A Pottawattamie County man faces Theft and other charges after the vehicle he was driving hit and became hung-up on a large rock. The Mills County Sheriff’s Office says 30-year old Michael Hollinger, of Council Blufffs, was arrested at around 8:40-a.m. Sunday, after the 2011 Hyundai he was driving went off a drive way at a residence on 221st Street, went onto the grass and hit a large rock. The car became high-centered on the rock and came to rest in a road ditch, still on the rock.

Hollinger was arrested by Glenwood Police on charges of OWI/2nd offense and Driving Under Suspension. He was later charged with Theft in the 2nd Degree, as the owner of the car had reported the vehicle as stolen. His bond was initially set at $12,300. No injuries were reported.

The Mills County Sheriff’s Office today (Monday) issued a report on recent arrests. Authorities say 40-year old Ryan Daniel McMullen, of Silver City, was arrested this (Monday) morning at the Mills County Sheriff’s Office, on a warrant for Conspiracy, and Theft in the 1st Degree. His bond was set at $15,000.

Sunday night, Mills County deputies arrested 28-year old Robert Edward Reafling, and 28-year old Sarah Kay Reafling, both of Henderson, on charges of Domestic Abuse Assault. The couple was being held without bond in the Mills County Jail.

Saturday evening, 25-year old Tyler Eldon Buckner, of Hastings, was arrested on warrants for Theft in the 1st Degree, and Conspiracy. He was being held in the Mills County Jail on $15,000 bond.

And, last Friday evening, 48-year old Orrie Lee Gordon, of Malvern, was arrested on charges that include OWI/1st offense, and Driving Under Suspension. His bond was set at $1,300.

No serious injuries were reported following a single-vehicle rollover accident Saturday night in Audubon County. The Sheriff’s Office reports a 1996 Oldsmobole Cutlass driven by 16-year old Sydney Jo Obermeier, of Audubon, was traveling south on Jay Avenue at around 11:30-p.m., when she lost control of the car near 180th Street, about a mile northeast of Audubon.

The car entered the east ditch and rolled at least once before coming to rest. Obermeier and her passenger, 16-year old Claire Elizabeth Olsen, of Audubon, both refused medical treatment at the scene. Obermeirer was charged with Failure to Maintain Control.

A teenager from Shelby County was injured during an accident Friday afternoon, in Audubon County. The Sheriff’s Office reports 17-year old Olivia Elaine Robinson, of Harlan, was transported from the scene at Highways 71 and 44 in Hamlin, to the Audubon County Hospital by Audubon Fire and Rescue. Two other people involved in the crash refused medical treatment at the scene.

The accident happened when Robinson, who was traveling west on Highway 44, stopped at the intersection. As she pulled away from the stop sign after waiting for traffic to pass and a semi-truck from the west to leave the stop sign, she continued through the intersection. Her 2010 Chevy Malibu was hit on the right rear side by a southbound 2008 Pontiac Grand Prix, driven by 30-year old Megan Marie Bonney, of Dedham.

The impact caused Robinson’s vehicle to be thrown into the path of an eastbound 2008 Saturn Aura driven by 56-year old Dianna Gail Morrow, of Audubon. The Malibu hit the Saturn on the left front corner. Robinson’s car hit the Saturn on the left rear side, flipped, and came to rest on the driver’s side. Damage from the crash amounted to $45,000. The accident remains under investigation, with charges currently pending.

A man from Cass County was arrested this (Monday) morning on drug and other charges, following a traffic stop in Exira. The Audubon County Sheriff’s Office says 26-year old Justin Lee Cooley, of Atlantic, was taken into custody at around 1-a.m. on charges that include Theft, OWI/1st offense, Interference with Official Acts, Possession of Marijuana/3rd offense, 4 counts of Possession of Drug Paraphernalia, and Failure to have a valid license.

Cooley was being held in the Audubon County Jail, pending a court appearance. The incident remains under investigation. Audubon County deputies were assisted during their investigation by officers with the Audubon Police Department.

(Updates to show possible motive for the murder)

Two men from Kansas have been arrested in connection with an Adams County homicide. The Iowa Department of Public Safety reports on Friday June 26th, Agents from the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation traveled to Hiawatha, Kansas, to interview witnesses and persons of interest in the Allen Pafford homicide investigation.

