Four students at the Clarinda Academy briefly escaped this (Monday) morning. The students, all males, left the Academy in an unknown direction of travel, but were captured without incident a short distance away, at 200th Street and Q Avenue, northwest of Clarinda.

The Clarinda Academy is a residential foster care facility that provides residential treatment and shelter care to at-risk and delinquent male and female youth from several states. 

Voters in a small section of eastern Pottawattamie County, all but the northeast section of Cass County, and all of Adams and Union Counties, have a chance to elect their next State Representative, Tuesday. A special election will be held to fill the seat of Republican Jack Drake, from Griswold, who died Oct. 11th.  Democrat Tim Ennis, of Corning, and Republican Tom Moore, of Griswold, were selected during special, nominating conventions, to square off in the special election.

IA House District 21 includes those areas shaded in blue

Four people were injured during a two-vehicle collision Saturday afternoon, in Audubon County. The Sheriff’s Department says vehicles driven by 68-year old Diane Kay Sheets, of Exira, and 68-year old Steve Paul Lippold, of Avoca, collided at the intersection of Highway 71 and 44 in Hamlin, at around 1:50-p.m. The crash happened when Sheets failed to obey the stop sign or yield the right of way, as she was heading east on Highway 44. Her 2011 Honda struck a 2014 Lincoln driven by Lippold, broadside on the left front side, as he was heading north on Highway 71.

Following the collision, the Honda went into the northeast ditch, while the Lincoln came to rest on the north shoulder of Highway 44. Both drivers and two passengers in the Lippold vehicle, Deborah A. Lippold, and Brylee Lippold, were transported by Audubon and Exira Rescue, to the Audubon County Memorial Hospital.

Sheets was cited for Failure to Obey a Stop Sign. Damage from the crash amounted to $27,000.

Investigators with the Iowa Department of Public Safety’s Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation Unit are looking into a suspicious death in Union County. Authorities say a hunter last Wednesday found the decomposed body of a female in her 30’s in a farm pond off of Redwood Avenue near the Union County and Madison County line.

The body was transported to the Iowa Office of the State Medical Examiner in Ankeny, where an autopsy was performed. Currently, the cause and manner of death are not being released because this is an on-going investigation by the Iowa DCI and the Union County Sheriff’s Office.

Officials say no further information will be released at this time.

A traffic stop Sunday in Cass County resulted in the arrest of two north central Iowa residents on drug charges. Sheriff’s officials say 32-year old Johna Christine Dolph, of Fort Dodge, was arrested on charges that include Possession of Methamphetamine/1st Offense , OWI 1st Offense, and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia, while 34-year old Paul Earl Lemburg,  of Fort Dodge, was arrested for Possession of Meth 3rd or Subsequent Offense (a Class-D Felony), and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia. Dolph and Lemburg were taken to the Cass County Jail, where Dolph remained held today (Monday) on $2,300 bond, and Lemburg remained held on $5,300 bond.

The Cass County Sheriff’s Office reports also, 43-year old Todd Edward Kimpson, of Corning, was arrested Saturday, on two counts of Violation of a No Contact Order. Kimpson was taken to the Cass County Jail where was released the following day on $600 bond.

Audubon Police Chief Matt Starmer says two people were arrested last week. On Dec. 1st, 31-year old Jonathan Terry Datz, of Audubon, was arrested for Disorderly Conduct. He was released on a promise to appear later, in court.

And, on Dec. 3rd, 27-year old Jessica Lynn Pedrin, of Audubon, was arrested on a warrant for Failure to Appear in court. Pedrin was being held in the Audubon County Jail pending an appearance before a magistrate.

Afton Police Chief John Coulter reports his office is asking for your help in solving a burglary. A resident located along S. Douglas Street, in Afton, reported to police on Nov. 30th that someone entered his home and took several handguns, long guns and ammunition. If you have  any information about the theft call the Afton Police Dept. at 641-347-5255.

Chief Coulter is also warning area residents about a consumer fraud scam, where by someone purporting to be a person’s grandson called, saying they had been arrested and needed money to bond out of jail. In both cases, however, the potential victims of the scam knew where their grandchild was, and hung up on the caller. If you receive this type of phone call, report it to your local law enforcement agency. Coulter advises you to NOT send any money.