A western Iowa man wanted in connection with the Dec. 10th robbery of the Frontier Savings Bank in Council Bluffs, was arrested late Wednesday afternoon by Police in Lincoln, NE.  46-year old Dwight Rogers, of Council Bluffs, was arrested without incident on a Council Bluffs Police Department warrant for Robbery in the 1st  Degree. Rogers was being held at the Lincoln Police Department’s Jail, pending extradition back to Iowa.

Dwight E. Rogers

Rogers is alleged to have entered the bank located at 509 S. 23rd Avenue in Council Bluffs, at around 4:40-p.m on Dec. 10th.  As he approached the female bank teller Rogers asked “Are you all ready for Christmas”? At that point, he allegedly handed the teller a hand written note which demanded all of their money, and said not to set off any alarms. Rogers also produced what appeared to be a small caliber handgun and laid the weapon down with his right hand on the counter towards the teller.

He escaped on foot from the bank carrying a drawstring-type bag with an undetermined amount of U.S. currency.

The Glenwood Police Department reports two, recent arrests. On Tuesday, officers arrested 55-year old Michael Harrod, of Glenwood, for operating a vehicle without the owners’ consent. And, on Saturday, Glenwood Police arrested 25-year old Kathy Beery, of Council Bluffs for Driving While Barred. Bonds for both individuals was set at $2,000.

A woman from Pottawattamie County was sentenced Tuesday, to six years in prison on forgery and drug charges. The Daily NonPareil says 43-year old Melanie Walker, of Council Bluffs, was sentenced on two counts of forgery and one misdemeanor count of methamphetamine possession. The judge sentenced Walker to five years in prison on both forgery counts and ran the sentences concurrently, meaning Walker can serve both at the same time. He also sentenced Walker to one year in prison on the drug charge.

That sentence will be served after Walker finishes her five-year sentences for writing bad checks. Assistant Pottawattamie County Attorney Shelly Sudmann said that property crimes don’t typically lead to lengthy prison terms, but Walker’s age and her lengthy criminal history led to the state recommended sentence of 11 years in prison.
Sudmann said Walker has had 11 convictions of fraud or forgery since 1994.

The judge went with six years instead of the 11, but did call Walker’s criminal history “atrocious.” Walker was arrested in February and released after posting $25,000 bond in March. She pleaded guilty to the three counts on Sept. 2, 2015. Her sentencing hearing was continued twice.

COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa (AP) – A 29-year-old man already serving time in a Nebraska prison has been given 10 years in an Iowa prison for a similar crime. Rocky Ontiveros, who court records say lived in Bellevue, Nebraska, on Tuesday was sentenced in Pottawattamie County District Court in Council Bluffs. The Daily Nonpareil reports that Ontiveros pleaded guilty to felony sexual abuse after prosecutors lowered the charge.

Iowa court documents say Ontiveros sexually abused two minors from Nov. 1, 2013, to Sept. 19, 2014. Prosecutors dismissed one of two counts because the child involved remained in therapy and was in no position to testify. In August Ontiveros was sentenced to 30 to 40 years in a Nebraska prison. He’d pleaded guilty to sexual assault of a minor in Nebraska’s Douglas County.

In an update to our earlier reports, the Iowa State Patrol said Wednesday no injuries occurred when a semi hauling tandem trailers, overturned on westbound Interstate 80, north of Atlantic. The accident happened at around 7-a.m., just west of the Exit 57 overpass.

Westbound traffic was re-routed for more than an hour off I-80 at the exit ramp to County Road N-16/Olive Street, across the highway and back down the ramp to I-80. The actual interstate was blocked for more than 90-minutes.

According to the Patrol, the semi was traveling in the right lane when it went out of control due to the icy conditions. The rig went off to the left, into the median. The rearmost trailer overturned as the tractor re-entered I-80 westbound, and came to rest, blocking both lanes of traffic.

The name of the driver and other information was not immediately available.

The Cass County Board of Supervisors will hold their regular weekly meeting…the final such meeting of 2015, Thursday, at the courthouse, in Atlantic. Their session begins at 8:30.

During the meeting, the Board will act on approving the proposed voluntary annexation of 56988 635th St. by the city of Atlantic. They’ll also act on a Resolution of Support for the U.S. Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS).

During their meeting last week, the Board heard from John and Brad Hartkopf with the Renewable Energy Group, LLC, who asked for county support to protect the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS), and who provided information on why the Standard is important to the people of Iowa. Their reasons included: in Iowa renewable energy has created 73,000 jobs and $5 billion in wages, and it has a positive impact on the rural economy. The RFS they said, ensures that the produced renewable fuels, such as ethanol and biodiesel, have access to the motor fuel marketplace.

Authorities report (as of 8:45-a.m.), both lanes of Interstate 80 westbound just past the Olive Street exit to Atlantic (Exit 57), are now open. The road was blocked for more than 2-hours following an accident involving an over-turned semi.

More area, and State news, w/KJAN News Director Ric Hanson.

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The Cass County Sheriff’s Office says no injuries were reported following an accident Tuesday afternoon, south of Atlantic. The collision between an SUV and a van happened at around 1:45-p.m. at the intersection of Highways 71 and 92.

Officials say a 2005 Jeep Grand Cherokee owned and driven by 33-year old Kyle John Franson,  of Grant, was northbound on Highway 71 when it was struck by a 2007 Ford Econoline van driven by 43-year old Patrick M. Flynn, of Omaha. The accident happened  when Flynn attempted a left turn onto Highway 71 from Highway 92, and failed to see Franson’s vehicle. Flynn was cited for Failure to Yield at a Stop Sign.

Damage from the crash amounted to $14,000.

MAPLETON, Iowa (AP) – Mapleton’s five churches have joined to maintain an emergency house that’s available to anyone who needs shelter. It sits near St. John’s Methodist Church, which bought the property and planned to raze the house so more parking spaces could be provided. But the pastor at the time and congregation had a change of heart and sought a higher purpose for the two-bedroom structure.

The current pastor, Jena Manchester, told the Sioux City Journal that “the former minister said, ‘There’s too much life left in it. Let’s use it until it falls down.”‘ It was dubbed God’s Little House and has provided free shelter for people since 2008. Members of Mapleton’s five churches work summers in the concession stand at the city’s ballfields for money to maintain the house.