Mangum is being held in the Polk County Jail on charges of first-degree kidnapping, willful injury, and violation of a no-contact order, according to a news release from the Des Moines Police Department. The 32-year-old woman ended up at the Clark County Hospital with serious injuries. Police say she was choked, run over by a vehicle, and had her throat cut. Her injuries were so severe she was transferred to a Des Moines hospital where she underwent surgery. She was still hospitalized as of the latest report, and recovering from her injuries.

Des Moines Police began investigating the incident Saturday night, after being notified by the Osceola Police Department that a woman at the Clark County Hospital reported she was kidnapped from her Des Moines home around 2:30 that morning. Investigators were able to interview the victim after surgery and learned she had been bound with duct tape and taken from her home by Mangum, her ex-boyfriend, around 2:30 Saturday morning. She was then taken to a residence in Indianola where she was held against her will, before being taken to an unknown location outside of Indianola. Police said she was forced out of the vehicle and that’s when the violent assault happened.

The victim said she pleaded with Mangum to stop. She was put back into a vehicle and driven to the Clark County Hospital, where police said she was dropped off in the street. Police arrested Mangum Sunday after executing a search warrant at an Indianola residence.

(Indianola, Iowa/WHO-TV) — The trial of a Norwalk woman accused of murdering her newborn son back in February is being moved out of Warren County.  26-year-old Megan Staude is charged with first-degree murder in the baby’s death. On November 27th, a judge ruled in favor of a motion for her trial to be moved because of pretrial publicity. WHO-TV reports the judge said after seeing the responses to a juror questionnaire, it appeared that a significant portion of potential jurors had heard of the case and a significant portion of those jurors did not think they could be fair and impartial based on their previous knowledge of the case. A new trial venue has not been solidified yet but the court is eyeing Black Hawk County or Pottawattamie County as possible locations.

The defense and the State have tentatively agreed for the case to be heard in mid-June 2024. The trial is expected to take 10 days to two weeks to complete. The judge also ruled in favor of Megan Staude’s motion to sever her case from the case of her father, Rodney Staude. He is also charged with first-degree murder. Rodney Staude’s case is on hold while a competency evaluation is completed. Court documents revealed in September that he planned to use diminished responsibility as a defense during his trial.

Investigators say Megan Staude gave birth on February 24 at the family’s Norwalk home. According to court documents, she put the baby boy in a box and didn’t provide any care for him while he cried on and off for two days. After that Megan said and her father Rodney put the baby, who was still alive, into a plastic bag. Rodney allegedly discarded the baby’s body in a ditch in the 5300 block of Delaware Avenue.

The newborn’s body was discovered on March 9, one day after Megan’s co-workers expressed concern about the health and safety of the baby to the Norwalk Police Department.

(Radio Iowa) – State Climatologist Justin Glisan says the initial, long-term forecast for December indicates warmer temperatures and more precipitation, but there’s nothing to suggest there’s an amped up threat of a tornado outbreak like the one two years ago. “December 15th, 2021, that was an extreme event,” Glisan says. “We had a serial derecho and 63 tornadoes — the largest tornado outbreak for Iowa for any month and the largest December outbreak for the United States in the observational record.”

The latest Drought Monitor nearly all of Iowa has some level of drought, with some areas in extreme drought. Glisan says there is the potential for more precipitation to fall in December, but the old adage that it’s too dry to rain is true in SOME cases when thunderstorms hit dry pockets of air. “We saw this in western Iowa as the drought started in May and June of 2020. You would have thunderstorms approach the state and then just either break up or go around because there was no low level moisture to work with,” Glisan says. “Now in these larger scale low pressure systems they’re able to have more access to large scale moisture pools and hence you do see wider spread snowfalls or rainfalls.”

The seasonal outlook indicates abnormally wetter conditions along the southern coast of the U-S and that may provide the moisture weather systems sweeping across Iowa draw from and generate rain or snow.

