(Radio Iowa) — A body found near Oskaloosa has been identified. The Iowa Department of Public Safety has identified the victim as 24-year-old Ashley Shafer of Oskaloosa.
She was reported missing to the Oskaloosa Police Department on Monday. Shaefer’s body was found Tuesday afternoon in the South Skunk River near the Glendale Access in Mahaska County.
The D-C-I says the cause of Shafer’s death is still pending and there is no known threat to the public.
LOUISE JEAN MERKLE, 86, of Oakland, died Tuesday, August 6th, at Bergan Mercy Hospital in Omaha. Funeral services for LOUISE MERKLE will be held 2-p.m. Saturday, August 10th, at the Oakland United Methodist Church. Rieken Vieth Funeral Home in Oakland is in charge of arrangements.
Visitation with the family will be on Friday, August 9, 2019, from 5:30 PM until 7:30 PM at the Oakland United Methodist Church.
Interment will be in the Oaklawn Cemetery.
Memorial are suggested to the United Methodist Church Mission Fund for clean water
LOUISE MERKLE is survived by:
Her husband – Richard Merkle, of Oakland.
Her children: Cindy (Wes) Freemyer, of Oakland; Rick (Susan) Merkle, of Indianola; Steve (Victoria) Merkle, of Coralville, and Susan (Mark) Parman, of Hayward, WI.
13 grandchildren, 13 great-grandchildren; and her brother-in-law Orie Clayton of Clarinda. She is also survived by many other relatives and friends.
The Council Bluffs Police Department reports that at around 12:30-p.m. today (Wednesday), the Pottawattamie County Communications Center received a call to a residence in the 200 block of Yellow Pole Road – man down/medical call. Pottawattamie County Deputies and Council Bluffs Officers responded and discovered a deceased 51 year-old male inside the residence. Information developed during the investigation in this case, and a pursuit/shooting by Police early this (Wednesday) morning, indicates that incident are tied together.
Due to the complexity of the investigations, the need to notify family, and to follow up on additional leads we will not be releasing any further information until 9-a.m. Thursday.
Earlier today (Wednesday), authorities said law enforcement officials were in the preliminary stages of investigating a fatal, officer-involved shooting that took place in the 1400 block of Indian Hills Road. A about 2:15-a.m., a Pottawattamie County Sheriff’s Deputy attempted to stop a 1997 Dodge Ram pickup, in the area of 205th Street and Juniper Road. When the driver of the pickup refused to yield, a pursuit began.
The deputy reported several gunshots were fired at him from the interior of the pickup, during the short pursuit. The vehicle eluded the deputy and drove southbound into Council Bluffs on Railroad Avenue, when Council Bluffs Police engaged in the pursuit. Shots were fired out of the pickup at the pursuing officers, with one of the marked Council Bluffs P-D SUV’s being struck by gunfire.
The pickup exited Railroad Avenue and entered onto Indian Hills Drive, where the driver lost control before the vehicle rolled onto its side. Several officers surrounded the vehicle, which was occupied by the male driver and a female passenger. Officers could see the man was armed with two firearms, one of which was pointed at the female, while the other was pointed in the direction of the officers.
Police attempted to convince the driver to put down his weapons, but he refused. An officer on the scene fired one round at the driver, striking him in the head, ending the hostage situation. The female was taken to a Council Bluffs hospital for a precautionary evaluation.
The names of the driver and passenger, as well as the officers and deputies involved, will be released at a later stage in the investigation. No officers or deputies were injured during the pursuit or hostage incident, which remains under investigation by the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation, with assistance from the Council Bluffs P-D and Pott. County Sheriff’s Office.
IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Iowa athletic director Gary Barta has agreed to a three-year contract extension. The school announced Wednesday that Barta, who has been with the Hawkeyes since 2006, is now signed through 2024. Barta will earn a salary of $650,000 a year with deferred compensation that will bring his total up to $1 million in 2020-21.
Barta is responsible for hiring basketball coach Fran McCaffery and retaining longtime football coach Kirk Ferentz and women’s basketball coach Lida Bluder, who led Iowa to the Elite Eight in March. But the school also settled a pair of lawsuits totaling $6.5 million two years ago in the wake of Barta’s dismissal of field hockey coach Tracey Griesbaum.
SOUTH KINGSTOWN, R.I. (AP) — Prosecutors have dismissed the case against an Iowa man who was carrying a backpack full of burglary tools when he was arrested near Taylor Swift’s beachfront mansion in Rhode Island last month.
A spokesman for the Rhode Island attorney general’s office tells WJAR-TV that “Based on our review of the evidence and applicable law, we’ve declined to pursue filing charges” against 32-year-old David Page Liddle.
The Des Moines man was charged with possession of burglary tools and possession of a weapon other than a firearm after his arrest in Westerly on July 19. Liddle told police he was looking to “catch up” with the singer because he knew her personally.
Swift’s security personnel said Liddle is on their watch list and had previously been accused of stalking her.
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A northeast Iowa couple has won an appeal of their lawsuit against a neighboring cattle farm and can seek damages for repeated manure spills onto their property.
