Police in Council Bluffs say two men identified as transients, were arrested Monday evening following an investigation into an incident of trespassing at an unoccupied residence located at 1103 7th Avenue. Officers arrived on scene and located two men in the basement of the residence. They were identified as 54-year old Ricky Freeman and 34-year old David Simpson.

Officers on scene recognized David Simpson as a person of interest from a burglary that took place at 914 4th Ave. Simpson and Freeman were transported to the Council Bluffs Police Department for questioning by detectives. Based on a continuing investigation David Simpson was charged with Burglary 3rd in reference to the burglary that took place at 914 4th.

Ricky Freeman was charged with Disobedience to a Police Officer, because when officers first made contact with him at 1103 7th Ave., Freeman failed to comply with a lawful order of a police officer.

Anyone with additional information involving this crime or any other crime is asked to contact Crime Stoppers at (712)328-STOP (7867).

A call about a man fighting with staff at a bar in Thurman Monday night, resulted in the arrest of a man on four charges. The Fremont County Sheriff’s Office reports that at around 8:30-p.m., deputies were called to the Dog House Bar in Tabor, where a there was a man allegedly involved in a fight.

Deputies arrested 30-year old Jesse Ray Sparks, of Thurman, for Public Intoxication 2nd Offense, Criminal Mischief 4th Degree, and two counts of Assault. Sparks was also wanted on an active warrant for his arrest out of Page County. He was brought to the Fremont County Jail and held without bail, pending an initial appearance with a Magistrate.

The Tabor Police Department and Mills County Sheriff’s Office assisted the Fremont County Sheriff’s Office with the call.

Jesse Ray Sparks

A man who authorities said was wanted on outstanding warrants, was arrested Monday afternoon in Council Bluffs, after an hour-long standoff. According to Council Bluffs Police, officers received a tip at around 1:45-p.m., that 26-year old Dylan Hoffman, of Council Bluffs, was at 3010 8th Avenue.

Upon arrival, no one answered the door, but officers had good information Hoffman was still inside the house. A short time later, the Pottawattamie County Communications Center received a phone call stating Hoffman was armed with a gun and would shoot officers if they did not leave. Officers set up a perimeter and tried to start negotiations with Hoffman.

About an hour later, Hoffman and two other adults exited the residence without incident. The investigation into the events were ongoing. Hoffman was arrested for four outstanding warrants. Another male who was inside home during the incident was arrested for a warrant as well.

Dylan Hoffman

As part of National Prescription Drug Take Back Day, the Council Bluffs Police Department will participate in the semiannual event this Saturday, sponsored by the Drug Enforcement Agency. The event is designated as “Council Bluffs Operation Medicine Cabinet” and involves the collaboration of several community organizations,  volunteers, and the City of Council Bluffs Recycling Center.

The rain or shine event will be located at Walgreens, 535 East Broadway in Council Bluffs, on the west side of the store near the drive through pharmacy lanes.  Hours are from 10-a.m. until 2-p.m., Saturday, Oct. 28th. Citizens are simply asked to drive through a designated lane, hand over their unused, expired prescription or over the counter drugs with no questions asked.

The Council Bluffs Police Department has helped to organize 15 Prescription Drug Drop Off event since 2010. The past events have collected more than 4,946 pounds of prescription and over the counter drugs with more than 2,722 residents dropping them off anonymously. Prescription drug abuse in the U.S. is increasing at an alarming rate, as are the numbers of accidental poisonings and overdoses. Studies show many abused prescription drugs are obtained from family and friends, including from home  medicine cabinets. In addition, many Americans do not know how to properly dispose of their unused medicines, often flushing them down the toilet or throwing them away, which are both potential safety and health hazards.

Prescription drug abuse is a huge problem and this drug drop off event is a great opportunity for citizens of Council Bluffs and anyone else, to help reduce this threat. Please clean out your medicine cabinets and make your home safe from potential drug theft and abuse.

The Adair County Sheriff’s Office, Monday afternoon, released a report on numerous recent arrests. At around 1:15-a.m. Saturday. 20-year old Cade Aaron McFarland, of Bridgewater, was arrested for the Domestic Assault of his brother, by choking, Interference with Official Acts, and Assault on Law Enforcement and/or others without injury. McFarland was released the following day on $5,000 bond.

On Friday, Oct. 20th, 35-year old Brandon Lee Glisson, of Boone, was arrested in Orient on a felony charge of Domestic Abuse Assault by impeding airflow/choking, with regard to an incident involving his girlfriend. Glisson was being held in the Adair County Jail on a $5,000 bond.

On Oct. 19th, 34-year old Millie Alisha Olcott, of Greenfield, was arrested on 3 counts of Unlawful Possession of a Prescription drug, Possession of Marijuana, Possession of a Controlled Substance/3rd or subsequent offense; Possession of Meth, and Possession of Drug paraphernalia. She was released later that day on $2,000 bond.

Also arrested Oct. 19th, was 31-year old Danielle Joeanna Freeman, of Orient, who was taken into custody on an Adair County warrant for Domestic Abuse Assault. She was being held on a $1,000 bond. 37-year old Jennifer Marie Woollums, of Adair (whose name was listed as Jennifer Marie Christensen, of Greenfield, on the warrant), was arrested Oct. 19th on an Adair County warrant for Violation of a No Contact Order and Theft in the 3rd degree, with regard to the alleged theft of checks belonging to another woman, and the purchase of items valued at around $522, with a forged signature. Woollums was being held on a $2,300 bond.