(Greenfield, Iowa) – The Adair County Sheriff’s Department reports two arrests from over the past week. On Nov. 26th, Adair County Deputies took custody of 36-year-old Charles William Walker, of Council Bluffs. He was picked-up at the Pottawattamie County Jail. Walker was wanted on an Adair County felony warrant for Violation of Probation. His cash-only bond was set at $2,000.

And, Saturday afternoon, 36-year-old Kevin James Jungers, of Lenox, was taken into custody at the Union County Jail, on an Adair County warrant for Violation of Probation. Jungers was being held in the Adair County Jail without bond.

(Guthrie Center, Iowa) – Guthrie County Deputy Sheriff Jesse Swensen, today (Monday), provided the media with statements pertaining the Guthrie County Jail population for the month of November. Swensen says the 64 inmates processed through the jail brought the County $24,420 worth of outside revenue. The average daily population of was 20 inmates.

Swensen said also, he welcomes Hope Jensen to the Sheriff’s Department team, “As we have partnered with her and her practice for our medical care in the jail.” Swensen said “Hope already had a patient on her first day that she saw remotely via video for an abscess and infection in his mouth. [She]e will be onsite every Wednesday if needed for an in-house clinic. Medical bills will be issued to each county for their inmates that need medical attention.” Deputy Swensen went on to say,  “We are very excited with this new partnership!”

November Average Population

November Billing

November Monthly Summary

(JOHNSTON, Iowa – December 4, 2023) – Officials with the Iowa Corn Growers Association (ICGA) today (Monday), announced Iowa Corn is the entitlement partner of the first-ever NASCAR Cup Series race in the state. The Iowa Corn 350, Powered by Ethanol, will showcase the performance of ethanol at the fastest short-track on the planet, which is surrounded by corn fields. Iowa Corn Promotion Board President Stan Nelson, a farmer from Middletown, says “I am pleased to share with the NASCAR family, why choosing higher blends of ethanol benefits everyone. We can make a sustainable difference today, without buying a whole new vehicle, but by simply choosing to fuel up with ethanol at the pump. And not only are we benefiting the environment but also our economy, as ethanol is the most affordable renewable fuel option on the market today.”

Grandstand tickets and camping for the Iowa Corn 350, Powered by Ethanol, are sold out and only a select number of tickets remain for the NASCAR Xfinity Series and ARCA Menards Series races on the World’s Fastest Short Track. Remaining tickets can be purchased by visiting www.iowaspeedway.com and fans are encouraged to secure them now while supplies last. Fans looking to buy or sell reserved seats for the Iowa Corn 350, Powered by Ethanol, should visit SeatGeek, the Official Ticket Marketplace of NASCAR.

The Iowa Corn 350, Powered by Ethanol, will take place at 6 p.m. CT, Sunday, June 16th, 2024, and be shown live on USA Network. This inaugural NASCAR Cup Series race at Iowa Speedway culminates a weekend that will also include a NASCAR Xfinity Series race at 2:30 p.m. CT, Saturday, June 15th, on USA Network and ARCA Menards Series racing on Friday June 14. All three series are scheduled to be on track starting on Friday, June 14, prior to the ARCA Menards Series event.

Jolene Riessen, a farmer from Ida Grove, and ICGA President, says “The Iowa Corn 350, Powered by Ethanol, will give us as farmers a platform across the country to share the benefits of ethanol with consumers and fans. We know that a partnership like this is unique and will be impactful! With the audience NASCAR captures, Iowa Corn will be able to share the benefits of ethanol while also showcasing farmers from our great state.”

Video available HERE

Des Moines, Iowa – Officials with the Iowa Insurance Division report a Clive man, 47-year-old Zachary James Flaherty, has pled guilty in federal court to wire fraud.  Flaherty used his position as an insurance agent and annuity salesperson to defraud elderly individuals out of their retirement savings and other monies.   The charges against Flaherty stem from an investigation by the Iowa Insurance Division’s Fraud Bureau. He was prosecuted by the Southern District United States Attorney.

