(Update 4:55)

An investigation into suspicious behavior early this morning in Cass County quickly evolved into a pursuit that ended with the vehicle in a ditch east of Wiota, and one person being taken into custody. Cass County Sheriff’s Deputy Ben Bartholomew told KJAN News he was passing an SUV while on routine patrol a little after 1-a.m., when he noticed the vehicle made a sudden turn onto a gravel road in the vicinity of 720th and Fairview Road, west of Anita.

When he attempted to catch up to vehicle, it sped-off, with the chase traversing down gravel and dirt roads. The vehicle, a 2002 Mitsubishi, eventually made its way onto 690th and turned west onto Whitepole Road (Highway 6) toward Wiota, with speeds approaching 85-90 miles per hour. The deputy used his Dodge Charger in a PIT (Precision Immobilization Technique) maneuver. The move caused the SUV to enter the south ditch off Whitepole Road, where it came to rest facing northeast. The chase ended at around 1:20-a.m.

The driver of the SUV, Denise Chamberlain, of Atlantic, was taken into custody on charges that include OWI/drugged, felony eluding and other, moving violations. A passenger in the vehicle was not charged. The Sheriff’s cruiser sustained damage to its right front quarter panel and left rear bumper/valance area. The rear damage was sustained when the car was on a dirt road and struck several deep ruts.

No injuries were reported.

(Photos by KJAN News Director Ric Hanson)

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The Iowa Legislature is on track to approve a bill this session that would add penalties for people accused of peeping on others. The House voted 97-0 Tuesday in support of the legislation, which would include new language and penalties in Iowa law regarding scenarios where a person may be caught secretly watching or recording another person in a private space.

The bill passed unanimously in the Senate, and new language added in the House means it will return to that chamber before it can reach Gov. Terry Branstad.

Firefighters from Atlantic were called to the scene of a tractor fire Tuesday evening, north of town. The tractor was burning near some anhydrous tanks when the call came in at around 5:58-p.m. from FSC, located at 54464 Olive Street.

Authorities say after FSC employees completed fueling the tractor that was hooked to an anhydrous tank, a worker started the tractor and began to pull away from the fuel tank when the fire started. Employees quickly disconnected the tractor from the tank before fire fighters arrived. Firefighters were quickly able to extinguish the blaze.

No injuries were reported.

(Photo’s courtesy Mike Kennon, Cass County Emergency Management Agency)

Police in Council Bluffs are on the lookout for two men who robbed the American National Bank at 2650 W. Broadway, this (Tuesday) morning. Officers were notified at around 11:37-a.m. According to witnesses inside the bank, the two men entered thru the front doors, wearing white masks, black hoodies, black pants, sunglasses and gloves. One of the men had a white short sleeved shirt over the black hoodie he was wearing.

One of the men who was dressed all in black, was armed with a black colored semi-automatic handgun and remained in the lobby area, while the man in the white short sleeved shirt jumped the counter and removed an undetermined amount of money from the cashier’s drawer. The witnesses could not determine the race of the suspects.

Once outside, the suspects left the area in a silver colored Chevrolet Cavalier, traveling northbound on North 26th Street. Within minutes, the suspect vehicle was found abandoned in the 2500 Block of Avenue A.

A check of the vehicle’s license plate indicated that the car had been stolen from the 7000 Block of No. 34th Street in Omaha, at 1:02 a.m. today (Tuesday). The Council Bluffs Police Department is working jointly with the Federal Bureau of Investigations to solve this crime. Anyone with information is encouraged to contact Crime Stoppers at (712) 328-STOP. Your tip could be eligible for a cash reward and you can remain anonymous.

The  Mills County Sheriff’s Office reports three people have been arrested on drug charges. 29-year old Chanda Lay Koehler, of Omaha, was arrested Monday night on Highway 34 for Theft in the 1st degree and Possession of a Prescription drug. Her bond was set at $11,000. Taken into custody early Tuesday morning, was 29-year old Jeremy Wayne Aumiller, of Harvard, NE., and 26-year old Cory Lee Allsman, of Hastings, NE. Both men were arrested following a traffic stop on Highway 34. Aumiller faces a Possession of Drug Paraphernalia charge. His bond was set at $300. Allsman was charged with Possession of a Controlled Substance. His bond was set at $1,000.

