Centerville, Iowa – The Iowa Department of Public Safety reports that on Friday, January 19, 2024, at approximately 12:50 p.m., Centerville law enforcement and emergency services were dispatched to 1417 Drake Avenue on the report of an injured child. Responding officers and EMS providers found 2-year-old Journey Marberry injured inside the home. She was immediately taken to MercyOne Hospital in Centerville and then to the University of Iowa Hospital in Iowa City.

On Saturday, January 27, Journey succumbed to her injuries and served as a donor to aid other families.

At approximately 12:30 p.m., members of the Iowa State Patrol tactical team arrested 48-year-old Roger Gillespie, of Centerville, on a warrant for Child Endangerment Causing Death, a class B felony. Gillespie, who was Journey’s caretaker at the time of her injuries, was taken into custody without incident. He is currently being held in the Appanoose County Jail.

The arrest of Gillespie was the result of a joint investigation by the Centerville Police Department, Appanoose County Sheriff’s Office, and the Major Crime Unit of the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation.

Roger Gillespie

Journey Marberry

Questions on this investigation can be directed to Centerville Police Chief Tom Demry at 641-437-7100.

A criminal charge is merely an accusation, and the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.

(Buena Vista County, Iowa) – Two people were injured during a collision Saturday morning in northwest Iowa. The Iowa State Patrol reports a 2013 Chevy Tahoe driven by 19-year-old Joseph Thanyiel Dax, of Storm Lake, was traveling north on Highway 71 at around mile marker 188, when for reasons unknown, the vehicle crossed the center line of the road at around 5:53-a.m. The SUV crossed into the path of and collided with, a southbound 2022 Freightliner semi tractor-trailer, driven by 27-year-old Hunter Lee Coatney, of Pierre City, MO.

Both men were transported to area hospitals. The Patrol says Dax was not wearing a seat belt. The Patrol was assisted at the scene by the Buena Vista and Clay County Sheriff’s Offices, and Sioux Rapids Fire and Rescue.

(Clarinda, Iowa) – The Page County Sheriff’s Office today (Saturday) issued a report with regard to several recent arrests and  two accident investigations. Those arrested include, on:

Jan. 21st: 37-year-old Larry Leroy Schutt, of New Market. He was charged with OWI/1st offense.

Jan. 19: 35-year-old Brent Allen Neal, of Shenandoah, who was booked into the Page County Jail to serve time; 38-year-old Karl James Shade, III, of Shenandoah, was arrested for unlawful possession of prescription drugs and possession of a controlled substance on a second offense; 44-year-old Matthew Ross David Buckridge, of Omaha Nebraska, was arrested for forgery and theft; 39-year-old Jeremy Alex Hansen, of New Market, was booked into the Page County Jail to serve time; and, 20-year-old Joshua Michael Culley, of Shenandoah, was booked into the Page County Jail to serve time.

Jan. 17th: 30-year-old Carmen Nicole Glidden, of Shenandoah, was arrested for child endangerment.

Jan. 16th: 60-year-old Robert Charles Harvey, II, of Omaha, Nebraska, was arrested at the Douglas County, NE., Jail, on a warrant for failure to appear; and,  33-year-old Nicholas Ryan Pruett, of Clarinda, was arrested for violation of a no contact order.

A charge is merely an accusation, and the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.

And, the Page County Sheriff’s Office says there were no injuries reported following a collision January 17th. The report stated the accident happened on Highway 2 and George Crawford Drive. Authorities say William Howard Mintzer was westbound on Highway 2 and driving slower due to road conditions. Another westbound vehicle driven by Grant Lee Plowman attempted to pass Mintzer in the slow lane.

Mintzer attempted to merge into the slow lane to allow Plowman to pass. Both vehicles’ side-view mirrors clipped each other, causing damage to Mintzer’s vehicle. Plowman finished passing Mintzer and merged back into the westbound lane. He slammed on his brakes, and Mintzer could not stop before his vehicle struck Plowman’s vehicle.

And, no one was injured in a single-vehicle accident that happened January 19th, in the 2100 block of M Avenue. The sheriff’s office says Andrew Michael York was driving northbound on M Avenue and 220th Street, when he lost control due to the roadway conditions. His vehicle entered the ditch and struck a road sign.

LISBON, Iowa – Officials with the Iowa Department of Public Safety today (Saturday), issued a follow-up report on an investigation into the 1996 death of a newborn child.

Authorities say on November 10, 1996, the Cedar County Sheriff’s Office responded to a report of a deceased newborn at a rural farmstead at 14 Highway 30 near Lisbon, IA.  The caller reported the body of a newborn female had been found in a garbage bag in the barn.  Law enforcement responded to the scene and located a deceased newborn female as reported by the caller.  After an exhaustive investigation, the Cedar County Sheriff’s Office and the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI) were unable to identify the infant, her parents, or the circumstances surrounding her death.

