DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — An attempt to keep alive a bill that would allow the sale of fireworks in Iowa has fizzled out and is considered dead this session. The Senate Ways and Means Committee agreed Wednesday to hold off any further discussion on legislation that would have allowed the retail sale and use of consumer fireworks such as firecrackers and roman candles. Current law allows sales of novelties like sparklers.

The Glenwood Police Department reports the arrest on Monday, of 39-year old Earl Edds, of Glenwood. Edds was arrested for OWI 3rd  Offense, and Failure to post SR22. His bond was set at $5000.

And, the Mills County Sheriff’s Office reports the following arrests: 22-year old Ozzy Ray Hunter, of Council Bluffs, was arrested for Criminal Trespass; 39-year old Earl Fletcher Edds, of Glenwood, was arrested at the Mills County Sheriff’s Office on a warrant for Violation of Probation; 63-year old Teresa Ann Dillard, of Pacific Junction, was arrested on a warrant for Possession of a Controlled Substance, and a Possession of Contraband, charge; and, 28-year old Rodney Paul Kephart, Jr., of Council Bluffs, was arrested at the Pottawattamie County Jail, on a Mills County warrant for Interference with Official Acts.

Hunter’s bond was set at $300. Edds’ bond was set at $5,000. Dillard’s bond was set at $6,000, and Kephart, Jr.’s bond was set at $300.

The Taylor County Sheriff’s Office says a missing 15-year old girl from Bedford and a 17-year old male from Missouri have been found. An Iowa Motor Vehicle Enforcement Officer made contact with Emma Lee Lucas, of Bedford and Matthew Petersen of Sheridan, Missouri, on Interstate 80, near Avoca.

The teens were are listed as missing earlier today (Wednesday), and were thought to have been in a white 2005 Chevrolet Silverado pickup.  The Taylor County Sheriff’s Office thanks the public for its help.

SIOUX CITY, Iowa (AP) – A former Sioux City band teacher has pleaded guilty in a student sex case and likely will serve 30 days in jail under a plea agreement with prosecutors. The Sioux City Journal reports 34-year-old Lucas Sursely pleaded guilty Tuesday to an aggravated misdemeanor charge of sexual exploitation by a school employee. The charge was reduced from a felony.

The plea and sentencing needs a judge’s approval. The agreement says Sursely must also serve two years of probation and register as a sex offender. He was arrested in December after authorities say he texted a 15-year-old student about having sex with her and sent the girl a picture of himself in his underwear.

Sursely has resigned from his position as Sioux City North High School band director.

DES MOINES, Iowa — The Iowa Department of Public Safety’s (DPS) Iowa State Patrol (ISP) has completed an extensive investigation surrounding the circumstances into the four person vehicle fatality crash that occurred on I-80 near the Waukee exit in the early morning hours of Saturday, March 26, 2016. The driver of the Ford Taurus, Benjamin E. Beary, 25, Knoxville was driving westbound in the eastbound lanes of I-80 when his vehicle collided head-on with a Des Moines Police Department transport SUV at approximately 12:32 a.m.

Based on the investigation of the scene and an examination of the vehicles, the investigators made the following findings about the crash.

– The Ford Taurus, driven by Mr. Beary was traveling at a speed of approximately 102 mph at the time of impact.

– The Des Moines Police unit was traveling at a speed of approximately 79 mph at the time of impact.

– Speed zone for this particular area of the interstate is 70 mph.

– Iowa State Patrol Technical Investigators determined that at the time of the crash, there was no braking by either vehicle.  The crash occurred just beyond the crest of a small incline and is the investigators’ conclusion that the Des Moines officers could not see the Ford Taurus until just before impact.

– The Iowa Office of the State Medical Examiner concluded that the 3 occupants in the Des Moines Police unit died from multiple blunt force injuries. Des Moines officers Susan Farrell and Carlos Puente-Morales, who had been on the job less than six months, were killed in the crash, along with 32-year-old Tosha Nicole Hyatt of Des Moines.  The cause of death for Mr. Beary was determined to be from multiple blunt force injuries, thermal injuries, and smoke inhalation.

– Toxicology reports indicated that Mr. Beary’s blood alcohol concentration at the time of the crash was 0.223% (nearly 3x the legal limit).    This report also showed recent use of marijuana by Mr. Beary.

– Toxicology reports for the Des Moines officers were negative for alcohol and common illicit or prescription drugs.

– Based upon the investigation, the Iowa State Patrol’s Technical Investigator(s) concluded that Mr. Beary merged onto I-80 at the Grand Prairie Parkway interchange driving westbound into the eastbound lanes of travel.  This interchange is marked appropriately with signage and markings. The investigators concluded that Mr. Beary’s high level of impairment resulted in him driving the wrong way on the interstate.