The Audubon County Sheriff’s Office is investigating a theft that occurred in the 1800 block of Bluebird Avenue. Officials said today (Monday), that the theft occurred in July. A trailer, welder, scrap metal and numerous tools were taken. The value of the property is over $12,000.00.

Anyone with any information about this incident or may have seen any suspicious activity in this area is urged to contact the Audubon County Sheriff’s Office at 712-563-2631 or Audubon County Crimestopper’s at 712-563-2234. A reward is being offered.

Sept. 11, 2017—The Better Business Bureau (BBB) serving Nebraska, South Dakota, The Kansas Plains and Southwest Iowa is warning business owners and consumers that scammers are using the BBB name and logo to fraudulently claim companies are “violating the Fair Labor Standards Act,” the “Safety and Health Act,” and other ominous sounding notices.

These emails are fake!!! They are designed to get the recipient to click on a link, which may be used to download malware that can infect the recipient’s computer, steal passwords, or hack a company’s records.

If you get an email that claims it is from BBB:

1. Do NOT click on any links or attachments.

2. Read the email carefully for signs that it may be fake (for example, misspellings, grammatical errors, generic greetings such as “Dear member” instead of a name, etc.).

3. Be wary of urgent instructions to take specified action such as “Click on the link or your account will be closed.”

4. Hover your mouse over links without clicking to see if the address is truly from bbb.org. The URL in the text should match the URL that your mouse detects. If the two do not match, it is most likely a scam.

5. Send a copy of the email to phishing@council.bbb.org (Note: This address is only for scams that use the BBB name or logo)

6. Delete the email from your computer completely (be sure to empty your “trash can” or “recycling bin,” as well).

7. Run anti-virus software updates frequently and do a full system scan.

8. Keep a close eye on your bank statements for any unexpected or unexplained transactions.

9. If you have clicked on any of the links within the email, immediately change your email and network passwords AND notify your local IT provider for next steps and actions.

If you have a business and are not certain whether the complaint is legitimate, contact your local BBB at bbbinc.org or 800-649-6814. BBB is working with law enforcement as well as a private deactivation firm to shut down as many criminal websites as possible. To date, we have shut down well over 100 sites.

For more information on data security for your business go to bbb.org/cybersecurity.

Police in Shenandoah are asking for your help in locating a pickup reported stolen this (Monday) morning. A white, 2003 Dodge Ram 2500 4-wheel drive pickup with Iowa license plate 289 WWF was taken from the area of Highway 2 and A Avenue, in Shenandoah, at around 2-a.m. The vehicle has a white topper and the front end has an attachment for a Boss snowplow mount, the logo for which is clearly visible from under the front bumper.

The owner has indicated there is more rust around the rear wheel wells than the picture shows, and the snow plow itself is not currently attached to the vehicle.  If you see the vehicle, please notify the Page County Sheriff’s office at (712) 542-5193, or you local law enforcement agency.

Stolen pickup (plow not currently attached)

A four-hour standoff with law enforcement in western Iowa occurred Sunday September 10th, 2017. Authorities say Sac County Sheriff’s Deputies had been looking for a 32-year old male since about 9-a.m. Sunday,  who was threatening suicide by cop and had made homicidal threats the night before. The unidentified man was located around 12:25-p.m., in a residence located at 406 West 1st Street in Wall Lake. He was in the home alone.

Deputies made contact with the individual by phone and were told that he had guns and would make police shoot him if they did not leave. Also during conversations with the male, he threatened to shoot law enforcement officers out of his window. A perimeter was set up and neighbors evacuated from their homes. Iowa State Patrol sent a crisis negotiator to assist. The negotiator was able to talk the man in to surrendering around 4:15-p.m.  He was taken to an area hospital for an evaluation. No injuries reported.

Responding to assist the Sheriff’s Office was the Lake View Police, Department of Natural Recourses Conservation Officer, Iowa State Patrol, Sac County Attorney and the Lake View Ambulance. Buena Vista County Sheriff’s Office Special Emergency Response Team (SERT) were enroute to Wall Lake when the male surrendered.

AMES, Iowa (AP) – Officials say the Iowa State University College of Business will be renamed because of a $50 million commitment from two California benefactors.

The university said in a news release Monday that the college will be renamed the Debbie and Jerry Ivy College of Business, pending approval by the Iowa Board of Regents. Officials say it’s the largest-ever commitment to the college. The gift will establish an endowed fund that eventually will provide the college around $2 million annually.

The university says Jerry Ivy is president and chief executive officer of Auto-Chlor System in Mountain View, California. Debbie Ivy also is a member of Auto-Chlor System’s executive team.

Jerry Ivy earned a bachelor’s in industrial administration from Iowa State in 1953.

The Audubon County Sheriff’s Office says a, 16 year old female from Westphalia has been charged with Assault Causing Bodily Injury. The unidentified teen was charged following the investigation into an incident that occurred on W. Washington Street in Exira on August 18th. The charges were forwarded to Juvenile Court Services in Harlan. The incident remains under investigation.

A man and woman from Exira turned themselves in to the Audubon County Sheriff’s Office today (Monday). 24-year old Laura Lynn Bovill and 28-year old Daniel Dean Brunner were taken into custody on charges that were the result of an investigation into an incident that occurred an August 15th, and was followed by the execution on Aug. 26th of a search warrant at their residence at 110 E. South Street, in Exira.

Bovill and Brunner were each charged with Possession of Drug Paraphernalia and Possession of Marijuana, with the Possession of Marijuana charge being a third or subsequent offense for Brunner.

The couple were released from custody after appearing before a Magistrate.