Clarinda Police Chief Keith Brothers reports a 14-year old male was arrested Tuesday. The unnamed teen was taken into custody for allegedly assaulting his mother. He’s been charged with assault causing bodily injury.

Brothers said also, a 12-year old male reported to authorities last Friday, that he had allegedly been assaulted by another 12-year old male. That incident, along with a reported incident of vandalism, remain under investigation. The vandalism report came today (Wednesday), from a woman who told authorities two tires on her vehicle had been slashed while it was parked in the 500 block of East Main Street, in Clarinda. The damage was estimated at nearly $180.

Shelby County Emergency Management officials say a bridge replacement project in Shelby County will require the closing of a portion of 22-hundredth (2200th) Street, beginning Monday. The bridge over an unnamed tributary of Moser Creek is in the 700th block of 2200th Street, west of County Road M-16 and east of 726 2200th Street. It is located between Union townships 18 and 19. Residents in the Earling area should pay special attention to the closing.

Work on the bridge deck replacement project that begins Monday, will continue for about 2 weeks. If you have questions regarding the bridge closure, contact the Shelby County Engineer’s Office at 712-755-5954.

Mills County Attorney Eric C. Hansen, Wednesday, released additional details about the arrest of a North Carolina man arrested on sexual abuse charges. As reported earlier, 64-year old John Robert Schondelmeyer faces charges that include two felony counts of Sex Abuse in the 2nd degree, and two felony counts of Lascivious Acts with a Child. Hansen says the charges were filed following an investigation by the Mills County Sheriff’s Office.

Schondelmeyer recently resided in Bellevue, NE., but he now has a residence in Fayetteville, NC. He’s accused of committing various sex acts with two girls, ages seven and eight, over a period of time. Some of the alleged incidents occurred in Mills County, others in different jurisdictions.

If convicted of the offenses, Schondelmeyer faces 25-years in prison on each of the Sexual Abuse in the 2nd degree charges (for a total of 50-years), with a mandatory 70-percent of the time to be served before he is eligible for parole. Lascivious acts with a child is punishable by up to 10-years in prison on each count.

Schondelmeyer, who was arrested Tuesday morning at the Sarpy County, NE., Jail,  was being held in the Mills County Jail on $70,000 bond. A preliminary hearing in the case is set for 10:30 a.m. on Nov. 1.

The Pottawattamie County Sheriff’s Office will be participating in a “Drug Take Back Day” on Saturday October 26, from 10-AM to 2-PM, at the Treynor Community Center. Citizens can drop off any legal or Illegal prescription or non-prescription drugs, with no questions asked. Authorities say nothing sharp (such as needles), pressurized inhaler canisters or thermometers, will be accepted.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Reser’s Fine Foods in Topeka, Kan., is recalling about 22,800 pounds of potentially bacteria-tainted chicken, ham and beef products. The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service announced Tuesday that the meat products may be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes. The meat was shipped to retailers and distributors in 27 states including Iowa, Nebraska, Missouri, Minnesota and Wisconsin. .

The USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service listed various “sell by” dates for the recalled products. There have been no reports of illness. Listeria monocytogenes can cause listeriosis, an uncommon and potentially fatal disease. Symptoms can include high fever and severe headache.

A shifting load of grain is blamed for an accident in Mills County Monday morning. The Sheriff’s Department says a 1987 Ford grain truck driven by Robert Valeika, of Pacific Junction, was rounding a curve as it was traveling east on Nims Road, when its load of corn shifted. The vehicle tipped over and came to rest on the passenger side. No injuries were reported. The accident happened at around 10:05-a.m., about four-miles southwest of Pacific Junction.

Sheriff’s officials in Mills County report a man from North Carolina was arrested Tuesday morning at the Sarpy County, NE., jail. 64-year old John Robert Schondelmeyer, of Fayetteville, NC, was taken into custody on a warrant charging him with two counts of Sexual Abuse in the 2nd degree and two counts of Lascivious Acts with a Child. Schondelmeyer’s bond was set at $70,000.

Western Iowans will have a chance to shape the future of Iowa’s conservation and outdoor recreation when the Resource Enhancement and Protection (REAP) assembly comes to the Council Bluffs Public Library on Oct. 29th. REAP is a program that provides grants for and encourages enhancing and protecting Iowa’s natural and cultural resources. Meetings are being held across the state.

The assembly will begin with an open house from 6 to 6:30 p.m., followed by the meeting from 6:30 to 8 p.m. where Iowans can to voice ideas for changes and modifications to REAP and its programs.

Participants at each assembly will elect five members to the REAP Congress that will meet at the State Capitol on Jan. 4th,  to discuss conservation topics such as soil conservation, water quality and outdoor recreation.

Next year is the 25th anniversary of REAP, so the meetings will reflect on REAP’s accomplishments and look to the future. REAP received $16 million for fiscal year 2014 (July 1, 2013 to June 2014). In addition to projects that enhance and protect resources, funding also goes to enhance soil and water quality, historic preservation, roadside vegetation and several other programs that are beneficial to Iowa. REAP has funded projects in every county in Iowa.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – An Iowa judge has ordered a Phoenix, Ariz., telemarketing company to never call Iowans again after the attorney general filed a consumer fraud lawsuit against the company.  Polk County Judge Douglas Staskal’s order against Advanced Employment Solutions entered Tuesday requires the company, its owner and general manager to permanently stop calling Iowans and to make refunds if requested.

The order covers telemarketing calls and charitable solicitations to Iowans. It resolves the lawsuit filed by Attorney General Tom Miller in September. Miller’s lawsuit alleges the company sold trash bags, kitchen items, Bibles, and American flags using callers falsely claiming to be handicapped veterans or disabled workers. Miller says undercover recordings revealed several illegal deceptive techniques aimed at older Iowans.

Numbers listed for the company were either not working or disconnected.

Cass County Engineer Charles Marker provided the County Board of Supervisors with an update on secondary road and bridge projects. He said some shoulder work was conducted by Henningsen Construction of Atlantic, on County Road M-56, where paving was recently completed. Shoulder work is still needed on the Lewis road to Highway 71. Both projects need centerline painting as well, before the work is finished.

Murphy Construction meanwhile, is conducting work on the Research Farm Road bridge crossing the Nishnabotna River. That project is nearly complete, but work has stalled. He says that’s because they’re waiting for a minority sub-contractor to finish the guardrails. Federal law requires the county to have a certain percentage of all projects issued to minority subcontractors, but they are already on other projects, and it’s not clear how soon they will be available.

Marker said also, Gus Construction of Casey is conducting box culvert work on Boston Road, just east of the “Valley.” And, the County road crews are keeping busy working on a bridge south of Highway 92 by Steinbeck Farms, near Griswold. Marker says a new beam was installed underneath the bridge. Steel deck work should be completed next week, followed by the adding of dirt and road rock and the re-opening of the bridge.