Eight suspects from the Omaha-Council Bluffs area are now charged in a series of more than 50 automatic teller machine thefts in Iowa, Nebraska and five other states. Omaha Police Sergeant Meg Fricke says officers launched the investigation several years ago.  “They’ve been working on this case and this series since 2013 putting in so many hours and just hard detective work, picking up every lead and following up,” Fricke says. “In fact, we made an arrest in 2014 but that did not stop these suspects at all.”

The suspects are all from the Omaha-Council Bluffs metro area but the thefts took place across the region. She says all of the A-T-M thefts employed very similar tactics.
“They’ll use a vehicle and attach a chain and pull it right out of the building and take the ATM and remove the cash from the inside,” Fricke says. “There’s been over 50 that we’ve followed in this series.” It took a few years to catch all of the suspects but Fricke says this case should serve as an example to all thieves that the law -will- find you, eventually.

“We use a lot of video in these cases,” she says. “We’re following up with DNA, with witnesses. Everything is trackable and anything that you might use or have, we may get access to and use that to help solve our cases.” Police believe the eight suspects took around 50 ATMs from seven states: Nebraska, Kansas, Iowa, South Dakota, Missouri, Oklahoma and Colorado.

The suspects range in age from 24 to 57 and are identified as: Darnell Gordon, Lyle Gordon, Wakonda Hazel, Brenis Vaughn, Kentrell Reed, Bajah Pittman and Isaiah Brown. The first suspect arrested, Larry Gordon, was charged in 2014. Additional indictments are expected.

(Radio Iowa)

The U-S-D-A’s latest crop and weather report for Iowa shows most of the state has enough moisture in the soil for crops to handle the high heat. There are pockets of the state, however, like west central Iowa, that are too dry and corn leaves are starting to curl. Other areas are too wet, particularly after last week’s isolated heavy rains. North Liberty got the most rain last week — a soaking of nearly seven-and-a-half inches.

Still, the U-S-D-A has rated 79 percent of Iowa’s corn crop in good to excellent condition and 77 percent of soybean fields are in good to excellent shape.

(Radio Iowa)

The Fourth of July, for the third year in row, falls on a day that gives most Iowans a three day weekend. That’s one reason why AAA (Triple-A) spokesperson Gail Weinholzer is projecting more people than ever before will be hitting the road. “We expect more than 43 million Americans to travel at least 50 miles or more. That is the highest on record, in fact it’s 5 million more than this past Memorial Day weekend,” Weinholzer says. The biggest factor in the motor club’s prediction is gas prices.

“It’s been 11 years since we’ve had prices this low on the Fourth of July weekend,” Weinholzer says. In Iowa, the statewide average for a gallon of regular unleaded gas stands at $2.29. “That’s 43-cents below a year ago…when it was $2.72,” Weinholzer says. AAA reports, nationwide, the average motorist has saved about $100 on gasoline so far this year compared to the first six months of 2015.

(Radio Iowa)

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press at 2:40 a.m. CDT

(Update 5:30-a.m.: Fred Scalatta with the Department of Corrections says Formaro was located around 2:30 a.m. and taken into custody. He will now be housed in a medium security prison. No details about where Formaro was found have been released yet.)

Officials with the Iowa Department of Corrections said early this (Tuesday) morning, that Timothy Joseph Formaro, Jr., an inmate housed at the Newton Correctional Release Center was not present during routine count at 9:20-p.m., Monday, and after further search by security staff was been determined that Formaro escaped from the facility. The Newton Correctional Release Center is a minimum security facility.

Timothy J. Formaro, Jr.

The Iowa State Patrol, Jasper and Polk County Sheriff’s Departments and Fifth Judicial District Warrant Team have been notified, and are assisting in the public search of Formaro. He’s a white male, 5’8″ tall, 202 Lbs., Brown Hair and Blue Eyes with Left Forearm and Right Shoulder tattoos.

Formaro is serving a 25 year sentence from Clarke County for Prohibited Acts and Domestic Abuse assault. Information as to Formaro’s whereabouts should be immediately reported to the Jasper County Sheriff’s Department at 641-792-5912 or 911. Due to the ongoing search and investigation, no additional information is available at this time.

Officials with the Council Bluffs Police Department says as a result of their investigation into a bank robbery that occurred late Monday morning, they were able to identify a suspect in the Robbery. The suspect, 52-year old Henry J. Godina, of Council Bluffs, was taken into custody at approximately 2:27 p.m. in the 3000 Block of Ave H. Godina was booked into the Pottawattamie County Jail for Robbery in the 2nd Degree.

