Audubon Police Chief Matt Starmer said Friday, a credit/debit card skimmer has been found at the Yesway Convenience Store in the City of Audubon.   The Audubon Police Department and the Yesway management are currently reviewing video footage to establish a timeline of when the skimmer was placed. The skimmer was used to copy credit/debit card information and then relay them to a different location.

The Audubon Police Department is asking that all persons who recently used a credit/debit card at the Yesway gas pumps in Audubon to monitor their account for any fraudulent activity. If any suspicious activity is found, please contact your financial institution and the Audubon Police Department at 712-563-2500.

A Judge in Council Bluffs, Thursday, sentenced a man to a little more than 11 years in prison on a drug charge. 33-year old Ramon Cisneros Aguilera, a Mexican citizen living in Council Bluffs, was sentenced by United States District Court Judge Rebecca Goodgame Ebinger to 135 months in prison for possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine. United States Attorney Kevin E. VanderSchel said also, Aguilera will be required to serve a three-year term of supervised release following his release from prison.

On November 29, 2016, Aguilera pleaded guilty to the distribution charge and admitted he possessed over one kilogram of methamphetamine with the intent to distribute in the Southern District of Iowa in August of 2016. The charge was the result of a law enforcement investigation of drug trafficking that occurred in both Sioux City and Council Bluffs.

The investigation was conducted by the Southwest Iowa Narcotics Enforcement Task Force, the Sioux City Police Department, the Council Bluffs Police Department, the Omaha Police Department, the Pottawattamie County Sheriff’s Office, and the United States Drug Enforcement Administration. The case was prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa.

Police in Council Bluffs have arrested a man they say was connected to a Thursday car jacking incident. 31-year old Lloyd Robert Torske, of Council Bluffs, was being held Friday at the Pottawattamie County Jail, on charges of Robbery 2nd Degree, Theft 2nd Degree and Theft 5th Degree.

Authorities say at approximately 6:26 a.m., Thursday, officers responded to South 8th Street & 1st Avenue for a reported carjacking. Upon arrival officers spoke with the victim, Gaylinn Finken, a cab driver for Casino Cab, who told officers that he picked up a male subject (Torske) at another location and gave him a ride to 8th Street & 1st Avenue.

When they arrived at the passenger’s destination, Torske refused to pay the fare and became agitated. Eventually, Finken opened the passenger door in hopes that the Torske would just get out of the cab. As the passenger got out cab he shoved Finken away from the cab and jumped in the driver’s seat. Torske fled the area in the cab, which was later found abandoned in the area of South 9th Street & 2nd Avenue.

A Judge in Pottawattamie County, Thursday, sentenced a Nebraska man to slightly more than 13-years in prison on an Iowa drug charge. 42-year old Gerald N. Holden,  of Bellevue, Nebraska, was sentenced by United States District Court Judge Rebecca Goodgame Ebinger to 160 months in prison for conspiring to distribute methamphetamine. U-S Attorney Kevin E. VanderSchel said also, that Holden will be required to serve a five-year term of supervised release following his release from prison.

On November 29, 2016, Holden pleaded guilty to the charge and admitted he participated in a conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine in the Southern District of Iowa during the month of August 2016. Holden’s charge was the result of a law enforcement investigation of drug trafficking that occurred in both Omaha, Nebraska, and Council Bluffs, Iowa.

The investigation was conducted by the Southwest Iowa Narcotics Enforcement Task Force, the Omaha Police Department, the Council Bluffs Police Department, and the Pottawattamie County Sheriff’s Office. The case was prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa.

The Cass County Sheriff’s Office is reporting numerous recent arrests. On Tuesday, 34-year old Albert Roy Dinwiddie, of Ankeny, was arrested on an Atlantic PD warrant for False Report to Public Entity. Dinwiddie was taken to the Cass County Jail where he was released later that day on his own recognizance.

As the result of a traffic stop on Thursday, Cass County Deputies arrested 35-year old Tracy Louise Porter, of Wiota, on charges of: Possession of Methamphetamine 1st Offense; Possession of Marijuana/2nd Offense and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia. 34-year old Terence Chevy Magill, of Red Oak, was arrested at the same time for Possession of Methamphetamine/1st Offense; Possession of Marijuana/1st Offense  and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia. Both subjects were taken to the Cass County Jail where Magill remains held on $2,300 bond and Porter remains held on $3,300 bond.

