(7/24 — Corrected to indicate how the pickup got out of the ditch)

A call to the Cass County Communications Center at around 3:52-a.m. today (Monday) resulted in the arrest of a man at gunpoint. The Cass County Sheriff’s Office says a caller reported a burgundy Ford Ranger pickup in the ditch at 700th and Quincy Road. A friend helped to pull the vehicle, driven by 38-year old Jared Finnell, of Cumberland, out of the ditch, after which he drove into Cumberland. About one-half hour later, Deputy Kyle Quist saw the pickup and initiated a traffic stop south of Cumberland. At the time, a passenger in the vehicle was ordered out and held at gunpoint while backup was called for.

Finnell refused to comply with the Deputies’ orders to exit the vehicle, but just as the Cass County K9 was about to be deployed, Finnell exited the pickup and was taken into custody without further incident. He was charged with OWI/1st offense, and Interference with Official Acts. Finnell was released from the Cass County Jail later in the day, Monday, on his own recognizance.

(Radio Iowa) — People living in the central Iowa town of Brooklyn are ramping up efforts to find a missing local woman. Twenty-year-old Mollie Tibbetts, who is a University of Iowa student, was last seen Wednesday night in Brooklyn. Friends and family say she had been dog sitting at the time she disappeared. Poweshiek County Sheriff’s deputies and Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation agents met Sunday at the Brooklyn fire station to talk about the investigation, while others in the community of about 15-hundred are trying to raise awareness that Mollie is still missing. Many businesses in the downtown area have posters on their front doors which describe Mollie as being five feet two inches tall with long brown hair. Volunteer Carla Kriegel talked with K-C-R-G T-V about the effort. “We’re trying to get the word out, we want Mollie home safe,” Kriegel says.

Most of the posters are being made at Live Now Designs in Brooklyn. People are volunteering to help print posters and then distribute them around the area. Kriegel also made cards with similar information about Mollie.  “My daughter is going to put them in the pay envelopes — she works at a local business, also a restaurant — we thought we would get these around to local restaurants,” she said.  Live Now Designs also plans to make yard signs, t-shirts and billboards with Mollie’s picture and information of how to contact authorities. Kriegel tells K-C-R-G T-V the Brooklyn community is close-knit and they all want to find Mollie. “They’re family, you know we look after each other,” Kriegel says. “You know you have a lot of ups and downs that go on in small towns and everybody knows everybody’s business. But when it comes down to it, we look after each other.”

The last community search happened Friday when the public went all through town and on the outskirts to look for Mollie. The sheriff’s office says it’ll post on social media if they need the public’s help for another search.

WATERLOO, Iowa (AP) — Fire officials in northeastern Iowa have requested that a city consider billing insurance companies for the cost of responding to crashes, fires and other emergencies. Fire Chief Pat Treloar recently told Waterloo City Council members that the program would only target insurers and wouldn’t seek to collect from those involved in the incidents when coverage is not available.

The Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier reports that Treloar has proposed a contract with Fire Recovery USA. The California-based company provides services to more than 900 fire departments in 42 states. Treloar says the company has contracts with Waukee, Johnston, Grimes, Knoxville and Granger, Iowa. At least two council members say they felt the program was worth a try.

No date has been scheduled for the City Council to vote on the proposal.

(Radio Iowa) — Most streets are now clear of storm debris in Marshalltown, but much work remains to rebuild after last Thursday’s E-F-3 tornado plowed through the central Iowa town. The call went out immediately for first responders and one of the first to arrive was State Center Police Chief Jeff Bunn. Even though Bunn has been a law officer in State Center 21 years, this was a first. “We have what we call a general alarm where dispatch will send out an alert tone and they basically request all agencies to respond to Marshalltown,” Chief Bunn says. “That’s the first time I’ve ever heard it, I mean, we’ve never really even practiced it.”

Despite a lack of training for how to respond to that general alarm, Bunn says everyone acted accordingly. “When that alert tone went out, I knew right away what was going to happen,” Bunn says. “The dispatcher announced, ‘This is a general alarm. All emergency services respond to Marshalltown immediately,’ and they did and it was amazing.” Bunn says in earlier drills, it was expected that if a disaster struck the area, authorities could count on ten ambulances responding. Last Thursday night, 43 ambulances arrived in Marshalltown. Much of the damage was concentrated on Marshalltown’s First Ward. Sue Cahill, the city councilor for that area of town, says the long term effects of the twister will be much more than just property damage. “Next door to me are some families who originally came from southeast Asia,” Cahill says. “They asked me that night of the tornado, ‘Is it going to come back?’ They didn’t have any idea what a tornado is. They might’ve been used to a monsoon or a different type of storm.”

She says countless residents will need professional counseling to overcome what they’ve experienced. “We have many people who are still recounting their time in the basement,” Cahill says. “There’s a story of someone uptown, he and his son were in a stairwell outside in the downtown. How are they going to handle that in the long term?” She notes it’s stunning that there wasn’t one death in the wake of the 12 tornadoes confirmed by the National Weather Service on Thursday statewide. With Marshalltown’s city offices among the many buildings damaged, the city council will meet tonight at the public library.

The Pottawattamie County Sheriff’s Office reports a call Sunday afternoon about suspicious persons at 735 Old Lincoln Highway, resulted in the arrest of a Council Bluffs woman. A search of a vehicle led to the arrest of 42-year old Marion May Wright, on charges that include Unauthorized possession of an offensive weapon (red and black brass knuckles), and Possession of Controlled Substances (1 gram of marijuana and 2 grams of Amphetamines/methamphetamine). Saturday night, Pott. County Deputies arrested 42-year old Michelle Renee Emert, of Council Bluffs, on two valid Pott. County warrants for Unlawful Possession of Prescription Pills, and, Theft in the 5th Degree. Her bond was set at $1,300.

Early Saturday morning, an accident near the 27 mile marker of Interstate 80, resulted in injuries to 24-year old Noah Bruner Stallworth, from Omaha. Stallworth was not arrested, but faces charges of OWI/1st Offense, and Failure to Maintain Control. And, an investigation into a reportedly intoxicated driver at around 12:03-a.m. Saturday on I-80 near mile marker 39,resulted in the arrest about 40-minutes later, of 49-year old Michael Anthony Denning, of Avoca. Denning was charged with OWI/1st offense.

And, 27-year old Joshua Lee Jens, of Council Bluffs, was arrested Friday morning at the Pott. County Sheriff’s Office. Jens was wanted on a warrant for Harassment in the 1st Degree. He was transported to the Pott. County Jail and turned over to Corrections Staff.

The Clarinda Police Department reports an arrest has been made in connection with a stabbing incident that took place Friday afternoon. 41-year old Ricky Dean Peterson, of Clarinda, turned himself in to Clarinda Police Officers late Friday night at around 18th and Lincoln, and was arrested for felony willful injury and use of a dangerous weapon in the commission of a felony in connection with the stabbing. Peterson was being held in the Page County Jail on $12,000 bail.

Officers in Clarinda had responded at around 4:15-p.m. Friday to the stabbing incident at an apartment complex located at 901 W. Tarkio Street.  24-year old Marshall Mahmud Graham, of Clarinda suffered stab wounds to his abdomen and left arm, during the incident. Graham was transported to the Clarinda Regional Health Center and was later air lifted to the University of Nebraska Medical Center for treatment of injuries that were not believed to be life-threatening. Authorities say the stabbing was an isolated incident and at no time was there any reason to believe the public was in danger.

The Clarinda Police Department was assisted in its investigation, by the Page County Sheriff’s Department, Montgomery County Sheriff’s Department and the Iowa Department of Criminal Investigation.