Flaherty is scheduled to be sentenced on April 12, 2024. He faces a potential sentence of up to twenty years in prison.  More information about the case can be found in the press release issued by the U.S. Attorney’s Office of the Southern District of Iowa.

Iowans with information about insurance fraud are encouraged to contact the Iowa Insurance Division’s Fraud Bureau at 515-654-6556.

(Harlan, Iowa) – Sixteen people were arrested in Shelby County between Nov. 16th and the 29th. The Shelby County Sheriff’s Office reports among those arrested, were four people who were taken into custody on separate drug charges:

• On the 16th, 31-year-old Crystal Jean Oliver, of Harlan, was arrested following a motor vehicle accident in the 2100 block of Road M-36. Oliver was transported to the Shelby County Jail and charged with Possession of Controlled Substance 2nd offense, Keeping Premises or Vehicle for Controlled Substance, Possession of Drug Paraphernalia, OWI 1st, and Failure to Maintain Control.
• The following day (Nov. 17), 22-year-old Dilynn John Ristau, of Preston, MN, was arrested following a traffic stop, in Harlan. Ristau was transported to the Shelby County Jail and charged with Possession of Controlled Substance Marijuana 1st, and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia.
• 46-year-old Laura Ann Traufler, of Harlan, was arrested November 21st in Shelby County, following an investigation. Traufler was transported to the Shelby County Jail and charged with Theft 2nd, Possession of Controlled Substance 3rd or Subsequent Offense, and Possession of Controlled Substance Marijuana 3rd or Subsequent Offense.
• And, on the 22nd, 37-year-old Bryan Joseph Schuemann, of Harlan, was arrested following a traffic stop in the 1100 block of Willow Street. Schuemann was transported to the Shelby County Jail and charged with Driving Under Suspension, Keeping Premises of Vehicle for Controlled Substance, Possession of Controlled Substance Marijuana 3rd or Subsequent Offense, Possession of Contraband in Correctional Institution, and Failure to Provide Proof of Financial Liability.

The Shelby County Sheriff’s Office reports also, the following arrests:

• On Nov. 17th, 58-year-old Rodney Craig Musich, of Kimballton, was arrested on an active Shelby County Warrant. Musich was transported to the Shelby County Jail and charged with Trespass 1st offense; 30-year-old Philip Brian King, of Harlan, was charged with Burglary 3rd after an ongoing Burglary investigation.
• On the 18th, 24-year-old Guillermo Dominic Hernandez, of Denison, was arrested on an active Shelby County Warrant for Failure to Appear.
• November 19th, Deputies in Shelby County arrested 23-year-old Nyagach Dech Chigach, and 34-year-old Simon Buombiey Jacob, both of Harlan, were each arrested for  Violation of No Contact Order.
• On the 20th, 49-year-old Darin Lee Turner, of Harlan, was arrested for OWI/1st offense.
• The next day, 31-year-old Drew Ashton Gagnon, of Red Oak, was arrested on an active Shelby County Warrant for Violation of Probation.
• On Nov. 22nd, Shelby County Sheriff’s Deputies arrested 58-year-old Douglas Duane Curtis, of Harlan. Curtis was charged with Driving Under Suspension and Interference with Official Acts.
• On the 25th, 53-year-old Craig John Stork, of Harlan, was arrested following an investigation of a possible motor vehicle accident in the area of 7th and Court St., in Harlan. Stork was  charged with OWI/1st offense.
• On Nov. 26th, 22-year-old Avery Jon Zenk, of Denison, was arrested on an active Shelby County Warrant for Domestic Abuse Assault. Zenk was transported to the Shelby County Jail.
• On the 27th, 40-year-old Brandon Glenn Billings, of Harlan, was arrested for Driving while License is Revoked, and Failure to Provide proof of Financial Liability.
• And, on the 29th, 69-year-old Gerard August Rueschenberg, of Harlan, was arrested on an active Shelby County Warrant for Failure to Appear.

Note: “Criminal charges are merely accusations and defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty in a court of law.”