Fremont County Sheriff Kevin Aistrope is pleased to report the Sheriff’s Office K9 “Judge” will receive a bullet and stab protective vest thanks to a charitable donation from non-profit organization Vested Interest in K9s, Inc. “Judge” is s three-year old Belgian Malinois/Shepherd mix, who was been on the road in Fremont County and helping the surrounding counties for the past two-years.

Aistrope says “On behalf of the Fremont County Sheriff’s Office, we would like to extend out thanks and gratitude to Vested Interest in K9’s, Inc., for their support to law enforcement and our four-legged partners.” K9 Judge’s vest will be embroidered with the sentiment “In memory of K9 Ty, California City Police Department“. Delivery is expected within eight to ten weeks.

Deputy Zac Buttercase & K9 “Judge”, part of the Southwest Iowa Highway Interdiction Team/Fremont County Sheriff’s Office.

Vested Interest in K9s, Inc. is a 501c (3) charity located in East Taunton, MA whose mission is to provide bullet and stab protective vests and other assistance to dogs of law enforcement and related agencies throughout the United States. The non-profit was established in 2009 to assist law enforcement agencies with this potentially lifesaving body armor for their four-legged K9 officers. Since its inception, Vested Interest in K9s, Inc. provided over 2,400 protective vests, in 50 states, through private and corporate donations, at a cost of over 1.9 million dollars. All vests are custom made in the USA by Armor Express in Central Lake, MI.

The program is open to dogs actively employed in the U.S. with law enforcement or related agencies who are certified and at least 20 months of age. New K9 graduates, as well as K9s with expired vests, are eligible to participate.

The donation to provide one protective vest for a law enforcement K9 is $1,050.00. Each vest has a value between $1,795 – $2,234 and a five-year warranty, and an average weight of 4-5 lbs. There is an estimated 30,000 law enforcement K9s throughout the United States. For more information or to learn about volunteer opportunities, please call 508-824-6978. Vested Interest in K9s, Inc. provides information, lists events, and accepts tax-deductible donations of any denomination at www.vik9s.org or mailed to P.O. Box 9 East Taunton, MA 02718.

(Update: A car has been reported as stolen. Authorities believe it is connected with the missing Clarinda Academy Students. Bronze Buick LeSabre, Iowa license BGU-806. STOLEN FROM 700 BLOCK SOUTH 22ND Street in Clarinda).

Clarinda Police Chief Keith Brothers reports this (Saturday) morning, that law enforcement and Clarinda Academy personnel are looking for two missing students from the Clarinda Academy. The male students were discovered missing by Academy staff at approximately 4:00 a.m.

One student is a Black male, age 17 ,6’1 200 lbs afro style hair, possibly dressed in all black. The second student is White, age 15, 5’8 160, short hair, possibly wearing red and orange. Direction of travel unknown. If observed contact law enforcement.

w/ Chris Parks

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The Red Oak Police Department reports the arrest of an Elliott woman early Saturday morning after a traffic stop at 106 W. Coolbaugh Street in Red Oak. At 12:18am Officers arrested 45-year-old Mindy Lane Hale of Elliott for Operating a Motor Vehicle While Intoxicated, 1st Offense. Hale was also cited for Open Container of Alcohol and taken to the Montgomery County Jail and held on $1,000 cash bond.

Former Iowa Governor Tom Vilsack says it’s time to move the three state universities “to the next level.” Vilsack was asked during taping of Iowa Public Television’s “Iowa Press” program if he’d be interested in becoming the next president of Iowa State University. “I don’t have a pilot’s license,” Vilsack replied. The show’s host laughed. One reporter said: ‘Oh, my.” The other reporter on the program said: “Touche.”

Vilsack is referring to outgoing Iowa State president Steven Leath’s piloting of a university-owned plane and subsequent questions about a “hard landing” that caused damage. Vilsack just completed eight years as President Obama’s ag secretary and he’s currently leading the U.S. Dairy Export Council, but in December, Vilsack said he was interested in working with students. Vilsack suggests that’s not the role of a university president these days.

“You can be the president of a university, but what exactly are you doing? Well, it’s sort of like running for president,” Vilsack said. “Half the time you’re raising money and the other half of your time you’re in meetings and so forth and you’re directing a very large organization.” Vilsack is offering some advice to the future president of I-S-U and the people in charge of all three public universities.

“I have had the chance and privilege of going to a lot of universities in my prior position. I think we too often in this state are satisfied with good, but not great,” Vilsack said. “I think our universities are good, but I think they could be great.” If the University of Iowa, Iowa State and the University of Northern Iowa could get to that “next level,” Vilsack says the universities could be “incredible drivers” of creativity, innovation, new economic opportunities and excitement about the entire state of Iowa.

“When the football season begins at the University of Iowa or Iowa State, do we think our teams will compete for the national championship or are we just satisfied if they get to a bowl game? I’ll tell you, you go to Ohio State, you go to Michigan — it’s not about competing in a bowl game in January. It’s about winning a national championship and I think that’s an attitude we need to develop more of in this state,” Vilsack says.”We are humble. We are aw-shucks kind of folks. We don’t want a lot of attention, but the reality in this world if you want to attract bright young people, you want to retain your bright young people — you’ve got to give them a sense that you are committed to being great.”

