Police in Red Oak early this (Wednesday) morning, arrested 55-year old Joseph Olis Loudermilk, of Red Oak, on a charge of Serious Assault.  Loudermilk was arrested at around 1:48-a.m. in the 400 block of E. Grimes Street, in Red Oak. He was being held in the Montgomery County Jail on a $1,000 cash bond.

Public health officials expect the number of opioid-related deaths this year in Iowa will surpass last year’s total of 180. Kevin Gabbert is leader of the State Opioid Treatment Authority and says other states have reduced opioid-related deaths by strengthening prescription monitoring programs and instituting “good Samaritan” laws.

“Whether or not we would have seen a significant increase had these things been done sooner I can’t say for sure, but I’m hopeful that in the future we can look at making some of those changes so that we can better address some of those issues,” Gabbert said.

Iowa lawmakers have yet to recommend specific legislation to prevent opioid abuse and overdoses, but Gabbert notes the public health department is trying to be proactive about preventing deaths.

“We’ve taken part in several different efforts to try and address this issue – like expanding medication assisted treatment, making Naloxone more readily available to individuals, so we’re hopeful that the increase that we saw wasn’t as much as it maybe could’ve been,” Gabbert said.

The Iowa Department of Public Health is expecting opioid-related deaths to increase to just over 200 in 2017.

(Radio Iowa, w/Thanks to Katarina Sostaric, Iowa Public Radio)

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press at 3:45 a.m. CST

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — A judge has dismissed a burglary charge against a bounty hunter who broke into and searched an Omaha family’s home before realizing he was in the wrong house. The Douglas County District judge ruled that 25-year-old Duane Wilson’s actions weren’t out of line with court rulings that govern actions of bounty hunters. Douglas County Attorney Don Kleine told the Omaha World-Herald that he plans to appeal.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A judge has tossed out drugs found in a vehicle as evidence in a pending trial because the Lincoln officer who pulled over the vehicle on Interstate 80 didn’t have probable cause for the traffic stop. Court records say Andrea Plummer and Phillip Plummer, both of Sioux City, Iowa, are charged with possession for sale and related crimes. The judge ruled that the officer’s car video showed the Plummers’ vehicle wasn’t following too closely, that it had been boxed in by traffic.

ONAWA, Iowa (AP) — Authorities say the body of a man has been discovered inside a smoke-filled home in western Iowa. The Onawa Police Department says in a news release that fire crews were dispatched around 7:40 a.m. Tuesday. The department says firefighters found the body of 37-year-old Garrett Brown, who lived there alone. State authorities have joined the fire investigation.

OSKALOOSA, Iowa (AP) — Authorities have released the name of a pilot whose body was found in the wreckage of his small plane in south-central Iowa. The Mahaska County Sheriff’s Office identified him as 70-year-old Bruce Devick, who lived in Marshalltown. Authorities say the single-engine aircraft crashed Saturday afternoon after striking a power line about 3 miles north of Oskaloosa.

The Iowa State Patrol late Tuesday evening, issued a report on an accident that happened at the City limits on the east side of Atlantic, Tuesday afternoon. Officials say a 1990 Pontiac 600 driven by 19-year old Sydney Jo Redler, and a 2001 Dodge 2500 driven by 19-year old Weston Lee Erickson, both of Atlantic, were traveling east on White Pole Road (Highway 6) at around 2:35-p.m.

Redler was stopped in the left lane waiting for traffic to pass so she could turn left (North) onto 635th Street (by Olsen’s Outdoor Power/ A Plus Designs), when her car was hit from behind by the pickup, causing severe damage.

Redler suffered from severe head injuries and was transported to Iowa Methodist in Des Moines by Medivac Ambulance. Authorities say she was wearing her seat belt. Erickson was not injured in the crash.

Traffic in the area was blocked-off for several hours while the accident investigation was conducted. Cass County Sheriff’s Deputies, Atlantic Police and Medivac assisted Troopers at the scene of the crash.

The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office reports the arrest of 31-year-old Katie Marie Pierce of Red Oak at 3:55pm Tuesday.  Pierce was arrested on a Pottawattamie County Bench Warrant for Violation of Probation. She was taken to the Montgomery County Jail and held on $10,000 bond.

No injuries were reported following an accident Sunday morning in Page County, but one person was arrested. Authorities say the accident happened at around 10:38-a.m. at the intersection of J Avenue and 170th Street, about 10-miles east of Shenandoah.

An investigation determined 36-year old Kyle David Bahn, of Red Oak,  was driving a 1996 Dodge Ram 1500 southbound on J Avenue. 44-year old Chad Robert Isaacson, of Clarinda, was driving a 2004 Sterling Dump truck with snow plow east bound on 170th street clearing snow from the roadway. The 2004 Sterling Dump truck is owned by Page County.

Bahn’s pickup hit the snow plow portion of the vehicle with the front end, causing the pickup to sustain disabling damage. Page County’s vehicle sustained very little damage. Bahn was arrested for Driving under suspension. He was taken to the Page County Jail where he later posted bond and was released.