(Update: One deputy has been discharged from Mercy One – two more with gunshot wounds remain in the hospital. They are in stable condition as of this morning)

Officials with the Iowa Department of Criminal Investigation (DCI), early this (Friday) morning, provided details with regard to the shooting late Thursday night of two Guthrie County Sheriff’s Deputies, in Stuart. KCCI says Iowa DCI Special Agent Adam DeCamp reported that at around 10:40 p.m., three Guthrie County sheriff’s deputies and a Stuart police officer executed an arrest warrant at an apartment on 615 SW 7th St. in Stuart.

He said shots were fired around 10:43-p.m., Thursday. In all, four people were injured, including three Guthrie County sheriff’s deputies, and an occupant of the apartment. Authorities said all four people were transported to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. Of those injured, two deputies and the apartment occupant were shot. DeCamp said the scene was secured without further incident and that authorities were able to negotiate with a male inside the apartment, getting him to leave the apartment and surrender.

The names of those injured are not being released at this time. Contrary to earlier reports, authorities said a suspect has not been identified. Multiple law enforcement and EMS agencies responded to the scene Thursday night.

Police in Red Oak, late Thursday night, arrested 50-year old Brent Whitman Bass, of Essex, following a traffic stop at the intersection of 215th Street and Highway 48. Bass was taken into custody at around 11:15-p.m. for OWI/1st offense. He was transported to the Montgomery County Jail and held on a $1,000 bond.

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press at 3:40 a.m. CDT

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The Marine Corps has corrected the identify of another of the men who were photographed raising the American flag at Iwo Jima during World War II. The Marines said Thursday that after questions were raised by private historians who studied photos and films, it determined that Cpl. Harold P. Keller was among the six men who raised the flag. The Marines say Pfc. Rene Gagnon had helped in the effort but for decades was mistakenly identified by the Marines as one of the flag-raisers.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The Iowa Court of Appeals has set a date for arguments in a lawsuit that challenges a law giving the governor more power over the selection of supreme court and appeals court judges. Chief Judge Thomas Bower says in an order signed last week that the court will hear arguments on Nov. 6.

MANCHESTER, Iowa (AP) — A judge overseeing a trial to determine whether an eastern Iowa roadside zoo should be closed says she gagged on the ‘horrible stench” while touring the facility. The Telegraph Herald reports that Judge Monica Wittig shared her reaction with those in attendance on Wednesday, the first day of the state trial in Manchester regarding Cricket Hollow Animal Park. Four plaintiffs have sued to have the animals removed and the zoo closed.

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (AP) — A federal judge has ordered five home health care facilities in Iowa and South Dakota accused of filing fraudulent Medicare claims to pay more than $3.1 million. A complaint filed earlier this month in Cedar Rapid’s federal court accused Sergeant Bluff Healthcare and Elk Point Healthcare of filing Medicare claims for home health services billed by a third-party for services that did not qualify for Medicare coverage or were not justified or necessary.

Two Guthrie County Sheriff’s Deputies who were serving a search warrant at an apartment complex in Stuart, were shot Thursday night, but are expected to survive. A third was injured during the incident, that happened at around 10:45-p.m. All three were transported to Mercy Medical Center in Des Moines and were reported to be in stable condition. According to reports, one suspect was injured and arrested at around 12:10-a.m. today (Friday), a second suspect was also arrested and the scene cleared.

(Radio Iowa) — An Ames man who was found guilty in 1976 of murdering his two-year-old son has died of what officials at the state prison in Clarinda believe were natural causes.
A Story County jury convicted Thomas Earl Seehan of first-degree murder after an eight-day trial. Seehan, who was going through a divorce and seeking custody of his son, smothered the boy to death in December of 1975. The next day, he went to his wife’s workplace and held her hostage for several hours before surrendering. His attorney argued Seehan was insane at the time.

