COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa (AP) — A man accused of a Council Bluffs homicide has taken a plea deal. Pottawattamie County court records say 44-year-old Michael Thacker pleaded guilty Tuesday to willful injury and attempted murder and was sentenced to 45 years in prison. He’d previously pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder. Jury selection for his trial was scheduled to begin Tuesday.

Police say Thacker and Cleo McClellan were involved in the Nov. 28 slaying of 34-year-old David Simpson, whose body was found Dec. 11. He’d died of blunt force trauma. Police say all three men were homeless at the time.

McClellan pleaded guilty to being an accessory and was sentenced.

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

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DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — No winning lottery ticket was sold for the latest Mega Millions drawing, meaning the estimated jackpot climbs to $868 million. Mega Millions officials say no tickets matched all six numbers to claim the estimated $667 million prize Tuesday night. The numbers were 3, 45, 49, 61, 69 and Mega Ball 9. The next drawing will be Friday. The estimated jackpot for that drawing would be the second-largest lottery prize in U.S. history.

The largest lottery jackpot was a $1.6 billion Powerball prize won in January 2016. The jackpot has been growing since July, when some California office workers won $543 million. The odds of winning the jackpot aren’t good. The chance of matching all six numbers is one in 302.5 million. Mega Millions is played in 44 states, Washington, D.C., and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Creston Police report a woman told authorities late Tuesday morning, that sometime in the last few days, her wallet was taken out of her vehicle while it was parked at either her residence, or at McDonalds in Creston. The wallet contained cash, personal identification cards and other miscellaneous cards. The loss was estimated at $85.

The area’s latest and/or top news stories at 7:06-a.m. From KJAN News Director Ric Hanson.

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ALTOONA, Iowa (AP) — A grand jury has decided not to indict a Polk County sheriff’s deputy who fatally shot a driver after a chase that ended in Altoona. The Des Moines Register reports that the jury heard evidence last week about the July 17 chase. Investigators have said Deputy Ryan Phillips pulled over 25-year-old Isaiah Hayes, of Ashland, Wisconsin, just east of Altoona but that Hayes soon sped off. He stopped a few minutes later, and deputies reported that he appeared to have a weapon in one of his hands when he got out of the car. Officials say that’s when Phillips shot him.

Sheriff’s Lt. Rich Blaylock says he can’t answer the question of whether Hayes had a weapon until an internal sheriff’s investigation is finished. Phillips has eight years of service with the Polk County Sheriff’s Office.

The Taylor County Sheriff’s Office reports 33-year old Tashina Martwick, of Creston, turned herself into sheriff’s office Tuesday. Martwick was wanted on an outstanding warrant for controlled substance violation, possession of a controlled substance, and carrying weapons. She was being held in the Taylor County Jail on a $10,000 bond. The charges stem from a high speed pursuit that occurred near Lenox, late last month.

The Iowa Department of Natural Resources reports that on Sunday (Oct. 14th), the DNR was notified of a single-person hunting incident on Barringer Slough in Clay County, Iowa.  A 22-year-old man from Spencer was waterfowl hunting and suffered minor injuries to his hand from his firearm.  The man was later treated at a local medical facility and released.  The incident remains under investigation.

FOREST CITY, Iowa (AP) _ Winnebago Industries Inc. (WGO) today (Wednesday), reported fiscal fourth-quarter profit of $29.8 million. The Forest City, Iowa-based company said it had net income of 94 cents per share. The results surpassed Wall Street expectations. The average estimate of three analysts surveyed by Zacks Investment Research was for earnings of 86 cents per share. The recreational vehicle maker posted revenue of $536.2 million in the period.

For the year, the company reported profit of $102.4 million, or $3.22 per share. Revenue was reported as $2.02 billion. Winnebago shares have dropped 43 percent since the beginning of the year. The stock has decreased 28 percent in the last 12 months.

ALTOONA, Iowa (AP) — A man has been accused of taking prescription pills seized during criminal investigations when he was working as an Altoona police detective. Polk County court records say 39-year-old Joshua Copeland is charged with two counts of felonious misconduct in office, two counts of forgery and one count of possession of a controlled substance. The records don’t list the name of an attorney who could comment for him.

The Des Moines Register reports that Copeland resigned in April from the Altoona force to avoid termination. Authorities say Copeland switched pills seized during criminal investigations in 2017 and replaced them with over-the-counter medications. The pills were kept in temporary evidence lockers.

Authorities also say a small amount of methamphetamine was found in his squad car. The records say Copeland later tested positive for meth.