The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office reports 39-year old Tyler Geoffrey Jennings, of Red Oak, turned himself-in to the Sheriff’s Office, today (Thursday). Jennings was wanted on a Montgomery County Bench Warrant for Violation of Probation. His bond was set at $10,000.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — A monthly survey of rural bankers in 10 Plains and Western states suggests an improved economic outlook. A report released Thursday says the Rural Mainstreet Index rose to its highest reading since May 2014, reaching 54.8 in February. January’s figure was 46.8, and December’s was 47.8. Survey organizers say any score below 50 suggests a shrinking economy in the months ahead.

Creighton University economist Ernie Goss oversees the survey, and he says the solid February figure surprised him, given that only about a quarter of the bankers reported growth in their areas. Nonetheless, the confidence index jumped to 52.4 from 46.7 in January.

Bankers from Colorado, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wyoming were surveyed.

A call to Council Bluffs Police at 1:35-a.m. today (Thursday) about shots being fired, resulted in the arrest of a 16-year old male. Bluffs Police report the citizen who called, said they heard between six and 10 gunshots in the 3000 block of Avenue M. Officers quickly responded to the area and found three male subjects walking near the area of North 29th and Avenue L. When the subjects were searched, the 16-year old was found to have been carrying a .22-caliber handgun in his backpack. The teen was arrested and placed in the care of the Southwest Iowa Juvenile Detention Center. A search of the area for shell casings and damage yielded no results.

(DES MOINES) – Gov. Kim Reynolds ordered all state flags in Iowa to be lowered to half-staff effective immediately until sunset on Monday, February 19, 2018, to honor the murdered and injured in Wednesday’s tragedy at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. The governor’s order is issued in conjunction with President Donald Trump’s order to lower all United States flags to half-staff for the same length of time.

Flags will be at half-staff on the State Capitol Building and on flag displays in the Capitol Complex. Flags will also be half-staff on all public buildings, grounds and facilities throughout the state. Individuals, businesses, schools, municipalities, counties and other government subdivisions are encouraged to fly the flag at half-staff for the same length of time as a sign of respect.

Officials with the Iowa DCI and Creston Police are conducting an investigation into a suspicious death. Authorities say at around 8:17-p.m., Wednesday, the Union County Dispatch Center received a call to do a welfare check at a residence located 300 East Montgomery, Apartment 3, in Creston.  Upon arriving and entering the residence, Creston Police Department officers discovered the body of a deceased male. The victim has been identified as 45-year old Paul Allen Scheel.  The body was transported to the Office of the Iowa State Medical Examiner’s office in Ankeny, where an autopsy will be conducted.

The death investigation is being treated as suspicious at this time.  If the public has any information regarding Scheel they are asked to call the Union County Law Enforcement Center at (641) 782-8402. This is an ongoing investigation being worked jointly by the Creston Police Department and the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation.

Authorities say no further information will be released at this time.

A northwest Iowa legislator says about 15 percent of Iowa school districts do not have plans for dealing with an “active shooter” situation. “That really surprised me.” Senator Jim Carlin of Sioux City wants that to change. Carlin sponsored a bill last year in the House, when he was a state representative, that would have required Iowa schools to establish security plans. It didn’t get a hearing. “There was some reluctance to add another mandate on schools, but the concern I had — and I think it’s a valid concern — is that rural schools do not have law enforcement assets within minutes of the locations of schools,” Carlin says. “I also found out through smoe inquiry that not all of our schools have a protocol for active shooters.”

Carlin is now a state senator and today (Thursday), the Senate Education Committee is voting on his proposal. Carlin says he saw all sorts of “red flags” as he read about yesterday’s (Wednesday’s) mass shooting at a Florida school. “I think we’re now in a day where we can’t ignore those red flags and we have to prepare for those situations in a more concrete way,” Carlin says. Some Iowa schools have installed systems so a building or even portions of a facility may be locked down in seconds. Carlin says not every school district has that kind of money. His bill merely calls for school officials to give some thought to how they could respond if shooting starts at their school.

“You want them to coordinate a real plan and not just have something that gets thrown in the books and forgotten about,” Carlin says. “You want them to have a plan with law enforcement and maybe practice it because when you’re confronted with something like this, if you don’t have a plan, terrible things are going to happen.” Carlin says the Iowa Department of Education already has materials that can help districts who lack a plan develop one.

(Radio Iowa)

An SUV that had been reported stolen this (Thursday) morning from Red Oak, was recovered a few hours later at the Red Oak High School. Red Oak Police say the vehicle was actually not stolen as first thought. It had been parked at the High School for the past two-days. Police think the vehicle was misplaced due to alleged mechanical reasons, and with the confusion among family members, not everyone was made aware of the situation.

MASON CITY, Iowa (AP) — A 54-year-old woman has been accused of embezzling more than $32,000 from the Mason City convenience store she managed. Court records say Melissa Gott is charged with theft. A Mason City phone listed for Gott rang busy during several calls Thursday. Authorities say she stole the money from a Yesway store’s bank deposits between Jan. 3 and Jan. 14.

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (AP) — A man has been sentenced to 50 years in prison for killing one man and wounding another in a Cedar Rapids parking lot. Court records say Quarzone Martin was sentenced Tuesday in Linn County District Court. He’d been found guilty of second-degree murder, willful injury and going armed with intent. Prosecutors say he fatally shot 26-year-old Andrew Meeks and wounded 30-year-old Johnny Moore Jr. on July 2 in the parking lot of a Cedar Rapids Walmart store.