An investigation into an incident at a bar in Fremont County Thursday night resulted in the arrest of a man from Illinois. The Fremont County Sheriff’s Office says deputies were called to The Wilds Bar in Bartlett at around 9:45-p.m., for a possible fight in progress. 29-year old Austin M. Achenbach, of Geneseo, IL, was subsequently taken into custody for Domestic Abuse/Assault. Achenbach was being held without bond in the Fremont County Jail, while awaiting an appearance before the magistrate.

And, Fremont County Deputies responded to a call in Sidney about an incident of criminal mischief in progress, Thursday. After they arrived in the 200 block of Cass Street and spoke with 31-year old Adam Matson, of Sidney, Deputies places him under arrest. During his arrest, Matson allegedly assaulted a deputy. He was charged with Assault on a Peace Officer, and Interference with Official Acts.

Matson was being held in the Fremont County Jail on a $2,300 cash bond.

Police in Red Oak, Thursday afternoon made an arrest following an investigation into a reported Domestic Assault. Officers called to the vicinity of N. 6th and Maple Streets at around 4:45-p.m., found a couple verbally fighting in the 400 block  of E. Maple. After speaking with a male subject, the man – identified as 52-year old Robert Wade Abraham, of Red Oak – was arrested for Domestic Abuse Assault/2nd offense. He was brought to the Montgomery County Jail and was being held without bond, pending an appearance before the magistrate.

Iowa has more “structurally deficient” bridges than any other state in the country, according to a report released Thursday by the American Road and Transportation Builders Association. Scott Neubauer, bridge maintenance and inspection engineer with the Iowa Department of Transportation, is quick to point out that a majority of the Iowa bridges in question are on low-volume, rural roads.

“Ninety-percent of those deficient bridges have less than 500 vehicles a day traveling on them and 65-percent of them have less than 50 vehicles a day,” Neubauer says. “So, they’re structures that are basically serving the needs that they have.” Iowa has over 24,000 bridges and the reports claims 5,025 are structurally deficient. Neubauer says that designation, created by the Federal Highway Administration, does not necessarily mean the bridge is unsafe.

Photo of a structurally deficient bridge, submitted to Radio Iowa by Neubauer. “It is very difficult to see what makes this bridge deficient,” Neubauer said. “This is typical of most deficient bridges. The deck or driving surface is the element that is causing the deficiency.”

“So, it in no way implies that there’s any serious issue going on with the bridge necessarily that needs immediate attention,” Neubauer says. Most of the old bridges in Iowa deemed structurally deficient have weight restrictions posted. Neubauer says county engineers typically choose to focus their limited resources on the structures that carry the heavy trucks and traffic volume.

“Out in rural Iowa, on gravel roads, people need to get to town in their cars and pickups and a lot of these bridges — that’s the only traffic they see and they’re perfectly fine to handle that type of traffic,” Neubauer says. While Iowa has the highest NUMBER of deficient bridges, Rhode Island has the largest PERCENTAGE of bridges labeled structurally deficient. The report shows 23.2-percent of the bridges in Rhode Island are deficient, Pennsylvania is next at 21-percent, and Iowa is third on the list at 20.7-percent.

(Radio Iowa)

The Omaha police officer and native Iowan who was fatally shot last year will be honored this spring along with other law officers who’ve lost their lives in the line of duty. Omaha Police Chief Todd Schmaderer says he’s been asked repeatedly how the department will be remembering Officer Kerrie Orozco, who lived in Council Bluffs.

“We decided on two things,” Chief Schmaderer says. “The first thing we wanted was to make sure the public could be involved. What we did not want was a one-time event and if you missed the event, you missed your opportunity to be involved. We want something everybody can participate in. The second area we wanted to explore was the opportunity for us to honor all of our fallen officers.”

The plan is to create a public art installation called, “Horses of Honor – Omaha.” The chief explains the features of the memorial. “Eight life-sized statues of mounted patrol horses and also a canine statute to commemorate Kobus who died recently,” Schmaderer says. “Seven of the horses will be displayed in prominent locations throughout Omaha’s Turner Park. An eighth horse is planned for the Omaha police headquarters. Each horse will be designed by an artist and named for a fallen Omaha police officer.”

The display is scheduled to be unveiled on May 20th, exactly one year after Orozco was killed. “The statues will remain on display for about one year,” the chief says. “After a year’s time the horses will be auctioned. All of their proceeds will benefit the Omaha Police Foundation.” The 29-year-old Orozco was a Walnut, Iowa, native. She was shot to death while serving an arrest warrant. The suspect was also killed. Orozco left behind a husband, two stepchildren and a newborn daughter. That girl, Olivia, was born several months premature last February and was due to come home from the hospital the day after Orozco was killed.

(Radio Iowa)