Vilsack served two terms as Iowa’s governor and left state office in January of 2007. Vilsack says you “never say never” in politics, but he says it’s doubtful he’ll ever be a candidate for public office again.

(Radio Iowa)

Officials with the Iowa Department of Public Safety said Friday evening, that a southeastern Iowa woman was arrested Friday in connection with the July 7th, 2016 death of her infant son. 23-year old Angel Poole, of Birmingham (IA), was taken into custody on warrant for Child Endangerment Causing Death. Poole was being held in the Van Buren County Jail on $15,000 bond, pending an initial court appearance.

Authorities say that at around 3:30-a.m. July 7th, Poole called 911 to say her 67-day-old son, Judah Wessels, was having difficulty breathing.  The child was transported by ambulance to the Van Buren County Hospital in Keosauqua, where he was pronounced dead a little over an hour later. The Van Buren County Sheriff’s Office (VBSO) launched an investigation and requested the assistance of the Iowa Department of Public Safety-Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI).

An autopsy was conducted by the Iowa State Medical Examiner in Ankeny, Iowa.  The autopsy revealed Judah Wessels was “markedly malnourished”.  The cause of Wessels’ death has been ruled to be due to “starvation and dehydration.”  The manner of death “undetermined” by the medical examiner.

After a joint investigation by the Iowa DCI, VBSO, Van Buren County Attorney’s Office and the Iowa Medical Examiner’s Office, officials secured an arrest warrant for Angel Poole. She was arrested Friday at her residence.

The Page County Sheriff’s Office reports the arrest today (Friday), of 20-year old Travis Michael Knipp, of Clarinda. Knipp was arrested at the Page County Sheriff’s Office for Sex Offender Registry Violation, an Aggravated Misdemeanor.  He was unable to post the $2000 bond, and was held in the Page County Jail pending further court appearances.

Travis Knipp

SIOUX CITY, Iowa (AP) — A Sioux City man accused of firing at a Woodbury County sheriff’s deputy has pleaded not guilty to attempted murder. The Sioux City Journal reports that 24-year-old Melvin Spencer entered the plea Friday before in Woodbury County District Court. His trial has been set for May 9.

Authorities say a deputy had tried to pull over a vehicle carrying Spencer around 3:30 a.m. Feb. 26. The chase ended when the vehicle stopped south of the Sioux Gateway Airport. Authorities say Spencer opened fire at the deputy, who shot back.

Another man in the vehicle was injured during the shootout and hospitalized. The deputy and Spencer weren’t injured. Authorities say Spencer fled on foot, but was caught a few hours later.

The Iowa legislature has voted to narrow the window for Iowans to file lawsuits about construction complaints. Under current law, Iowans have 15 years to take legal action after discovering construction defects in their home or business. The bill that has cleared both the House and Senate would give homeowners a decade to file a lawsuit over serious flaws in construction. Commercial property owners would have an eight year window for these kind of lawsuits that aren’t about injuries to people, but alleged faults in the construction. Representative Kevin Koester, a Republican from Ankeny, says Iowa is out of step with every other state and contractors here have to pay more for insurance.

“This bill is good for our state,” Koester says. “It will reduce costs. Over time that’ll have a calming effect also on premiums. Over time, there will be lower cost, actually, of that kind of insurance.” Koester says the bill aligns with the G-O-P’s pledge to reduce regulations. “Protection and regulation come with a cost,” Koester says. “Homebuilders inform us that 25 percent of the cost of new home construction is strictly from the cost of regulation on building that home.”

Representative Mary Wolfe, a Democrat from Clinton, says the bill helps negligent contractors who do things like use shoddy materials. “Taking away protections from everyday Iowans who are just trying to buy a house that will last them the rest of their lives,” Wolfe said.

Representative Brian Meyer, a Democrat from Des Moines, says the narrower time frame for lawsuits about construction faults may prevent homeowners from getting compensated for defects like black mold that often appear long after construction. “Your average, every day person is getting completely rolled on this,” Meyer said.

The bill advanced out of the Iowa Senate with the votes of all the Republicans and a couple of Democrats. It was a party-line vote when the bill cleared the House earlier this week. It’s now headed to Governor Branstad for his consideration. Former Republican Governor Robert Ray vetoed similar legislation in 1980 and former Democratic Governor Tom Vilsack rejected a bill like this in 2001.

(Radio Iowa)

Some Iowa law enforcement officials question the accuracy of a Homeland Security report listing jurisdictions refusing to cooperate with federal requests to hold undocumented immigrants. President Trump signed an executive order in January calling on the government to document jurisdictions not cooperating with federal efforts to find and deport immigrants in the country illegally.

According to the Des Moines Register, the first list released Monday cited 206 examples of immigrants who were said to have been released from custody by local jails despite requests from federal agents. According to the report, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement issued 12 detention requests to Montgomery County and five requests to Franklin County during the week of January 28th to February 3rd.

Montgomery County ranked fourth nationally among non-compliant jurisdictions for the number of detainers it received during that week, according to the report. But Montgomery County Sheriff Joe Sampson and Franklin County Sheriff Linn Larson, both Republicans, told the Register their departments did not receive any detainer requests during that period.

Sampson says his department has not been contacted by anyone from ICE since October. Larson said his department has proactively flagged ICE to check the immigration status of five people since the start of the year.

(Mike Peterson/Radio Iowa – Shenandoah)