SAC COUNTY, Iowa — ​A reward for information leading to the location of missing Sac County man David Schultz or  an arrest and conviction in his case,  has increased once again. On Sunday, Sac County Crime Stoppers announced the reward is now $27,800. The total includes $25,000 in American Rescue Plan (ARP) funds and ongoing contributions provided by the community to a Sac County Crimestoppers’ account specifically for David Schultz.

The Sac County Board of Supervisors had previously approved an application for the American Rescue Plan funds of $25,000. Anyone interested in contributing to the reward fund for David Schultz can do so through Iowa State Bank (in Sac City, Lake View or Odebolt), or through the SCC Venmo account (@SacCoCrimestoppers), which is linked to the Crimestoppers account at Iowa State Bank.

Schultz has been missing since the early morning hours of Nov. 21. His semi truck full of hogs was located on Highway 71 with his phone and wallet inside. Officials say David Schultz is about 5 feet 11 inches tall. He weighs around 180 pounds. He has brown hair and brown eyes. Schultz was last seen wearing Wrangler jeans, cowboy boots, and a Peterbilt hat.

If you have any information about David Schultz or where he might be, call the Sac County Communication Center at 712-662-7127.

(Radio Iowa) – The latest voter registration data suggests thousands of Iowans switched their party registration to Republican so they could participate in last month’s Iowa Caucuses. Voter data from the Iowa Secretary of State’s office shows there were about 16-thousand more registered Republicans in Iowa on February 1st than there were on January 1st.

The Iowa Republican Party Caucuses were held January 15th. The data suggests about 55-hundred were Democrats and six-thousand independents switched their party registration to Republicans in order to participate in the caucuses that night.

During the month of January, about 48-hundred Iowans registered as Republicans for the first time.

(Atlantic, Iowa) –  Cass County Democrats say Iowa 3rd District Congressional Candidate Lanon Baccam will visit Cass County on Tuesday, Feb. 13th. Baccam is being hosted by the Cass County Democrats at the Heritage House lower level meeting room (1200 Brookridge Circle, Atlantic, IA 50022). The event will start with a potluck and social from 6:00-6:30 PM, and the meeting with Baccam will begin at 6:30. Everyone is welcome, regardless of party affiliation.

Baccam, a Democrat, is running for Congress in Iowa’s 3rd Congressional district. The seat is currently held by Republican Zach Nunn. Baccam is a combat veteran whose parents immigrated to Iowa from Laos in 1980. Baccam was born and raised in Mt. Pleasant. Following service in the Army, Baccam attended Drake University and served in the USDA under former Iowa Governor Tom Vilsack.

The Cass County Democrats are hosting Baccam at their February monthly meeting, which is open to the public. For more information on the Cass County Democrats, monthly gatherings, or to join the Cass County Democrats email newsletter, contact casscountyiadems@gmail.com or follow the Cass County Democrats on Facebook @CassCountyIADems or on Instagram @CassCountyDemocrats.

(Audubon, Iowa) – Audubon County EMA/911 Coordinator Tyler Thygesen reports the Audubon County 911 Dispatch Center took a 911 call at approximately 2:00 pm today (Sunday, February 11, 2024), of a structure fire  northeast of Exira, at 2845 Pheasant Avenue (Johnson Helicopter, Inc). They were advised that the structure contained two helicopters and fuel. They were also advised a male victim had received burns. Exira Fire & Rescue and Brayton Fire & Rescue were paged at 2:02 pm. Exira Fire & Rescue requested assistance from Audubon Fire & Rescue at 2:11 pm.

The fire was determined to be under control and they were completing overhaul at approximately 3:37 pm. The male victim was transported to the Audubon Airport by Exira Fire & Rescue and then he was flown by helicopter to a burn center.

The name of the victim was not immediately released.

(Red Oak, Iowa) – Sheriff’s officials in Montgomery County report a man was arrested at around 12:40-a.m. Saturday (Feb. 10), for Public Intoxication. Authorities say 52-year-old Philip Luke Turner, of Elliott, was transported to the Montgomery County Jail and held on a $300 bond.

OMAHA, Nebraska (KCRG) – A new report focused on deportation hearings in one immigration court finds there’s a lack of due process for immigrants.

The American Civil Liberties Union of Nebraska observed more than 500 hearings in the Omaha immigration court. About 40 percent of the removal proceedings in the court involve people living in Iowa.

According to the report, judges routinely compromised the due process rights of immigrants. The report outlines four specific areas: judges failing to consistently advise people of their rights, deficient interpretation services, a high number of cases without attorney representation, and the short duration of hearings – often lasting fewer than four minutes.

