A western Iowa man who was the subject of a manhunt in Carroll that led to a school lockdown earlier this year, pleaded guilty Tuesday to charges of domestic abuse assault and willful injury. The Omaha World-Herald reports 27-year old Mark Lee, of Carroll, was sentenced Tuesday to 15-years in prison as part of a plea agreement. Lee used a samurai sword to stab his former girlfriend, Christine Burtnett, the night of May 17th. The stabbing took place in Lee’s rented home in Carroll. Authorities said afterward, Lee took the woman to his basement, choked her and tied her up with electrical cord.

A man who was allegedly trying to steal copper from the roof of the Historic Trails Center early Tuesday morning in Council Bluffs, was wanted in Nebraska on an assault warrant. KETV in Omaha reports 53-year old John Carlson was arrested at around 1:45-a.m after officers were forced to use a taser on him. The roof sustained several thousand dollars in damage during the allgedly attempted copper theft.

Carlson was wanted in Nebraska for alleged assaulting two people in August 2014. In 1996 he was wanted for theft and violating his probation. Over the years he’s done time for burglary and escape, and theft. Carlson got out of prison in May and the assault occurred less than a month later.

Students at the Red Oak Middle School are getting an extended break for Labor Day. The Daily NonPareil reports classes were cancelled yesterday and again today (Wednesday), while crews work to clean-up after a weekend water leak that left at least 2-inches of water on the second floor of the three-story middle school building.  The incident triggered an alarm. When firefighters and district personnel arrived, they found a water valve was open.

The only nationally accredited cancer treatment center in southwest Iowa has received a $1-million grant for an upgrade to its radiation therapy equipment. The Daily NonPareil reports Methodist Jennie Edmundson’s Cancer Center in Council Bluffs received the award from The Leona M. & Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust, and a $1 million challenge grant from an anonymous donor. The funds will help to make the purchase a state-of-the-art linear accelerator.

Shelly Stingley, Program Director of the Helmsley Charitable Trust’s Rural Healthcare Program, said the Helmsley grant is intended to enhance health care delivery to residents of rural areas

A head-on collision Tuesday evening near Hastings, in Mills County , resulted in the death of one person and injuries to three others. The Iowa State Patrol says 84-year old Marilyn Gruber, of Shenandoah, died in the crash, Her husband, 91-year old Richard Gruber, was injured, when an eastbound 2010 Subaru SUV driven by 57-year old Christine Carpenter, of Warrensburg, MO., pulled to the right on Highway 34, and made a U-turn in front of an eastbound 2004 Chrysler mini-van, driven by Richard Gruber. The accident happened at around 5:20-p.m.

The Grubers were not wearing their seat belts. Marilyn Gruber died at the scene. Richard Gruber and Christine Carpenter were flown by LifeNet to Creighton Hospital in Omaha. A passenger in the Subaru, 56-year old David Carpenter, of Warrensburg, was also injured. He was transported to Creighton by Glenwood Rescue. The couple in the SUV were wearing their seat belts.

Traffic on Highway 34 had to be re-routed for several hours while the crash remained under investigation.

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — The University of Iowa says two students reported recently that they were sexually assaulted on campus. The school issued a notification Tuesday in accordance with the Clery Act, which requires that colleges and universities disclose timely warnings of crimes that represent a threat to the safety of students or employees.

The notification says one student reported Sunday that an acquaintance sexually assaulted her in a residence hall. Another student reported Monday that an acquaintance sexually assaulted her in a residence hall.

Another student reported on Aug. 22 that she was sexually assaulted in a residence hall.

A Sheriff’s deputy in Guthrie County investigating a suspicious vehicle in the parking lot of a Panora convenience store early Sunday morning, ended-up in a scuffle with one of the suspects. The sheriff’s office says at around 4:00 a.m. Sunday, Deputy Kent Gries questioned two men outside the Casey’s General Store in Panora. During the course of investigation, Gries became suspicious the men were involved in some sort of criminal activity. He also saw a weapon in their vehicle.

The Sheriff’s Department says during an attempted pat-down of Jesse Lynn Crawford, of rural Jamaica, Crawford allegedly hit Greis numerous times in the head and upper torso. An intense physical struggle ensued for a lengthy period of time in the Casey’s General Store parking lot, on Highway 4, and into the yard of a business near Casey’s. During the struggle Gries was able to utilize his Taser on Crawford, but Crawford was able to fight through the effects. The Deputy was able to deploy his backup Taser cartridge, but still was not able to take Crawford into custody.

As the struggle continued, the Deputy attempted to radio in for emergency assistance, but was unable to reach Guthrie County dispatch but was able to activate the panic button on his portable radio. While still struggling with Crawford, a passing motorist saw the struggle and stopped to assist. With the motorist’s assistance, Crawford was taken into custody.

Panora EMS crews were called to the scene. They treated both Crawford and Deputy Gries for their injuries. Gries reportedly suffered from physical exhaustion as well as scrapes and bruises. At the time of his arrest, Crawford was found to be in possession of approximately 44 grams of methamphetamine. Authorities say it was the largest seizure of drugs in recent Guthrie County Sheriff’s Office history.

Crawford was booked into the Guthrie County Jail on numerous charges including Assault While Participating in a Felony, Interference with Official Acts with Injury to a Peace Officer, Assault with Injury to a Peace Officer, and Possession with Intent to Deliver Greater than Five Grams of Methamphetamine.

The other suspect was identified as David Michael Cannon, of Grand Junction. He was arrested for Possession of a Dangerous Weapon. Officials say Cannon and Crawford are convicted felons in the State of Iowa, with Crawford having numerous incidents of theft, drug and weapon violations and assault with use or display of a weapon on his record. Both men appeared before a magistrate.

Cannon was released on his own recognizance, while Crawford was being held on bond.

Sunday night’s storms carrying winds up to 70-miles-an-hour damaged corn fields in Crawford and Greene Counties around Denison and Jefferson. Mike Bravard farms nearly three-thousand acres near Jefferson. He did a survey Monday of some of the storm damage. “It’s worse, in Greene County, once you get a few miles south of Highway 30 there’s some corn fields, some broke off, some laid down pretty good. Some’s broke off, some’s just laid over at the roots,” Bravard says. Bravard says despite the storm damage — this year’s corn crop is doing very well.

“The corn looks really good. It could be as good a crop, as good a yield as I’ve ever had,” according to Bravard. But his soybean fields are being hit by sudden death syndrome. “Right there in the beginning of August we got three inches of rain and sudden death set in pretty good, Sudden Death Syndrome. It’s just kind of been expanding ever since,” Bravard says.”Beans are prematurely dying. There’s still going to be beans there where the beans are dying, but they’re just going to be small, I think. And it’s going to take some bushels off of our bean yield.”

Bravard estimates the disease may cut soybean yields by five, maybe even ten-bushels an acre. It’s too soon to assess how much the wind cut west-central Iowa’s corn harvest.

(Radio Iowa)