The Iowa Court of Appeals said Wednesday that Lee and Rita Dvorak may pursue damages against Oak Grove Cattle, a feed lot near Riceville that once held as many as 1,000 cows but closed in 2016.
The court’s decision reverses a judge’s dismissal of the lawsuit in August 2018. The judge concluded the Dvoraks waited too long to file but the appeals court says the manure was a continuing problem and the statute of limitations didn’t apply.
The couple dealt with manure flowing onto their property from 2009 to 2016 and spent thousands of dollars to empty and refill a contaminated farm pond and clean up their property.
The Cass County Sheriff’s Office has released a report on arrests dating back to July 22nd. On July 22nd, officers with the Atlantic Police Department arrested 53-year old Donald Ray Wilson, of Atlantic, on two Cass County Sheriff’s Office Felony warrants for: Ongoing Criminal Conduct (B Felony), two charges of Possession with Intent to Deliver Morphine (C Felonies), and two counts of Drug Tax Stamp Violation (D Felony). Wilson was taken to the Cass County Jail and later released on Pretrial Release.
On July 26th, 2019, Cass County Sheriff’s Deputies Office cited into court 45-year old Jeptha Martin Vestal, of Carroll, on a charge of Impersonating a Public Official (Aggravated). The court date is pending.
On July 27th, deputies arrested 41-year old Aaron Joseph Moore, of Walnut, on Felony charges of Possession with Intent to Deliver Marijuana (D Felony), and a Drug Tax Stamp Violation (D Felony). He was also charged with Criminal Mischief in the 5th Degree and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia. Moore was taken to the Cass County Jail and later released on $6,000 bond.
On July 30th, Cass County deputies arrested 21-year old Dustin Lee Jones, of Council Bluffs, on two District Court warrants for Probation Violation. Jones was taken to the Cass County Jail where he remains held on $40,000 bond.
On July 31st, 40-year old Tobin Lee Jensen, of Atlantic, was arrested on a charge of Possession of Marijuana 2nd Offense. Jensen was released the following day on his own recognizance. And, 39-year old Stephen Robert Nichols, of Atlantic, was arrested July 31st on a charge of Possession of Marijuana 1st Offense. Nichols was released the following day on his own recognizance.
On August 2nd, Cass County Sheriff’s deputies arrested 27-year old Albert Kevin Barnes, of Atlantic, on a Polk County warrant. Barnes was taken to the Cass County Jail and later released to Polk County authorities.
KAYCI EMERSON, 18, of Fontanelle & Greenfield, died Tuesday, August 6th, at Mercy Medical Center in Des Moines. Funeral services for KAYCI EMERSON will be held 2-p.m. Sunday, August 11th, at the Nodaway Valley High School, in Greenfield. Steen Funeral Home in Greenfield has the arrangements.
Friends may call at the Steen Funeral Home in Greenfield on Saturday, August 10th from 1-until 7-p.m., with the family greeting friends from 5-until 7-p.m.; Online condolences may be left to the family at www.steenfunerals.com.
Burial is in the Greenfield Cemetery. A luncheon will be held at the 16 Oaks in Fontanelle following the committal service at the cemetery.
Memorials: To the Kayci Emerson memorial fund established at the First National Bank in Greenfield and Fontanelle.
KAYCI EMERSON is survived by:
Her parents – Michelle and Randy Cooke, of Fontanelle, & Matt and Megan Emerson, of Greenfield.
Her significant other – Jovani Morquecho…my boy
Her siblings – Tristan Cooke, Saber and Koy Brandt, Brysen and Brayden Emerson, Eve, Fatima and Mariya.
Her grandparents – Ed and Helene Rothe; Deborah England; Barb McCrory; David and Karen Peters; Roger and Carole McIntosh, and Jean Swafford.
Many other relatives and friends.
ROSEMARY KALLHOFF, 89, of Guthrie Center, died Wednesday, Aug. 7th, at The New Homestead in Guthrie Center. Services for ROSEMARY KALLHOFF will be held 10:30-a.m. Friday, Aug. 9th, at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Guthrie Center. Twigg Funeral Home in Guthrie Center has the arrangements.
Visitation at St. Mary’s Parish Center in Guthrie Center will be held one-hour prior to the service, Friday.
Burial is in the Resurrection Cemetery in rural Guthrie Center.
ROSEMARY KALLHOFF is survived by:
Her brother – Sylvester “Sly” (Jackie) Kallhoff, of Panora.
other relatives and friends.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Democratic presidential candidate Beto O’Rourke is canceling a series of campaign stops in Iowa and will remain in El Paso, Texas, through the weekend as his hometown continues to cope with a mass shooting that killed 22 people. O’Rourke’s campaign says he’s not attending the Iowa State Fair as planned on Friday and won’t visit the Meskwaki Powow or a multi-candidate fundraising event on Saturday. The former congressman hasn’t hinted when he’ll resume campaigning, saying he’s not thinking of politics right now.
Instead, O’Rourke is appearing Wednesday at an #ElPasoStrong event at a park, which is timed to coincide with President Donald Trump’s visit to the city. O’Rourke and other top Texas Democrats had urged the president to stay away, which prompted Trump to tweet that O’Rourke should “be quiet.”
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