The Audubon County Sheriff’s Office announced Friday that they are investigating a case of vandalism at the Oakfield Cemetery, east of Brayton.  The damage is believed to have happened within the past couple of weeks. A head stone was knocked over and several vases were damaged on other stones.  The amount of damage is unknown at this time. Anyone with information about this incident is asked to contact the Audubon County Sheriff’s Office at 712-563-2631 or Audubon County Crimestoppers at 712-563-2234.

An investigation into a disturbance during the early morning hours of Nov. 24th in Council Bluffs, has resulted in charges that include Attempted Murder. 33-year old Edward L. Sanders, of Council Bluffs, was initially arrested for Intimidation with a Dangerous Weapon, after he fired one round from a weapon in the direction of a group of individuals who were involved with Edwards in the disturbance that took place on the Street in the 400 block of Houston Avenue in Council Bluffs, at around 2:45-a.m. Nov. 24th.

Witnesses told police during the incident, Edwards went into his nearby home and emerged with a handgun he displayed before firing the weapon. As detectives continued to investigate the incident, they were able to locate a handgun, which had been hidden in a wooded area, behind Sanders’ residence.

Investigators were also able to verify that Sanders is a convicted felon. Sanders is currently being held at the Pottawattamie County Jail on charges of Attempted Murder, and Felon in Possession of a Firearm, in addition to the original Intimidation charge.

Edward L. Sanders

(Corrects victims’ name)

The Iowa Court of Appeals, in a decision reached November 9th, reversed a November 2014 1st degree murder conviction and the Jan. 21st, 2015 sentencing of an Oakland man to life in prison, for the April 8th, 2014 murder of a woman in his home. Robert Reynolds had appealed his 1st Degree murder conviction without the possibility of parole, objecting to the trial venue and makeup of the jury pool. The Court of Appeals determined the Trial Court erroneously changed the venue of Reynold’s trial. The Justices ruled therefore that Reynolds is entitled to a new trial, and ordered his case be heard before a new jury.

His appeal regarding the jury pool, contended the court drew from persons solely from eastern Pottawattamie County, the same area where the murder took place. He argued his Sixth Amendment right was violated by the District Court’s failure to have a fairer cross section of the community. He said also, if Pottawattamie County is still a divided judicial district, then the District Court was wrong to change the venue from Avoca to Council Bluffs without following the requirements of the Iowa Rule of Criminal Procedure.

Reynolds also argued a jailhouse phone call – during which he admitted to someone named “Bobby,” that he “Killed a woman” —  should not have been admitted into evidence because the State failed to lay the proper foundation. The Appeals Court said State did however lay the proper foundation for the recording’s admission into evidence.

On Nov. 21st, 2014 Reynolds was convicted by a jury in connection with the early morning shooting of Patricia Kincaid-Dorsey in Reynolds’ Oakland home. Kinkade-Dorsey was a friend of Robert Reynolds’ wife Theresa, and was staying at the house prior to departing for California.

The Iowa Supreme Court could reverse the Appeals Court, but if that doesn’t happen, Reynolds will get a new trial.No new trial date has been set. The link to the Appeals Court decision can be found here: http://www.iowacourts.gov/About_the_Courts/Court_of_Appeals/Court_of_Appeals_Opinions/Recent_Opinions/20161109/15-0226.pdf?search=No%2E+15%2D0226#_1

Sheriff’s Deputies in Mills County, Thursday night, arrested a woman wanted on a warrant for Possession of a Controlled Substance. 26-year old Sara Bernice Kittle, of Glenwood, was arrested at around 9:30-p.m. and brought to the Mills County Jail, where her bond was set at $1,000.

And, at around 8:50-p.m. Thursday, 78-year old Ronald Walter Klinker, of Hastings, was arrested in Hastings, on a warrant for Driving While Barred. His bond was set at $2,000.

All 902 plow trucks owned by Iowa Department of Transportation now are on a new G-P-S system. Craig Bargfrede heads winter operations for the D-O-T. He says this new system allows vehicles to gather all sorts of data, which the D-O-T will now be able to use for clearing Iowa’s roadways of snow and ice more efficiently.  “By having this data available, we’re able to go back and do a review to see, ‘Okay, based on, this is the treatment practice we applied during this type of storm’,” Bargfrede says. “Based on that, how effective was that treatment practice and how fast were we able to bring the system back up to near-normal winter driving conditions?”

The new system cost about 850-thousand-dollars, but Bargfrede says it will pay for itself as the D-O-T can now be more targeted with how it deploys plow trucks, how it uses road salt and anticipate if a vehicle is having mechanical issues. Bargfrede says he’s excited to analyze the new information the G-P-S system will provide. “Track truck locations, direction of travel, speed, what type of material that we’re putting down, how much of that material we’re putting down,” he says. “It also gives us the ability to gather engine data.”

Bargfrede says a previous system used by the D-O-T was cellular, and therefore data wasn’t as accurate due to dead spots. The Iowa D-O-T clears more than 24-thousand miles of snow and ice during the winter months.

(Radio Iowa/IA Public Radio contribution)

Red Oak Police are investigating the theft of an SUV from a used car lot. Authorities say officers were called just before 9-a.m. today (Friday) to Robys Used Cars (101. E. Oak Street) in Red Oak, where they were informed a silver 1998 Jeep Grand Cherokee was stolen from in front of the dealership. The vehicle was valued at $1,200.

The SUV, which did not have a license plate, was locked, and the keys were not inside. It had one-half tank of gas. Police say there was no sign of forced entry into the vehicle around the area where it was parked.

Anyone with information about the theft should contact Red Oak Police.

Sheriff’s officials in Pottawattamie County say a Neola man was arrested Thursday night on a warrant for Harassment in the 3rd Degree, and for Driving While Barred. 48-year old Joseph John Abbott was taken into custody without incident at his residence at around 7:30-p.m., and transported to the Pottawattamie County Jail.