The Audubon County Sheriff’s Office reports the arrest of an Atlantic man on Friday on a Sexual Abuse charge.  At approximately 5:00pm Friday officers arrested 37-year-old Michael Shane Kendrick of Atlantic and charged him with Sexual Abuse 2nd Degree.

The charges stem from the investigation into an incident that occurred in Kimballton in which Kendrick allegedly performed a sex act on a person under the age of twelve.  Kendrick was taken to the Audubon County Jail and is being held on $25,000 bond.  The incident remains under investigation.

Police in Council Bluffs have identified a child who died after falling from a bunk bed ladder. According to Sgt. Chad Meyers, 18 month old Jayden Suriano was playing with his 3-year-old brother when he fell off the ladder. Emergency responders took the boy to a local hospital, where doctors pronounced him dead. The accident happened around 10:30 a.m. Friday at the Featherstone Apartments.

Meyers says the boys were playing in an upstairs bedroom when the toddler fell off the ladder. The child’s father was at home at the time. Police say foul play is not suspected. An autopsy has been ordered.

Last month, a 2-year-old boy survived a fall from a second-story window at the apartments.

w/ Chris Parks

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The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office reports the arrest of 27-year-old Jacob Nathaniel Forward of Red Oak at approximately 7:05pm on Friday.  Forward was arrested at the intersection of N 8th Street and E Elm Street in Red Oak and charged with possession of drug paraphernalia.  He was taken to the Montgomery County Jail and held on $300 bond.

After being booked in Forward was charged in a further incident after it was discovered he was in possession of stolen property. He was charged by Red Oak Police in this incident with possession of stolen property and held on $300 cash bond.

A young Red Oak man was cited early Saturday morning after driving recklessly and high centering his vehicle on a private drive.

Red Oak Police responded to a call of a suspicious vehicle in the 1900 Block of Ironwood Avenue and upon arrival found a 2001 GMC Sierra K1500 high centered on a private drive.  The vehicle was owned and operated by 20-year-old Austin Wayne Hale of Red Oak. Officers determined he was traveling eastbound on Highway 34 and turned northbound onto Ironwood.  As he turned, Hale accelerated to sway the vehicle intentionally and lost control and went into the east ditch.  He then attempted to drive out of the ditch and up the private drive, becoming high centered on the driveway.

Hale was taken to the Montgomery County Memorial Hospital for medical evaluation. Officers found an open container of alcohol in the vehicle and Hale was cited and released for the open container and careless driving.

The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office reports the arrest of Villisca man after a traffic stop late Friday night. At approximately 11:52pm deputies arrested 33-year-old John Dolph at the intersection of Highway 34 and P Avenue. Dolph was arrested on a valid Taylor County Warrant for failure to appear (on an original charge of fraud) and driving while suspended with 5 withdrawals in effect.  Dolph was taken to the Montgomery County Law Enforcement Center and held on $300 bond.

Seven nonprofit groups or agencies in Audubon County were awarded checks Friday amounting to $103, 866 from the Audubon County Community Foundation. ACCF Chair Brett Irlmeier presented the checks to representatives of the groups or organizations. The grant recipients and their projects include:

• Audubon Chamber of Commerce: LED sign for John James Audubon City Park $7,500.00
• Audubon Community School: Funds for lights around track for public walking in early morning and evening $7,500.00
• Audubon County Early Childhood Organization: Expand childcare center at Friendship Home $27,122.00
• Audubon Recreation Foundation: Funding for construction of recreation center $27,122.00
• Exira Community Club: Exira Rec Center renovations and upgrades $27,122.00
• Exira Lions Club: Tables and chairs for serving area $2,500.00
• Exira Park Committee/City of Exira: Exira Flood Memorial Park signage and walkway improvements $5,000.00

All grantees met the criteria as Audubon County nonprofit agencies or organizations with charitable missions in the areas of civic, cultural, health, education and social services. Only organizations providing services in Audubon County were eligible.
Audubon County agency representatives received their checks on April 10th. During brief check distribution activities, Irlmeier commended the nonprofit agencies for their individual efforts to provide a better quality of life for the residents of Audubon County.

“Our Advisory Board is pleased to direct $103,866.00 in grants to these important community efforts in Audubon County,” Irlmeier explained. “The Audubon County Community Foundation is one of nine counties that are collectively known as the Community Foundations of Southwest Iowa and meets or exceeds the Standards for Community Foundations as established by the Council on Foundations in Washington DC.”

The Audubon County Community Foundation works with individuals, families, businesses and organizations to create permanent funds that address the changing, vital community needs and interests. Donating to a permanently endowed fund helps your neighbors today AND you help build a stronger community tomorrow. Not only that, you’ll be eligible to receive a 25% Endow Iowa Tax Credit for each donation, in addition to any Federal tax benefits for which you may qualify.

The Audubon County Community Foundation invests and administers these funds and distributes grants to deserving, qualified nonprofit organizations. “This has grown from an annual event to twice a year, with one grant cycle in the spring and another in the fall,” said Irlmeier.

For information about donating or establishing an individual foundation/fund, please contact any of the Board Members, or call Dennis Nissen, Iowa Foundations Director, at 800-794-3458.

ATLANTIC, Iowa (AP) — An official says two bridges in southwestern Iowa’s Cass County need to be restricted or closed. Cass County Engineer Charles Marker says an annual bridge inspection revealed that one bridge near Massena and another near the Montgomery County line have crumbling foundations.

Marker says that damage to the bridge located southwest of Massena must be closed until can be replaced. He hopes to expedite its replacement, which had originally been slated for next year. Marker says deterioration noted at the second bridge doesn’t necessitate its closure. Instead, he says it can be signaled as a one-way bridge and remain open.

He said Wednesday that plans to repair both bridges are underway, but action needed to be taken in the meantime.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Gov. Terry Branstad has signed a bill that says Iowa schools can start the academic year no earlier than Aug. 23rd. Branstad signed the legislation into law Friday. The bill represented a middle ground between those seeking to give school districts total control over their calendars and others — including Branstad — who argued that early start dates hurt tourism.

Under the legislation, schools could start no sooner than Aug. 23, though some school districts with year-round calendars would be exempt from the new rules. The bill excludes high schools from seeking such exemptions. The state announced plans late last year to stop issuing automatic waivers to allow districts to bypass the previous start date rules.

Police in Council Bluffs are investigated the death of a child. Sgt. Chad Meyers reports that at around 10:30-a.m. today (Friday), officers were dispatched to an apartment in the Featherstone apartment complex at 901 North 35th Street, to assist the Fire Department with an unresponsive 18-month old boy. The child was transported to Jenny Edmundson Memorial Hospital by ambulance, where he was pronounced dead.

A preliminary investigation shows that the child and his three year old brother were playing in an upstairs bedroom, when the child fell from a bunk bed ladder. The children’s father was home at the time of the incident. At this point, foul play is not suspected, however an autopsy is scheduled for this weekend.

The child’s name will not be released until the family has an opportunity to notify relatives