And, 45-year old Mark Lee Burk, of Albia, was arrested near Allis Road and Bunge Avenue, on a warrant out of Pottawattamie County, for Driving While Barred. He was being held without bond in the Mills County Jail.

Two women were critically injured during a head-on collision this (Tuesday) morning, in Council Bluffs. According to Council Bluffs Police, 59-year old Diane Nelson and 27-year old Heather Wilkinson, both of Council Bluffs, were transported to the Nebraska Medical Center following the crash that happened at around 9:25-a.m. on the Avenue G viaduct.

Authorities say a 2004 Acura being driven by Wilkinson crossed the center line and struck a 2008 Kia Van driven by Nelson. Wilkinson was trapped in her vehicle and had to be extricated by the Council Bluffs Fire Dept. No other injuries were reported.

The case was being investigated by the Council Bluffs Police Department Traffic Unit.

The Audubon County Sheriff’s Office reports two arrests took place over the past week. On Sunday, 26-year old Levi Alroy Kluver, of Gray, was arrested on a felony Domestic Abuse Assault, charge. His arrest followed an investigation into an incident that allegedly occurred at his residence earlier in the day, Sunday. Kluver was later released from the Audubon County Jail after appearing before a magistrate. His preliminary hearing was set for April 14th.

And, Friday night, 30-year old Kathryn Sue Benson, of Denison, was arrested for OWI/1st Offense, following a traffic stop on Highway 71 near Hamlin. Benson was also charged with Driving on the wrong side of the road, and failure to provide proof of vehicle registration. She was later released after posting a cash bond. Her preliminary appearance in court is set for April 14th.

The Iowa legislature has voted to require the state’s 99 county engineers to file annual reports explaining how state gas tax money is being used to repair or replace rural bridges. The move comes a year after the gas tax was raised a dime a gallon. Representative Mary Wolfe, a Democrat from Clinton, says it’s a good way to ensure accountability for the extra tax money.

“That is supposed to be used for fixing deficient bridges and other infrastructure repairs, so this will just, perhaps, give us all an opportunity to make sure that’s what’s happening,” Wolfe says. Representative Josh Byrnes, a Republican from Osage, was among the chief advocates for raising the gas tax to address problems with the state’s crumbling roads and bridges.

“We promised the people of Iowa that we’d be transparent,” Byrnes says. “…That’s exactly what this bill does.” County engineers will submit their reports to the Iowa Department of Transportation. Democratic Senator Matt McCoy of Des Moines says the D-O-T will compile the information and present it to legislators. “We’ll have a better understand of just what the state of our bridges are,” McCoy says.

The Road Information Program currently rates 22 percent of Iowa’s rural bridges as structurally deficient. Only two other states have a higher percentage of deficient bridges. The reports from county engineers about progress on addressing problem bridges would be required in each of the next three years if the governor signs the bill into law.

(Radio Iowa)

A program designed to help Iowans combat investment and insurance fraud is coming to three of the state’s largest metro areas. Iowa Insurance Commissioner Nick Gerhart is touting the Fraud Fighters program (www.iowafraudfighters.gov), noting that his office fields around 1,700 fraud inquiries and complaints each year.

“Last year, we had about $6.4 million reported in fraud complaints,” Gerhart said. There are probably many more people being swindled in Iowa, as Gerhart estimates only one-quarter of all fraud cases are actually reported. Many Iowans fall victim to investment scammers and some have lost their entire life savings, according to Gerhart. “When oil and gas are doing really well, we hear a lot of oil and gasoline (scams). When precious metals and gold are going up in value, we hear a lot of scams around that. During tax season, we hear about tax scams. And during open enrollment for health care, we hear about that kind of thing,” Gerhart said.

The Iowa Insurance Division has hosted 15 of the Iowa Fraud Fighter programs around the state, but the biggest one — in terms of attendance — is scheduled for tonight (Tuesday) in West Des Moines. Registration for tonight’s event closed last Friday. “But, we are doing another event in Bettendorf (on April 18) and we have another event in Sioux City (on May 24),” Gerhart said. “So, we have other opportunities across the state as well.”

All of the Iowa Fraud Fighters programs are free of charge, but do require reservations. Gerhart says the effort is funded partly from fines and settlements collected from scammers.

(Radio Iowa)