Council Bluffs Police were called at around 9:20-a.m. today (Monday) to a residence in the 200 block of Stutsman St. in reference to a home invasion. Upon arrival, officers made contact with the victims, who stated two unknown black males entered the residence through an unlocked door, displayed a machete and began looking for another person who was not at this location. The suspects left the home after the victims told them the police had been called and were on the way. The suspects are believed to have left in a dark gray SUV. No injuries were reported. No damage to property was observed. The Criminal Investigations Division was notified and will be handling the investigation. If you have any information regarding this crime or any others please contact Crime Stoppers at (712) 328-STOP(7867).

Page County Sheriff Lyle Palmer says at around 10-p.m. Feb. 3rd, his Office was notified of a vandalism that had occurred at the Nishnabotna River bridge 1 mile north of Essex, IA on D Avenue. The investigation showed that unknown persons(s) cut the fiber optic cable lines and conduit holding them at the above location. The vandalism affected Mediacom and Chat Mobility. A dollar amount of damage has not been provided to the Sheriff’s Office at this time.

Anyone with information about this incident is asked to contact the Page County Sheriff’s Office at 712-542-5193 or their local Law Enforcement agency.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A former Iowa Workforce Development worker who’d once described her boss as rude has been awarded unemployment benefits. The Des Moines Register reports that Trudi Snyder was fired after complaining to colleagues last August that agency director Beth Townsend was “obnoxiously rude” and later comparing the agency management to “the Gestapo” — the World War II Nazis’ secret police. Snyder reportedly told her superiors at a subsequent conduct hearing that, as a staff trainer, she didn’t realize it was her job to “put a happy face on everything.”

The agency eventually challenged Snyder’s application for jobless benefits because she’d been fired for job-related misconduct. In many cases that disqualifies a person from collecting the benefits. Last week Administrative Law Judge Amanda Atherton ruled against Workforce Development and awarded Snyder the benefits, saying: “That employees complain about work, their co-workers and their managers is a fact of life.”

The Page County Sheriff’s Office reports two arrests took place last week. At around 12:15-a.m. Wednesday (Feb. 7th), 24-year old Treyton Curt Sunderman, of Shenandoah, was arrested at the Page County Sheriff’s Office on a Page County Warrant for Failure to appear. Sunderman later posted $1000 bond and was released pending future court proceedings. And, Monday afternoon, Feb. 5th, 64-year old Karen Kay Dew, of Maryville, Mo., was arrested at the Page County Sheriff’s Office on a Page County Warrant for 5 counts of Fraudulent Practice in the 2nd Degree and 5 counts of Tampering with Records. Dew was booked into the Page County Jail and later posted $5000.00 cash. She was released pending future court proceedings.

Treyton Sunderman

Karen Dew

The Atlantic High School counseling office is hosting a free presentation on financial aid for high school juniors, seniors and their parents. The presentation will be led by a representative from the Iowa College Access Network (ICAN), on Thursday, Feb. 15th, beginning at 7-p.m., in the Atlantic High School Auditorium.

ICAN is a non-profit, educational organization that is a member of the National College Access Network. It has 10 student success centers, one of which is located in Council Bluffs.

The Shelby County Sheriff’s Office has released a report on arrests. Authorities say on Feb. 8th (Last Thursday), 39-year old Myron Lee Brandon, of Council Bluffs, was arrested on outstanding warrants from a pursuit involving the Harlan Police Department on Feb. 4th, 2018. Brandon was charged with Eluding, Theft 2nd, Prohibited Acts, Possession of Controlled Substance, Possession of Drug Paraphernalia, and multiple traffic violations. Brandon was being held in the Shelby County Jail under a $15,000 bond.

On Feb. 7th, Shelby County Deputies arrested 27-year-old Jose Felianco-Torres, from Defiance, for disorderly conduct. Torres was transported to the Shelby County Jail, where he plead guilty the following day in front of a magistrate, and received credit for time served  Torres was then released from custody on Feb. 8th.

On Feb. 1st, 30-year-old Jared Scott Schneckloth, of Manilla, was arrested by Shelby County Deputies on an outstanding warrant for failure to appear in district court. Schneckloth was transported to the Shelby County Jail and held under a $5,000 cash bond. He was released on a later day after appearing in front of a district court judge and receiving credit for time served.

