A man wanted on an Iowa Dept. Of Corrections warrant for Escape From Custody, was arrested Tuesday night, in Red Oak. Authorities say 33-year old George Allen Alfred Westbrook III was taken into custody at around 10:35-p.m. in the 300 block of 8th Street, in Red Oak. Westbrook, who was also wanted on a Pottawattamie County warrant for Escape From Custody, was being held in the Montgomery County Jail on $20,000 cash bond.
Nearly $10,000 worth of goods has been reported stolen in a cluster of car break-ins over the last week in Council Bluffs – including one at a hotel – but police don’t believe the incidents are related. According to the Daily NonPareil, a Louisiana man lost an estimated $3,100 worth of items during a stay this past weekend in Council Bluffs. He reported Sunday that $200 in cash, $1,400 in computer equipment and $1,500 in clothing was taken from his vehicle while it was parked at AmericInn Hotel, 1000 Woodbury Ave.
The Council Bluffs Police Department does not have any suspects at this time. Police Sgt. Chad Meyers said thieves would often check vehicles in hotel parking lots, because people often leave their expensive items in their vehicles. While many people who stay at hotels and experience theft are residents of another community, so they don’t remain in town long, Meyers said police will keep looking for the items. If they relocate the stolen objects, they will do their best to get them back to the original owners, he said.
Other reports were from local residents, including a Council Bluffs woman who told police $2,000 worth of items were taken from her car while it was parked on the 2600 block of South 24th Street. Myers said the break-ins vary by method and location, so it’s possible more than one person is responsible for the thefts.