Just after 10-a.m., Monday, officers were called to the U-S Bank at 2901 W. Broadway Street in Council Bluffs, where a robbery had just occurred. Officials say the suspect (later identified as Godina) entered the bank and proceeded to the teller window, where he produced a note demanding money and indicating that he was in possession of a firearm. The man received an undetermined amount of cash from the bank and fled the area in a Blue late 1990’s model Ford Expedition or Mercury Mountaineer.

Officials say this man, caught on surveillance video, was arrested & identified as Henry J. Godina.

Adair County Sheriff Jeff Vandewater reports a Madison County man was arrested Friday afternoon for 3^rd Degree Theft, and Trespassing. 24-year-old Benjamin Riser Feller, of Dexter, was subsequently cited and released from the scene.

And, 62-year-old Gregg Charles Smith, of Stuart, was arrested Thursday for OWI 1^st offense, failure to maintain control and failure to provide proof of financial liability. His arrest followed an investigation into a single vehicle accident. The Sheriff says Smith admitted he had consumed alcoholic beverages. Smith’s breath test results were above the legal limit of .08. He was being held in the Adair County Jail on $1,000 cash, or surety bond.

The Guthrie County Sheriff’s Office reported just before 2-p.m. today (Monday), a Tennessee man who was missing and believed to have been lost somewhere in the southern part of the County, had been found. According to reports, Deputy Jess Swenson found Frank Dietz’ large, black Ford 2012 truck located near a pond behind several trees, at around 11:55-a.m.  Upon their arrival, the deputies and trooper approached the vehicle only to find that no one was in or around the truck. A search by the deputies and volunteer fire departments and ambulance led to Dietz being found 20-minutes later by a Guthrie County Secondary Roads Department crew, at 320th and Ranch Trail.

Authorities reported that although Dietz was disoriented and dehydrated, he was expected to be okay. The man had apparently spent a couple of days walking in the area. The Sheriff’s department at around 9:25-a.m. Monday, put out an alert, asking the public and rural property owners for help in finding the man, because a triangulation of his cell phone indicated he was in the area. At the time, they said Dietz indicated he was sick and disoriented.

The Sheriff’s office was assisted by the Iowa State Patrol, Stuart Police Department and Rescue units from Stuart and Menlo. Authorities also thank the public for their help in keeping an eye out for the man and his truck.

The Atlantic Police Department says no injuries were reported following three separate accidents, Friday. Just before 10-a.m., a vehicle driven by Brandon Embrey, of Atlantic, struck the right rear side of a parked vehicle registered to Wellendorf ENT, P-C, of Atlantic, in the CCMH parking lot. The accident happened as Embrey was backing out of a parking stall. Embrey left the scene but he was located later. The damage amounted to $2,000.

At around 1:15-p.m., Friday, vehicles driven by Samantha Christensen and Vincent Perry, both of Atlantic, collided at the intersection of 7th and Mulberry Streets, when Perry failed to stop at the posted stop sign. He was cited for Failure to Obey a Traffic control device. The damage amounted to $6,000.

And, at about the same time, a vehicle driven by Daniel Norman, of Omaha, was pulling out of a parking stall in the 400 block of Chestnut Street, when it was hit by a northbound vehicle driven by Nathan Hansen, of Stuart. Damage from the collision amounted to $2,600. No citations were issued.

Atlantic Police said also, 39-year old Kodi Newman, of Anita, was arrested for OWI. Newman was booked into the Cass County Jail.

Police in Council Bluffs are looking for a man who allegedly robbed a bank there this (Monday) morning. Just after 10-a.m., officers were called to the U-S Bank at 2901 W. Broadway Street in Council Bluffs, where a robbery had just occurred. 

Officials say the suspect, a white male about 60-years old, who stood approximately 5-feet 9-inches tall, and weighed about 200-pounds,  entered the bank and proceeded to the teller window, where he produced a note demanding money and indicating that he was in possession of a firearm. The suspect received an undetermined amount of cash from the bank and fled the area in a Blue late 1990’s model Ford Expedition or Mercury Mountaineer.

Anyone having information concerning the Robbery is encourage to contact the Council Bluffs Police Department @ (712) 328-4728 or Crime Stoppers @ (712) 328-7867.

(12:40-p.m. News)