The mother of a missing Iowa college student is pleading for anyone who may have abducted her daughter to let her go and claim a fast-growing pot of reward money. Laura Calderwood said Thursday that she believes her daughter, 20-year-old Mollie Tibbetts, is alive and may have been kidnapped. She said that it’s the family’s greatest hope that whoever may have Tibbetts lets her go and claims the “money we have raised for her freedom.” Tibbetts hasn’t been seen since July 18, when she went for a run in her small hometown of Brooklyn, Iowa. Investigators have reached no conclusions about why she has disappeared.

Calderwood announced at a news conference that $172,000 and counting had been raised for a new “Bring Mollie Tibbetts Home Safe” reward fund. She said the money would be paid to anyone who provides information to Crime Stoppers of Central Iowa that leads to Tibbetts’ safety. Crime Stoppers is promising to protect the anonymity of tipsters.

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (AP) — A Cedar Rapids man has been accused of producing child pornography and threatening to distribute the depictions. Federal court records say 34-year-old John Hunt has pleaded not guilty to one count of sexual exploitation of a child and one of extortion and four counts of child pornography possession. He’s scheduled to begin trial Oct. 1.

The federal indictment says that, between 2015 and 2017, Hunt produced sexual depictions of a child, possessed the porn on four different devices and sent communications containing threats to distribute the sexually explicit depictions. He remains in custody.

Page County Sheriff Lyle Palmer reports a man was arrested on a warrant for a drug offense, Tuesday. 41-year old Jasen Lee Bebout, of Bedford, was served with a warrant for Possession of Contraband in a Correctional Facility, while he was being held in the Page County Jail. The cash-only bond on the warrant is $10,000. Bebout is also being held on a previous charge of Controlled Substance Violations – Methamphetamine. Bond on the latter charge is $50,000.

On July 27th, Page County Sheriff’s Deputies arrested 33-year old Kyle William Chase, of Red Oak, on a Page County Warrant for Probation Violation. Chase was being held in the Buchanan County Jail in St. Joseph, MO on other charges at the time. He was transported to the Page County Jail where he is currently being held on $10,000 bond. That same day, 31-year old Roy Cordell Smith, of Westboro, MO., was arrested for Interference with Official Acts during a vehicle stop for a minor traffic violation, east of Coin. Smith was transported to the Page County Jail and later release on a $300 bond, pending further court proceedings.

WATERLOO, Iowa (AP) — More than 200 people filled an amphitheater in Waterloo to draw attention to missing persons cases and demand justice for the slain. The Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier reports that Wednesday’s vigil was organized by the Family and Children’s Council of Black Hawk County. It aimed to bring awareness to missing and unsolved crimes involving young people.

Heather Collins is the mother of 8-year-old Elizabeth Collins, who disappeared with her cousin Lyric Cook Morrissey in July 2012. The girls were later found dead. Collins says she’s alarmed by the number of youths reported missing.

To assist with the growing number, Democratic Sen. Jeff Danielson spoke about pursuing a state Amber Alert-type system that could provide immediate notification through social media and other channels. He says the system wouldn’t have the same rigid criteria required for an Amber Alert.

KEARNEY, Mo. (AP) — Investigators say they have concluded that a woman spotted in northwest Missouri was not a missing Iowa college student. Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation special agent Mike Krapfl confirmed Thursday (today),  that the reported sighting of Mollie Tibbetts wasn’t substantiated and has been ruled out by investigators.

Police in Kearney, Missouri, said an employee at a truck stop reported Sunday that she saw someone resembling Tibbetts eating at a Taco Bell. Kearney is about 25 miles northeast of Kansas City.

The Kearney Police Department said in a statement that it spoke to witnesses and reviewed video footage before forwarding a report to a task force investigating Tibbetts’ disappearance. Tibbetts, a 20-year-old University of Iowa student, hasn’t been seen since July 18 .

FOREST CITY, Iowa (AP) — A Winnebago Industries spokesman has confirmed cutbacks at the company’s northern Iowa plant in Forest City. Chad Reece said Thursday that fewer than 35 people were dismissed at the end of July. He wouldn’t provide a more precise number but did say the cutbacks were permanent. He says the company constantly refines its staffing to meet production demands and future business needs.
He says Winnebago employs 2,600 to 2,700 people at the plant, which is more than half of the company’s total workforce. The company makes motor homes and other outdoor products.

Sheriff’s officials in Pottawattamie County report an inmate at the Pott. County Jail, 29-year old Caleb Cameron Perry, of Council Bluffs, faces a charge of possessing contraband, after Corrections Staff found two crystal-like rocks in his property. The substance later tested positive for methamphetamine. Perry was also served with a warrant for Violation of Probation, before being returned to his cell. And, 42-year old Christopher Michael Barnes, of Council Bluffs, was served with a warrant Wednesday, for Violation of Probation. Barnes was being held in the jail on four original counts of Failure to Appear in court.

The Mills County Sheriff’s Office reports 35-year old Andrew James Arrick, and 25-year old Shelby Lynn Reni Fichter, both of Glenwood, were arrested Wednesday afternoon, on burglary and theft charges. They were taken into custody at around 3:45-p.m. on Gingry Lane, for Burglary in the 3rd and Theft in the 3rd degrees. Bonds for both suspects was set at $7,000.

Clarinda Police Chief Keith Brothers reports there have been some developments in the investigation surrounding the two students who absconded from the Clarinda Academy on the afternoon of Friday, July 27th. Brothers say Wednesday evening, August 1st, officers received a report that a Red 1992 Chevrolet K3500 pick-up truck had been stolen from an address in the 1300 block of N. 12th St. The owner of the vehicle had last observed the vehicle at around 10:00 a.m. on Friday, July 27th and noticed the truck missing on the afternoon of August 1st.

Officers learned that the truck had been observed in Minneapolis, Minnesota which is the home of one of the Clarinda Academy students. Officers are working with the Minneapolis Police Department to locate the students. The truck was recovered this (Thursday) morning by the Richfield, MN Police.  The incident remains under investigation.

More State and area news from KJAN News Director Ric Hanson.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (6.4MB)

Subscribe: RSS