Arrested Jan. 27th in Shelby County, was 30-year old Kristen Frances Harriman, from Omaha, on outstanding warrant for a Probation Violation. Harriman was transported from Polk County Jail to Shelby County Jail and held under a $2,000 cash bond. She posted bond on a later date and was released from custody.

And, on Jan. 26th, Deputies with the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office arrested 21-year-old Brandon William Henderson, from Harlan,  on outstanding warrants for Failure to appear for court hearing and contempt of court for failure to appear to serve imposed jail sentence (28 days). Henderson was transported to the Shelby County Jail where he is being held under a $1500 cash bond, as well as for the original 28-day jail sentence imposed for Probation Violation. Henderson is scheduled to be released February 23rd.

FORT MADISON, Iowa (AP) — A 35-year-old Burlington resident has been imprisoned for shooting to death another man. Court records say Joseph Mayorga Jr. pleaded guilty to second-degree murder last month and immediately was sentenced to 50 years. Prosecutors had lowered the charge from first-degree murder in exchange for Mayorga’s plea. Mayorga also was ordered to pay $150,000 to his victim’s family.

Police say he killed 47-year-old James Nelson on Feb. 10 last year. Mayorga told investigators that he shot Nelson as they were sitting in Mayorga’s car inside Mayorga’s garage. He says Nelson said something offensive about Mayorga’s wife, so he shot him in his left eye. Nelson’s body was discovered the next day at Indian Park Path near Wever.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A nonprofit wants to build a YMCA and community center in a low-income neighborhood near downtown Des Moines to provide the area with access to the same resources as those offered in the suburbs. Pillars of Promise’s proposal includes an 87,000-square-foot (8,080-sq. meter) YMCA, outdoor recreational fields and a community center to offer health services and educational opportunities in the King-Irving neighborhood.

The Des Moines Register reports that the City Council approved the group’s letter of intent last week to provide a 99-year lease for the city-owned land at $1 per year. Pillars of Promise can now begin fundraising for the project. The group will need to decide which local organizations will offer services at the community center. The city’s letter expires within a year. The council will consider other projects should the nonprofit’s plans fall through.

Quad Cities-based Deere & Company is being named one of the world’s most ethical companies. The designation comes from the Ethisphere Institute. It annually ranks companies that achieve highly ethical business practices. Deere is one of only a dozen companies to have earned the recognition for all 12 years the institute has done the research. This year, 135 honorees in 23 countries and 57 industries were recognized. Deere chairman and CEO Sam Allen says the company has an unwavering commitment to ethical behavior and doing the right things in the right way. Deere is Iowa’s largest manufacturing employer.

(Radio Iowa)

Des Moines – Richard H. Hartman, age 69, of Manchester, IA, and Tobin L. Hartman, age 44, of Ryan, IA, have been sentenced to two years of supervised probation after pleading guilty in Delaware County District Court recently to the charge of Fraudulent Practices in the Third Degree, an Aggravated Misdemeanor.  Both were originally charged in connection with an insurance fraud investigation conducted by the Iowa Insurance Division’s Fraud Bureau and the Delaware County Attorney’s Office.

Hartman, Richard Herbert

Hartman, Tobin leroy

The investigation concluded that Richard Hartman filed a fraudulent insurance claim with Grinnell Mutual Reinsurance Company seeking insurance proceeds to cover damages he falsely reported to have been caused when he struck his son Tobin’s cattle barn with a skid loader, causing the building to collapse.  Tobin Hartman, provided false statements to the insurance company supporting his father’s version of the events. The estimated cost to replace the damaged building exceeded $240,000.00 which the Hartman’s were ultimately unsuccessful in obtaining.

“Insurance companies work hard to identify suspected fraudulent insurance claims and they play a very important role in deterring insurance fraud by denying claims such as this,” Iowa Insurance Commissioner Doug Ommen said.  “Insurance fraud is not a victimless crime and we will continue to help ensure those attempting to commit insurance fraud are held accountable.”

Iowans with information about insurance fraud are encouraged to contact the Iowa Insurance Division’s Fraud Bureau at 515-242-5304.