“As the backlog grows bigger and bigger every day, it has not been going down, you can imagine there’s pressure to get things done quicker. However, our constitutional rights cannot be affected by that. An immovable object that simply cannot be infringed on for the sake of expediency,” said ACLU of Nebraska Legal Fellow & lead author of the report Dylan Severino.

The report’s recommendations range from small adjustments, such as using telephone interpretation services whenever needed, to large actions by Congress, such as passing comprehensive immigration reform and reestablishing the immigration court system as an independent court system rather than a Department of Justice function.

The report also suggests state and local governments consider creating programs to guarantee legal representation in immigration court proceedings.

To view the full report, click HERE.

JEFFERSON, Iowa (KCAU) — The lawyer for a man accused of kidnapping his son and leading to a standoff is asking for court proceedings to be suspended so the court can determine his client’s mental capacity. Mark Rasmussen, the lawyer representing Brandon Duong, 34, filed a motion to determine competency Thursday. In the filing, Rasmussen wants to have Duong’s mental capacity determined as he said that he believes Duong “is not able to assist in his defense.

He added that he doesn’t believe Duong is “able to perform the reasoning and/or judgment necessary to consider pleas or to make decisions.” Rasmussen states that Duong suffers from a mental disorder, limiting him from understanding his charges, assisting the defense counsel, or understanding the proceedings. As such, the defense is asking for the court to suspend proceedings so the court can see if Duong is fit to stand trial.

Duong faces charges of second-degree kidnapping – armed with a dangerous weapon, a Class B felony, and violation of custodial order – relative, a class D felony. The charges stem from an incident on Jan. 30. On that day, authorities said that Duong kidnapped his son from Jefferson and sparked a state-wide Amber Alert.

Later that day, Duong’s vehicle was later spotted by law enforcement in Woodbury County, leading to a pursuit into Cherokee and Plymouth counties. Duong later crashed east of Remsen. While armed with a rifle, he allegedly fled into a field with his son, court documents state.

During the standoff, Duong allegedly carried his son over his shoulders while officers had their guns drawn. A criminal complaint also accuses him of “using [his son] as a shield and a hostage” during the standoff. Officers eventually found Duong in the field and, after an hours-long standoff, took him into custody.

A release from the Plymouth County Sheriff’s Office stated that Duong was a non-custodial parent. The Iowa State Patrol said in a release the night of the incident that a Dec. 2023 court order restricted Duong from having custody of his son.

Duong pleaded not guilty during a preliminary hearing. He is currently scheduled for an arraignment hearing on Feb. 19.

DES MOINES, Iowa [KCCI} — A woman authorities call a person of interest in a Minnesota homicide is in jail right now in Iowa.

Arlene Bell, 32, was taken into custody on unrelated charges in Dallas County following a traffic stop Monday, Feb 5th, on Interstate 80 near Van Meter. She faces several drug and alcohol charges, as well as being a felon in possession of a firearm and theft.

The Faribault (Minnesota) Police Department posted a news release on its Facebook page that the traffic stop in Iowa occurred before Gary Lehmeyer, 70, was found dead. Bell, who authorities say was in a “domestic relationship” with Lehmeyer at the time of his death, was driving his car when she was stopped in Iowa.

“Faribault detectives have worked with the Iowa State Patrol to take custody of Lehmeyer’s vehicle and transported it to the Minnesota Department of Public Safety Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) in St. Paul for forensic processing,” according to the post.

“Faribault detectives have worked with the Rice County Attorney’s Office to issue a warrant for Bell’s arrest and extradition on a charge of Motor Vehicle Theft once her Iowa case is resolved. This remains an open and active case as we await forensic testing results and further investigation.”

(Red Oak, Iowa) – Officials with the Red Oak Police Department report the arrest Friday afternoon, of 25-year-old Justin Leroy Newman, from Red Oak. Newman was arrested around 4 p.m. in the 400 block of North 2nd Street. He was charged with Possession of a Controlled Substance/2nd offense, possession of drug paraphernalia. His bond at the Montgomery County Jail was set at $2,000.

(Radio Iowa) – The Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission today (Friday) chose Deputy Director Tina Eick (eye-k) to become the new administrator of the organization. Eick has been the interim administrator since Brian Ohorilko (Oh-reel-koh) left the position for a job in the private sector. Commission member, Amy Burkhardt, led the search subcommittee and says they had nine candidates and held three interviews.

Eick has worked for Racing and Gaming for seven years, and was the director of operations before becoming the deputy director.

She says Eick has developed strong relationships with existing staff and others within our industry.

Eick spoke after being unanimously elected to the position.

Eick takes over immediately, and her first Commission meeting as the administrator will be in March.