And, 22-year old Zachary Trenton Holder, of Greenfield, was arrested Oct. 17th in Madison County, on an Adair County warrant for Probation Violation. His bond was set at $5,000.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Former FBI Director James Comey paid a weekend visit to Iowa, site of the first presidential caucuses. Cue the speculation. One of President Donald Trump’s best-known adversaries dined at a must-stop steakhouse for politicos and posed for a photo along a rural road with a neatly groomed field as a backdrop, as countless White House aspirants have before him.

However, it turns out, Comey was visiting his in-laws. With a new Twitter pseudonym — Reinhold Niebuhr — Comey revealed he was in Iowa with his wife Patrice, an Iowa native whose father was celebrating his 90th birthday.

The general manager of 801 Chophouse, Damon Murphy, said Comey and his party simply enjoyed their steak dinner. Trump fired Comey in May, roiling Washington.

Acting Iowa Lieutenant Governor Adam Gregg paid a visit Monday afternoon to the Elite Octane, LLC Ethanol Plant, in Atlantic. Gregg met with Project Developer Ron Fagen, Plant President and CEO Nick Bowdish, Plant Manager Mike Messing, Republican Senator Tom Shipley and others, about what it took to make the plant a reality since 2006, when several attempts for various reasons each resulted in a failure to get off the ground. The site sat empty, except for one office building, and a concrete pad, until 2015.

Bowdish told Gregg “We’re back at it. We’ve had dozens of hurdles to see this thing come together, but one of the key ones was at that time, Governor Branstad [and current Governor Reynolds] took a meeting. We sat down and laid out ‘If this was gonna be competitive, we had to get the sale tax exemption done with Iowa Economic Development Authority, and that wasn’t just a rubber stamp.”

Bowdish said they just sent in the paperwork this week for their first sales tax redemption. He said they’ve estimated it at a $4.25-million dollars sales tax redemption through the Iowa Economic Development Authority. “Without that [he said] the capital costs would have been over what we could have justified.”

Bowdish asked Gregg to share with Governor Reynolds, thanks for her efforts to get keep the RFS in place and to strengthen it, if possible. Gregg said he was proud to see his boss in action, speaking with President Trump last week. He said “It was surreal… to watch Gov. Reynolds in her moment….advocate [for RFS].” He said it’s not every day that you’re in the room when the President is on the phone.”

Trump directed the EPA to table proposals to weaken the RFS, but Reynolds has said she’ll keep pressing to make sure that doesn’t happen. Gregg said their faith was validated last Thursday, when EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt put his assurances in writing as Reynolds asked. Gregg said Gov. Reynolds will be meeting with Tuesday in Washington, D.C. with Administrator Pruitt and Vice President Pence. The topic of discussion will be Fair Trade.

Left to right: Pat McCurdy; Ryan Pellett; Sen. Tom Shipley; IA Lt. Gov. Adam Gregg; Nick Bowdish; Mike Messing; Ron Fagen, Inc.; Russell Joyce/CADCO.

Bowdish told the Lt. Governor they’re looking at a May 2018 start-up for the Atlantic Elite Octane Ethanol Plant. At first, he said, there will be about 50 people, and although they haven’t advertised yet, all the positions are posted on the company’s website. They already have more than 200 applicants.

Bids were placed last week for some of the needed corn. They’ve already purchased one-half million bushels. They will process 50-million bushels and ultimately produce more than 120-million gallons of ethanol per year, when fully operational.

Fagen, Inc. Chairman Ron Fagen (Left) speaks with Lt. Gov. Adam Gregg

NEW YORK (AP) — Democratic attorneys general from 17 states are calling on Congress to abandon legislation backed by the National Rifle Association that would allow concealed-carry gun permits issued in one state to be valid in all states.

The top prosecutors from states including New York, Pennsylvania, Iowa and California sent a letter to congressional leaders on Sunday warning that federal reciprocity proposals would “lead to the death of police officers and civilians, the proliferation of gun traffickers, and acts of terrorism and other mass violence.”

The warning comes as the gun lobby continues to press for looser gun restrictions even in the weeks after an attack in Las Vegas that left 58 people dead.

A spokeswoman for the NRA’s lobbying arm says the measure remains the organization’s “top legislative priority.”

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Iowa has withdrawn its request with the Trump administration to opt out of the Affordable Care Act and redirect federal money toward lowering premiums for younger participants in a single state-run program.

The idea was designed to stabilize health care insurance in the state, making premium costs based on age in addition to income. Just one company — Minnesota-based Medica — plans to provide policies next year with an anticipated 58 percent increase in premiums.

Gov. Kim Reynolds says the state decided to pull its proposal because federal agencies signaled it would be weeks before they could provide details on the financial viability of the program.

Open enrollment for coverage next year under the law begins in nine days, and 72,000 people in Iowa buy their own policies.

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (AP) — Iowa Department of Transportation officials are convinced that blue and white emergency lights on snow plows are effective at reducing crashes, and they’re going to seek a change in state law to permanently allow the lights.

KCRG-TV reports the department started a test project in 2015 to see if switching to blue and white lights would increase visibility and reduce crashes.

The agency found there were 29 crashes from October 2013 to April 2015 that involved vehicles rear-ending or side-swiping plows. After the blue and white lights were tested from October 2015 to April 2017, that number dropped to 10 crashes.

The agency is in its third year of testing and plans to ask lawmakers next session to change state law and make the new lights permanent every winter.