The unidentified infant was ultimately named “Baby Jane Lincoln” as Highway 30 was previously known as the Old Lincoln Highway. The Iowa Office of the State Medical Examiner performed an autopsy on Baby Jane and listed her cause of death to be “probable exposure” and the manner of death to be “undetermined.”

Recent advances in DNA testing have identified the parents of Baby Jane as Luke Dean Wilson (43 years old) and Samantha Light Hope (43 years old). The circumstances surrounding the death of Baby Jane remain under investigation and the public is encouraged to contact the Cedar County Sheriff’s Office should they possess any information that may assist in the investigation.

Additionally, the public is encouraged to contact the Iowa DCI Missing Person Information Clearinghouse at 515-725-6036 if they have any information related to any missing person or unidentified human remains investigation.

No further information will be released at this time.

(Cass County, Iowa) – The Iowa Department of Transportation reports Interstate 80 eastbound at mile marker 48 (about 1 mile east of Walnut), remains closed due to a multiple-vehicle crash that occurred at around 7:50-a.m.

According to reports, two semi’s collided, with multiple vehicles involved in a chain-reaction crash that followed, include an Iowa Western Community College bus. As many as 15 vehicles were said to have been involved at the crash scene.

No injuries have been reported. Persons on the bus were transferred to another bus and continued on to their destination.

RED OAK, Iowa – U.S. Senator Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) will host a town hall meeting in Audubon County on February 3rd. Senator Ernst’s office says she looks forward to hearing from constituents in the area about the issues most important to them. This town hall meeting is open to the public.

Saturday, February 3, 2024

Audubon County Town Hall Meeting

10:00am CT

Audubon Rec Center

703 Southside

Audubon, IA

(Cass County, Iowa) – A multiple-vehicle crash has Interstate 80 eastbound blocked near the Cass/Pottawattamie County line (48 mile-marker), this morning. Cass County Dispatch says a bus was one of the vehicles involved, and passengers were standing on the side of the road, which was said to be very slick. We’re told as many at 15 vehicles were involved. Rescue crews were sent to the scene. There was no immediate word the possible number and/or extent of any injuries, however.

511ia-org reports the crash occurred at around 7:50-a.m., between Exit 46: County Road M47 and Exit 51: County Road M56 (1 mile east of the Walnut area). Drive with caution!

DES MOINES, Iowa (WHO-TV) — Eight Des Moines firefighters are currently battling cancer, while the Firefighter Union calls on Iowa to cover all forms of cancer. Paul Storbeck is an Iowa native and a successful businessman turned firefighter for the Des Moines Fire Department. He is now a Senior Medic for the department. After years of service, his life changed unexpectedly in 2019 while caring for his father during his final days.

Storbeck was diagnosed with stage 4 prostate cancer in 2023. After more testing, he learned the cancer had spread to his pelvis and lungs. Fortunately for Storbeck, prostate cancer is one of the 14 cancers covered by the state of Iowa for firefighters. However, this isn’t the case for many on the frontlines.

Des Moines F.D. Lt. Rick Thomas said of the 10 or so firefighters diagnosed with cancer,” two have died, and none were covered by the State. With over 200 diagnosable cancers, officials with the Des Moines Fire Department are urging legislators to pass a law that would cover firefighters from all types of cancer. Lieutenant Thomas told WHO-TV “[Firefighters] are 9% more likely to be diagnosed with cancer and 14% more likely to pass away from cancer than the general public.”

This month, the Des Moines Firefighter Union launched a social media campaign for Firefighter Cancer Awareness Month. The CDC reported that cancer is the leading cause of death among firefighters.

COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa (KETV) — A broken water pipe has left  a big mess for more than a dozen businesses in the historic Park Building in the heart of Council Bluffs. Pam Carter, owner of Stella and Irene’s Cafe and Boutique, said she walked into work on Jan. 14, during sub-zero temperatures, only to find a waterfall coming from the ceiling. Carter said she’s spent the past two weeks picking up what’s left of her business after a pipe burst on the fourth floor of the historic Park Building in downtown Council Bluffs.

The entire historic Park Building is closed and will be for the foreseeable future.

DES MOINES, Iowa (KCRG) — The Iowa DOT is rejecting a recommendation from the Federal Highway Administration asking them not to use certain messages on highway signs.

The Federal Highway Administration recently released an updated 1,100-page manual that spells out how signs and other traffic control devices are regulated. In it, the agency strongly recommends against overhead electronic signs with obscure meanings, references to pop culture or those intended to be funny, the AP reports.

Rather, signs should be “simple, direct, brief, legible and clear,” when relaying important information like warning drivers of crashes overhead, adverse weather conditions and traffic delays, the agency said. Seatbelt reminders and warnings about the dangers of speeding or driving impaired are allowed.

The Iowa DOT has been using the signs for just over a decade now, and believe these signs aren’t a threat.Officials say the point of the signs is to help people remember traffic safety messages. Previously, there was confusion that the FHA was trying to ban these types of messages, but the measure is only a recommendation. The DOT will keep the messages up for now, but could reconsider once more research is available.

The idea originated when the department decided to display the number of traffic deaths.