GUTHRIE CENTER, Iowa (AP) — Law enforcement officials have charged an Ames man in a May house fire at Guthrie Center that killed two young girls. The Guthrie County Sheriff’s Office said in a news conference Wednesday that 26-year-old Patrick Ryan Thompson is charged with two counts of first-degree murder, two counts of attempted murder and one count of arson. It was not clear whether he yet has an attorney.

Investigators had already determined that arson caused the May 15 fire that killed 16-year-old Shakiah Cockerham and 12-year-old Melanie “Paige” Exline and injured their uncle, 54-year-old William Long III, and grandmother, 74-year-old Shirley Exline.

Investigators say Thompson is the stepson and stepbrother of men charged in a sexual abuse case in which at least one of the girls was a victim.

Patrick Ryan Thompson

Cass County Auditor Sale Sunderman reports ballots for the September 12th, 2017 SCHOOL ELECTION for local school board directors are now available at the Cass County Auditor’s office. If you will be unable to go to the voting center on September 12th, you may vote by mail by sending a request for an absentee ballot to the Cass
County Auditor’s office. Alternatively, you may stop and vote at the County Auditor’s office during office hours: 8 a.m. thru 4:30 p.m., Monday thru Friday. Please note also, that the auditor’s office will be open until 5 p.m. on September 1st, 8th, and 11th and since the polls open at noon on September 12th, absentee voting will be available from 8 a.m. thru 11 a.m. on Tuesday, the 12th.

**The names of those persons running for positions on area school boards in Cass County were announced, and posted on-line on the News page at kjan.com, on Aug. 4th. The polls open at Noon and close at 8-p.m. Sept. 12th

VOTING CENTERS FOR SCHOOL DISTRICT ELECTIONS are as follows:

ATLANTIC COMMUNITY SCHOOL DISTRICT of Cass, Audubon and Pottawattamie counties. Election is “AT LARGE” meaning that all residents of the entire school district may vote for all school offices and public measures. If you are not sure where you vote in the SCHOOL ELECTION (which may differ from that of other elections), please call the office of the Cass County Election Commissioner (County Auditor): 243-4570.
NOTE: ONLY TWO VOTING CENTERS WILL BE USED FOR THIS ELECTION:

• VOTING CENTER 1: Voters living in Wards 1, 4 and 5 of the City of Atlantic will vote at HERITAGE HOUSE, 1200 Brook Ridge Circle in Atlantic.
• VOTING CENTER 2: Voters living in the remainder of the Atlantic Community School District, being those voters residing in Audubon and Pottawattamie counties; Bear Grove, Benton, Brighton, Cass, Franklin, Grove, Pymosa and Washington townships of Cass County; the City of Marne; the City of Wiota; and Wards 2 and 3 of the City of Atlantic will vote at the ATLANTIC PUBLIC LIBRARY (507 Poplar), Atlantic, Iowa.

CAM COMMUNITY SCHOOL DISTRICT of Cass, Adams, Adair and Audubon counties. Election is “AT LARGE” meaning that all residents of the entire school district may vote for all school offices and public measures. NOTE: THREE VOTING CENTERS WILL BE USED FOR THIS ELECTION:

• ANITA VOTING CENTER: Voters residing in that portion of the CAM Community School District residing in Grant, Benton, Franklin or Lincoln Township in Cass County or in Adair County or Audubon County will vote at the ANITA COMMUNITY CENTER (805 Main St).
• CUMBERLAND VOTING CENTER: Voters residing in that portion of the CAM Community School District residing in Union, Bear Grove, Noble or Edna Township in Cass County or in Adams County will vote at the CUMBERLAND
  COMMUNITY BLDG (200 W 2nd, Cumberland).
• MASSENA VOTING CENTER: Voters residing in that portion of the CAM Community School District residing in Massena or Victoria Township in Cass County or in Adams County will vote at the MASSENA PUBLIC LIBRARY in
  Massena (122 Main St).

GRISWOLD COMMUNITY SCHOOL DISTRICT of Cass, Pottawattamie, Adams and Montgomery counties. Election is both “AT LARGE” and “BY DISTRICT” meaning that all residents of the entire school district may vote for the AT LARGE school offices. However, only LOCAL SCHOOL DIRECTOR districts 3 and 4 will be voting for the respective local district school office. NOTE: THREE VOTING CENTERS WILL BE USED FOR THIS ELECTION.

ALL FOUR (4) LOCAL DISTRICTS will be voting for the AT LARGE seats public measures; HOWEVER the OFFICE OF LOCAL SCHOOL DISTRICT DIRECTOR FOR DISTRICT 3 (votes at Elliott Voting Center) and DISTRICT 4 (votes at Griswold Voting Center) WILL APPEAR ONLY ON THE BALLOT FOR THE RESPECTIVE DISTRICT:

• LEWIS VOTING CENTER, Voters residing in Griswold Director District 1, will vote at the LEWIS LIBRARY (412 West Main St).
• ELLIOTT VOTING CENTER: Voters residing in Griswold Director District 3 will vote at the ELLIOTT COMMUNITY BUILDING (403 Main St, Elliott).
• GRISWOLD VOTING CENTER: Voters residing in Griswold Director Districts 2 and 4 will vote at the GRISWOLD COMMUNITY BUILDING (601 2nd St, Griswold).

