The U-S Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa reports a woman from Pottawattamie County was sentenced to prison Thursday (Today) on a weapons charge. United States District Court Judge John A. Jarvey sentenced 35-year old
Sarah D. Long, of Council Bluffs, to 30 months (nearly 2 1/2 years) in prison. Long was also sentenced to three years of supervised release to follow her prison term.

The woman pled guilty to being a drug user in possession of a firearm on December 3rd, 2015. Long admitted that on or about August 11th, 2015, she was arrested by the Council Bluffs Police Department for operating a stolen vehicle. At the time of her arrest, she was found to be in possession of methamphetamine, drug paraphernalia, and a loaded 9 mm handgun.

The investigation was conducted by the Council Bluffs Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives. The case was prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa.

The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office reports the arrest of a Clarinda man on Thursday.  At approximately 2:15pm deputies arrested 31-year-old Mark A. Achterberg of Clarinda on a valid Montgomery County bench warrant for Violation of Probation on the original charge of Theft 2nd Degree.  Achterberg was taken to the Montgomery County Jail and held on $5,000 bond.

The Iowa Department of Transportation’s Cherokee construction office reports the reconstruction of Iowa 196 in Sac County requires closing the roadway and detouring traffic beginning at 9 a.m. Monday, April 4th, until Monday, May 9th, weather permitting.

Iowa 196 traffic will be routed around the construction area using U.S. 71, Sac County Road M-54, and U.S. 20. Peterson Contractors Inc., of Reinbeck, and Godbersen-Smith Construction Co., of Ida Grove, were awarded the $25.3 million roadway reconstruction project.

Cass County Auditor Dale Sunderman reports another candidate has filed nomination papers to run for the June 7th Primary election, in Cass County. Nick Hensley, of Cumberland, has filed to run on the Republican ticket for the District 4 Board of Supervisor’s seat.

Hensley joins Steve Baier and Barry Moore, both from Griswold, and Todd Hansen, of Atlantic, in seeking the seat being vacated at the end of the year by Chuck Rieken. Baier, Moore and Hansen are all Republicans. No democrats have filed nomination in any of the races in Cass County.

The deadline to file certified papers with the required number of petitioned signatures, is March 30th.

The Guthrie County Sheriff’s Office has hired a new Deputy. Officials say Nathan Grove will begin his new position on April 1st. Grove will be trained with experienced Deputies for a month before starting work at the overnight shift. He’s a certified officer, and before taking the job with Guthrie County, he worked as a Police Officer in the City of Manning since May, 2015.

Grove holds a bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice from Grandview University, and did an internship with the West Des Moines Police Department while getting his degree. He will be taking the position of Guthrie County Deputy as part of the 28E agreement with the City of Guthrie Center.

The commissioner of the Iowa Insurance Division is shining a spotlight on a case in northeast Iowa with hopes of preventing and deterring insurance fraud. Nick Gerhart says a former Strawberry Point firefighter recently pled guilty to charges that he paid two other men to steal his truck and set it on fire back in 2011.

“They burned this truck, committed the arson, and then filed false claims with the insurer to collect,” Gerhart says. The case involved Terry Groth and his accomplices, Damian Welsh of Strawberry Point and Zachary Norton of Monticello. Gerhart says Groth filed claims with his insurance company for the loss of the truck, a burglary at his shop, and vandalism of his father’s property in Manchester.

Groth received payments totaling nearly $13,000, but investigators later determined all of the claims were false. Gerhart says insurance fraud cases like this affect all consumers because it leads to higher premiums. “The way it works in insurance, everyone’s risk is pooled together and when fraudulent claims are filed and paid out, all of us pay for that,” Gerhart says. Groth, a former Strawberry Point firefighter, was ultimately convicted of second-degree arson and insurance fraud.

(Radio Iowa)

Sheriff’s Deputies in Cass County, Tuesday, arrested an Atlantic man on numerous drug charges. 59-year old Kenneth Eugene Hoyt faces felony charges that include Possession with Intent to Deliver Methamphetamine, and Failure to Affix Drug Tax Stamp, as well as charges of Possession of Prescription Drug without Prescription, OWI 1^st Offense, Possession of Marijuana and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia. Hoyt was taken to the Cass County Jail where he remains held on $55,000 bond.

The Sheriff’s Office reports also: 39-year old Aimee Jo Nicholson, of Des Moines, was arrested Wednesday, on a District Court warrant for Probation Violation. Nicholson was taken to the Cass County Jail where she remains held on $10,000 bond. And, on March 20th 33-year old Juan Manuel Anaya Mendez, of Atlantic, turned himself in at the Cass County Jail on one Atlantic Police Department warrant for Criminal Mischief 5^th Degree, one District Court warrant for Probation Violation, and three District Court warrants for Failure to Appear to Serve Jail Time. Mendez was booked at the Cass County Jail where he posted $2000, but is still serving time on his Failure to Appear cases.