The U-S Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa said today (Friday), that a judge this week sentenced a Douglas County, NE., man to more than 16-years in prison for his role in a conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine in the Omaha/Council Bluffs area. 44-year old Broc Todd Waltermeyer, of Omaha, was sentenced Wednesday by Senior United States District Court Judge James E. Gritzner, to 196 months in prison, followed by five years of supervised release.

Waltermeyer pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine on April 29, 2016. The guilty plea and sentencing were the result of an investigation into methamphetamine distribution by Waltermeyer between July of 2015 and November 11, 2015. During that time, he distributed over two kilograms of methamphetamine, which was obtained in Omaha and transported to Pottawattamie County, where it was sold.

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

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) – Officials say some students used stolen teacher passwords to change some grades at the University of Iowa. The officials said Thursday that about 250 students, faculty members and other staffers have been told their university IDs and login information were taken by unauthorized devices that had been attached to university computers in classrooms and computer labs. The university says only 5 percent of those accounts were later used by someone other than the account holder.

University staffers are checking computers for suspicious devices and developing plans to increase security measures. Officials are encouraging people on the university system to change their passwords. Officials say that if investigation determines a student has cheated, university disciplinary action could include expulsion or suspension.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – The Iowa Supreme Court says law enforcement agencies cannot seek restitution from defendants in drunken driving cases when officers respond during the normal course of their work and not for an emergency. The court found in opinions filed Friday in three separate drunken driving cases involving Davenport police officers that Iowa law allows recovery of expenses through restitution only when the law enforcement response meets the normal definition of an emergency. The court says “routine law enforcement activities do not qualify.”

In the three cases, patrolling police officers stopped vehicles with drivers suspected of drunken driving and the city sought to recoup the time it took officers to stop the vehicle, investigate and arrest the driver. The amounts sought – $54.50, $317 and $158.60 – were denied.

The Atlantic Area Ambassadors were hosted by Boose Construction this (Thursday) morning. The Ambassadors had the opportunity to tour a new home built by Marty and Connie Boose, owners of Boose Construction.

Marty started building homes in 1992. After deciding Atlantic needed more affordable housing, he decided to start a development on Ash Street. As of today, Boose Construction has built six homes, four of which have been sold. The Ambassadors visited 1408 Ash Street, a newly finished house that is now for sale.

Staff Pictured: Marty Boose & Connie Boose
Ambassadors Pictured: Sara Nelson, Julie May-Smith, Mike Ruddy, Bill Saluk, Carol Seddon, Nedra Perry, Megan Roberts, Jolene Roecker, Sue Muri, Dolly Bergmann, Debbie Leistad, Arlene Drennan, JoAnn Runyan, Michelle Heath, Pat McCurdy, Donnie Drennan, Rich Perry, Deb Brown, Tammy Waters, Kat Niemann, Dawn Marnin, BJ Hart, Steve Anderson, Dr. Keith Leonard, Chip Hanson, Nick Harris, Dr. Jim Kickland, Paul Gude, Rob Clausen and Russel Joyce.

Police in Shenandoah, Thursday night, arrested a woman on drug charges following the K9 unit search of a residence in the 200 block of W. Grant Avenue, in Shenandoah. Officials say 37-year old Ronda Allison Howard, of Shenandoah, was arrested at around 6:20-p.m. for possession of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia. Howard was being held at the Page County Jail on $1,000 bond.

Ronda A. Howard (Shenandoah P-D photo)

A traffic stop Thursday afternoon on Interstate 80 northeast of Council Bluffs, resulted in one man being arrested on drug charges, and another cited. The Pottawattamie County Sheriff’s Office says a deputy pulled over a Toyota Tundra pickup on I-80 at around 2-p.m., because the vehicle had illegal, dark tinted windows.

After approaching the vehicle, Deputy Brian Miller noticed an odor of marijuana coming from inside the truck. A “probable cause”search was conducted, during which Miller found the driver, 24-year old Dustin James Castillo, of Truckee, CA., in possession of 3.8-pounds of marijuana, packaged in four individual plastic bags. Castillo was arrested for Possession/and or Delivery of a Controlled Substance/Marijuana, and booked into the Pottawattamie County Jail.

A passenger in the vehicle, 23-year old Andrew Thomas Rowley, of LaGrange, IL, was cited for possession of drug paraphernalia, and released.

The Griswold School Board held their regular monthly meeting Thursday night, following a meeting of the Griswold Facilities Committee. Griswold Superintendent Dave Henrichs told KJAN News the Committee was updated on the process for getting information together in advance of a bond referendum. He said JPE Design Studio – with offices in Omaha and Des Moines – was hired for pre-referendum and pre-design services. The facilities committee will work with the firm to develop information for future community meetings. The next meeting is set for Feb. 1^st.  

In the interim, packages of information will be put together to share with the community to gather their thoughts and ideas. The Griswold School Board also discussed, but took no action on the structure of the District’s Transportation Department. Henrichs said they’re going to shift some of the duties over to Al Hunter, with regard to reporting.

And, they discussed the potential hiring of a Construction Manager. Paul Newhart, from Estes Construction has been involved with the school through the Iowa Construction Advocate Team [ICAT], which assists schools with their building projects for free, if they belong to the Iowa Association of School Boards [IASB]. As a side note, Newhart works for Estes Construction, which also provides construction management services to the District. The Board, Henrichs says, needs to make the decision, as they progress through the possibility of a new building, whether or not to use the design, bid, build process, or use a construction manager. Newhart presented the pro’s and con’s of both systems.

At the next Board meeting, the hiring of a Construction Manager will be placed on the agenda, assuming the process continues to move forward. And, the Board held two closed session last night, prior to adjournment. One dealt with Teacher Negotiations and future issues that need to be addressed. The other session was with regard to staffing issues dealing with operational sharing for the 2017-18 school year.

DENISON, Iowa (AP) – Authorities have resumed a search for a girl missing since the vehicle she was in plunged into the Boyer River in western Iowa. The accident was reported about 3 a.m. Thursday in rural Crawford County. Authorities say the car was carrying five people when it ran off a rural road into the river. Four who reached safety on their own or were rescued were taken to a Denison hospital. Their names and the girl’s haven’t been released. She’s believed to be teenager.

Deputies, firefighters and a dive team searched the river and its banks until 11:15 p.m. Thursday and stopped because of heavy fog. The searchers returned this (Friday) morning.