Also arrested Thursday, following the execution of a search warrant at 504 Pine Street,  was: 28-year old Joshua James Dyer, of Atlantic, on felony charges of Possession of Meth with Intent to Deliver (more than 5 grams), Possession of Marijuana with Intent to Deliver, and Sponsoring a Gathering where Methamphetamine was Used. Dyer was also charged with Child Endangerment, Prohibited Acts (Aggravated), and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia (Simple); 22-year old Samantha Kim Jensen,  of Atlantic, was arrested on charges of Child Endangerment, Prohibited Acts, Possession of Marijuana 1st Offense, and Sponsoring a Gathering where Marijuana was Used; 21-year old Tyler Ray Osborn,of Walnut, was also arrested after the search warrant was executed. Osborn was charged with Possession of Methamphetamine 2nd Offense, Child Endangerment, Sponsoring Gathering where Marijuana was Used, and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia (Simple); 21-year old Anthony Ray Ward, Jr., of Atlantic, was arrested for Sponsoring a Gathering where Marijuana was Used; and 25-year old Mark Allen Fredericksen, of Atlantic, was arrested on a charge of Sponsoring a Gathering where Marijuana was Used. All subjects were taken to the Cass County Jail. Dyer remains held on $64,300 bond; Jensen remains held on $6,000 bond; and Osborn remains held on $5,300 bond. Ward and Fredericksen were released the following day on their own recognizances.

The Cass County Sheriff’s Office was assisted by the Atlantic Police Department and the Iowa Department of Human Services.

(12-p.m. News)

The Iowa Board of Corrections today (Friday) approved Corrections Director Jerry Bartruff’s recommendation for the appointment of Randy Gibbs as Warden of the Clarinda Correctional Facility, effective April 21, 2017. Warden Gibbs is currently Assistant Deputy Director of Institution Operations. The appointment was necessary in order to fill the vacancy created when Sheryl Dahm was appointed Warden of the Iowa Correctional Institution for Women.

The IA DOC says Gibbs has extensive administrative corrections experience with proven leadership in the management, supervision and treatment of adult offenders. Warden Gibbs will continue to focus on the Department’s Mission: Creating Opportunities for Safer Communities.

The Iowa Department of Corrections (IDOC) is responsible for nine institutions housing approximately 8,200 individuals, and the accreditation and funding of eight district departments of correctional services that supervise about 30,800 people in the community on any given day.

With severe weather season upon us, more schools across the state are using federal grants to create safe rooms where children can take shelter during dangerous storms. Mark Schouten directs the Iowa Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management. He says when Iowa receives disaster assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency or FEMA, it includes bonus funds to prevent damage and loss of life from future storms.

“Whatever the amount is, an additional 20 percent is paid to the state to be use for mitigation purposes,” Scouten says. “We have used a lot of that money for saferoom creation throughout the state.”

Since 1992, FEMA has paid for 72 safe room projects across Iowa, including 42 million dollars for schools. Twenty more schools are waiting in line for FEMA grants for projects worth another 31 million dollars. “We have stacked projects right now waiting for more hazard mitigation dollars and a number of schools are seeking to do just that: add safe rooms to their facilities,” Scouten says.

Interest in “safe room” shelters grew after a 2013 tornado hit an elementary school in Moore, Oklahoma — killing seven children.

(Radio Iowa)

A Pottawattamie County Sheriff’s Deputy on routine patrol Thursday night, stopped a vehicle for having a headlight out, and ended-up arrested the driver. 25-year old Mallory Paige Rock, of Oakland, was arrested for OWI/1st offense and brought to the Pott. County Jail.

Officials with the Iowa Dept. of Natural Resources are asking for your help in tracking down the activities of a man whose body was found in the lake at Lake Anita State Park, Thursday. Capt. Brian Smith with the DNR says 63-year old Roland “Rollie” Henderson, of Wiota, died from an apparent drowning during an accident involving a kayak, but it’s not clear when the man died.

He says that’s because there’s confusion as to when he actually entered the water.

(Smith says some witnesses saw him with the kayak Wednesday evening, but he wasn’t in the water at that time. He says it’s possible the man went into the lake Wednesday evening or earlier that afternoon.)

Anyone who might have seen Henderson enter the water is asked to call Brian Hayes at 712-254-0550.  The man’s overturned kayak was discovered by a passer by who reported it to the Park Manager at around 3-p.m., Thursday. Not longer afterward, Park Manager Josh Peach found the Kayak’s paddle. A little further down the shoreline, authorities discovered Henderson’s body.

An autopsy will be performed at the Iowa Office of the State Medical Examiner in Ankeny. Investigators did not find a personal floatation device at the scene.
DNR law enforcement will continue to investigate. Brian Smith says that Henderson’s death at Lake Anita was the first he’s heard of since the Lake opened 52-years ago.  He says outdoor enthusiasts need to take the proper precautions when they’re around large bodies of water.

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

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