If you do not know in which district you reside, check your voter registration card or contact the Cass County Auditor.

A U-S District Court Judge in Council Bluffs, today (Wednesday), sentenced 55-year old Ronald Lance Hulme, of Council Bluffs, to 110 months in prison for distribution of methamphetamine. In addition to the slightly more than nine years behind bars, Hulme will serve five years of supervised release following his imprisonment.

On April 3rd, 2017, Hulme pleaded guilty to the charge and admitted he distributed methamphetamine in the Southern District of Iowa during the summer of 2016. The charge resulted from a drug trafficking investigation by law enforcement in Council Bluffs.

Southwest Iowa Narcotics Enforcement Task Force, Council Bluffs Police Department and United States Marshals Service conducted the investigation. This case was prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa.

A traffic stop Tuesday night in Fremont County resulted in the arrest of a Montgomery County man. Fremont County Sheriff Kevin Aistrope reports the Fremont County K9 Unit stopped a vehicle in the 1900 block of Highway 59. An occupant of the vehicle, 23-year old Diego Miguel Juaquin, of Red Oak, was arrested for Possession of a Controlled Substance/2nd offense, and other, traffic offenses. He was brought to the Fremont County Law Enforcement Center and held on a $1,000 bond.

The man charged in the shootings of two Pottawattamie County Sheriff’s Deputies on May 1st during an escape attempt, will plead guilty next week at the courthouse in Council Bluffs. KETV in Omaha reports lawyers for 24-year old Wesley Correa-Carmenaty will appear with him at a plea hearing 9:30-a.m. Tuesday, the same day his trial was set to have begun. Correa-Carmenaty will remain in custody in the Woodbury County Jail until the hearing.

KETV reports there has been no plea bargain offered in this case, no charges dismissed and no charges are being amended. Correa-Carmenaty was charge with first-degree murder, second-degree kidnapping, two counts of attempted murder, three counts of robbery, one count of intimidation with a weapon, two counts of felon with a firearm and one count of escape.

Deputy Mark Burbridge died from a gunshot wound he suffered during the escape attempt. Deputy Patrick Morgan was injured during the incident at the Pott. County Jail garagae, but has since been released from the hospital.

In a statement, Pott. County Sheriff Danker said, in essence, that he was pleased the decision was made to have a plea entered in the case, and it makes it easier for everyone to continue to have Correa-Carmenaty remain in the Woodburg County Jail while his case makes its way through the court system.

Police in Stuart responded today (Wednesday) to Menlo, following the alleged, attempted abduction of a young girl. The alleged suspect was driving a white SUV, possibly a Chevy Tahoe, with rust and dark tinted windows. Authorities ask residents in the area to report any suspicious vehicles to the Guthrie County Sheriff’s Office at 641-747-2214.

The Sac County Sheriff’s Office is asking for the public’s help in identifying the person or persons responsible for the killing of a bull. The animal was found dead Tuesday morning by its owner, in a pasture near 205th and Perkins Avenue. A spent shell casing to a .243 rifle and shotgun shells were found near the scene.

Anyone with any information about the incident is asked to contact the Sac County Sheriff’s Office at 712-662-7127

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – Authorities say the founder of a Des Moines anti-violence organization has been accused of hurting a child in her care. Jail records say 46-year-old Calvetta Williams remained in custody Wednesday, charged with child endangerment causing injury. The arrest stemmed from an incident in July in which a girl in Williams’ care received superficial injuries.

Williams said Saturday before her arrest that she would cooperate with investigators and that she plans to plead not guilty. Williams founded Mothers Against Violence in 2013 after the shooting death of a close friend in Des Moines.

In an update to our earlier online and broadcast reports, the Cass County Sheriff’s Office today (Wednesday) released information about a chase that began Tuesday night near Lewis and ended in Atlantic.  Officials say at around 9:30-p.m. deputies with the Cass County Sheriff’s Office attempted a traffic stop at 630th Street and Highway 71 upon a Missouri-plated 2002 Dodge pickup. The driver of the vehicle refused to stop, and a pursuit ensued.

The vehicle headed north through Lewis on M56 and turned east onto White Pole Road. The Atlantic Police Department deployed stop sticks just past White Pole and Lansing Roads. The vehicle continued toward Atlantic. The front tires blew as the vehicle crossed into Atlantic city limits, and the vehicle eventually came to a stop at 7th and Birch Streets in the eastbound (oncoming traffic) lane.

Cass County Sheriff’s Deputies arrested 34-year old Thomas Jeremiah Bradbury, of St. Joseph, MO, on a  felony charge of Eluding, along with OWI/1st offense, and Reckless Driving (Nonscheduled Offense). Bradbury was also written three citations for Speeding and one citation for Failure to Obey a Stop Sign. He was taken to the Cass County Jail where he remains held on $6,000 bond and a detainer for the State of Missouri.