James Bost

Jon Rubendall

Iowa DCI Agents, along with the assistance of the Kansas Bureau of Investigation and the Hiawatha Kansas Police Department, arrested 41-year old Jon Rubendall, and 38-year old James Bost, both currently residing in Hiawatha, Kansas. Both men face a charge of 1st degree murder in connection with the death of 44-year old Allen Pafford.  Pafford’s body was found by his mother on June 20th.

A cash bond of $1,000,000.00 has been set for each defendant.

The investigation is on-going.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) – Federal regulators are investigating the failure of a part at the Fort Calhoun nuclear power plant during this spring’s maintenance outage. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission said Monday that it had launched a special inspection at the plant that sits along the Missouri River about 20 miles north of Omaha.

The NRC says workers discovered the problem earlier this month after replacing a seal in a valve that controls cooling water flow into one of the plant’s steam generators. The valve wouldn’t open because the new seal material couldn’t handle the high operating temperatures. The seal was replaced a second time to resolve the problem, but regulators want to better understand how it happened and whether workers’ response was adequate.

Fort Calhoun is owned by the Omaha Public Power District utility.

COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa (AP) – Officials with a Union Pacific Railroad Museum in Council Bluffs say they soon expect to reach a milestone in the number of its visitors.
Museum and collections manager Patricia LaBounty told the Daily Nonpareil on Friday that the museum was more than 450 people away from reaching its 300,000th visitor mark. She says that several big tours are scheduled for Tuesday.
The 300,000th visitor to the museum will receive several items, including a one-year Patron Membership worth $100.

The museum formally opened in May 2003. Visitors can explore a collection of artifacts, photographs and documents from the construction of the Transcontinental Railroad and settlement of the West. LaBounty said the museum saw its attendance dip in 2011, but has since seen an increase in the number of visitors.

A vehicle pursuit shortly after 9-a.m. today (Monday) in Shelby County, ended with an accident near the intersection Quince and Nishna Avenues. According to scanner traffic, two young men took off on foot from the vehicle, following the crash. They have since been apprehended.

The Shelby County Sheriff’s Office, K-9 Jax, Harlan Police Department, Iowa State Patrol and Audubon Sheriff’s Department, Harlan Fire Department and Kirkman Fire Department were called to the scene to assist. No other information is available at this time.

A dedication ceremony was held Saturday afternoon in Lewis, for the Cass County Freedom Rock.

Cass County Freedom Rock site in Lewis. (Image from the Cass County Freedom Rock Facebook page)

The 15,000-pound, eight-foot tall, nearly 5-foot wide boulder painted by Greenfield artist Ray “Bubba” Sorensen II, sits on a concrete pad on the northeast corner of the Lewis City Park. It was set in place in November 2013, with the painting have been completed by Sorensen earlier this year.

The Cass County Freedom Rock features images unique to Cass County, including Major Belle Macomber Reynolds, who traveled with her husband during the Civil War, attending to wounded and dying soldiers. She later became a doctor, worked for the Red Cross and early in her career, was the first professionally trained teacher in Cass County. Another image on the rock is the 23rd Regiment, Iowa Volunteers, Company I, which was comprised mostly of men from Cass County during the Civil War. The final image is that of the Hitchcock House, which served as a station on the Underground Railroad and is on the National Register of Historic Places as well as a National Landmark.

Sorensen said the Hitchcock House provided him with the inspiration for his Civil War-inspired painting. Sorensen said the setting for the Cass County rock is among the most unique he’s seen in Counties where he has worked on other Freedom Rock projects. That’s because the cement slab the rock sits on is in the shape of the State of Iowa, and there are paving bricks honoring veterans.

Sorensen gained fame and attention for his work, when he created the first Freedom Rock north of Greenfield, in Adair County, more than 17-years ago. He’s painted the original, 12-foot tall, nearly 60-ton boulder each year before Memorial Day, as a tribute to military men and women.

He’s on his third Freedom Rock Tour, painting and dedicating boulders commissioned by local and County officials across Iowa. For a list of complete counties booked for the Tour and locations of already existing Freedom Rocks, visit www.thefreedomrock.com.