The prosecutor in the case was Ruth Harkin, who was the first woman to be elected as a county attorney in Iowa. Seehan unsuccessfully appealed his conviction. The Iowa Supreme Court and a federal appeals court rejected the argument the jury was inappropriately influenced by Harkin’s visible pregnancy when she spoke of Seehan’s dead son in court.

Seehan was sentenced to life in prison on the first-degree murder charge. He died at the age of 69, after more than 43 years in prison. An autopsy will be performed to confirm the cause of his death.

KJAN News has learned two officers were shot in Stuart late this (Thursday) evening. Multiple law enforcement agencies are on the scene or responding, along with EMS personnel. The incident began at around 10:45-p.m.

According to various reports, at least two suspects are reportedly barricaded in an apartment at the Summit Street Apartments, at 52 S.W. Seventh St. in Stuart. At least one of the suspects was armed, and one is said to have been injured.

Iowa State Patrol negotiators were enroute. Information is still very fluid at this time.

We’ll have more when available. Check back later.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — The latest survey of bankers in rural parts of 10 Plains and Western states showed an improved rural economy this month, but the ongoing trade disputes continue weighing on the economy. The Rural Mainstreet survey’s overall index climbed to 51.4 for October from 50.1 in September. Any score above 50 suggests a growing economy, while a score below 50 indicates a shrinking economy.

Creighton University economist Ernie Goss, who oversees the survey, says federal crop support payments and higher grain prices helped boost October’s index, but noted that nearly three-quarters of bankers “reported continuing negative impacts from the trade war.”

The confidence index, which reflects bankers’ economic expectations six months out, slumped to a dismal 36.5 from September’s already low 42.9. Bankers from Colorado, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wyoming were surveyed.

The Audubon County Sheriff’s Office report 31-year old Johnna Renee Pasquale, of Audubon, turned herself into the Sheriff’s Office today (Thursday). Pasquale was wanted on an outstanding warrant for 2 counts of a Sex Offender Registry Violation. She appeared before the Magistrate and was released.

Tuesday, 35-year old Brandon Michael Barringer, of Brayton, was arrested for Driving While Barred. His arrest was the result of a traffic stop at around 1-a.m., at the intersection of Highways 44 and 71. Barringer was booked into the Audubon County Jail and released after posting a $2,000 bond.

On Oct. 6th, 20-year old Cole Alexander Burdine, of Glidden, was charged with OWI/1st offense, following traffic stop that occurred at approximately 3:15-a.m. on that date.  Burdine was booked into the Audubon County Jail and held until he appeared in front of the Magistrate and was released later that morning.

And, on Oct. 4th, Audubon County Sheriff’s deputies arrested 46-year old LaJean Fajen-Webb, of Elk Horn, also for OWI/1st offense.  She was transported to the Audubon County Jail where she posted a $1,000 bond and was released.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The Iowa Court of Appeals has set a date for arguments in a lawsuit that challenges a law giving the governor more power over the selection of supreme court and appeals court judges.

Chief Judge Thomas Bower says in an order signed last week that the court will hear arguments on Nov. 6.
Lawyer Bob Rush, a former Democratic state senator who is one of the plaintiffs, asked that Gov. Kim Reynolds’ most recent appointment to the court, Judge Julie Schumacher, recuse herself because the validity of her appointment could be affected by the outcome.

Bower rejected the recusal request and a request for a full court hearing. He says he and four other judges will hear the case on an expedited basis. The lawsuit alleges the law is an unconstitutional infringement by the legislative branch of the judicial branch and violates a state law requiring bills to center on one topic and clearly state a purpose.

The Mills County Sheriff’s Office reports three people were arrested on drug charges Wednesday, as the result of a September narcotics investigation conducted by the Mills and Fremont County K9 Units. 39-year old Matthew Joseph Tyson, of Pacific Junction, 33-year old Shaw Aaron Peterson, and 36-year old Misty Bea Petterson, both of Glenwood, were taken into custody for Possession of a Controlled Substance with the Intent to Deliver.

All three subjects were transported to the Mills County Jail, and held on $10,000 bond each. Glenwood Police assisted with the arrests.