A man from Council Bluffs was cited, and may face additional charges, following an accident Thursday afternoon, in Pottawattamie County. Police in Council Bluffs say at around 3-p.m., the Pottawattamie County 911 Center received a call of a vehicle that had crashed into Mosquito Creek near Mall Drive. A man was seen fleeing the area. Council Bluffs Police officers, with the assistance of the Iowa State Patrol were able to locate the driver, 52-year old Jeffery Gearhart, of Council Bluffs, near the crash scene.

An investigation revealed that Gearhart had started a new medication, possibly causing impairment. He’d been traveling east on Mall drive when he lost control of the 2005 Chevy Malibu he was driving, as it approached the bridge at Mosquito Creek. The vehicle rode up the southern guardrail and hit a sign before vaulting into Mosquito Creek. Authorities say the car appears to have floated down stream before coming to rest.

Vehicle as found

Gearhart wasn’t injured in the crash. he was checked for possible impairment and later cited for leaving the scene of a property damage crash, no insurance proof, no vehicle registration, and failure to maintain control of his vehicle. Additional charges may be filed in the future regarding impairment.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — An advocacy coalition in Iowa says it delivered thousands of petitions to U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley to protest his recent comments about the selection of a U.S. Supreme Court nominee. A coalition of organizations says it delivered 36,000 petition signatures Thursday to Grassley’s six regional offices around Iowa. They also delivered excerpts from the U.S. Constitution.

Why Courts Matter Iowa, part of a national group, says the move is to protest the Iowa senator’s comments that he will not hold hearings on any Supreme Court nominee made by President Barack Obama. Grassley is chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee. Grassley said through a spokeswoman that he appreciated the effort but he had his own copy of the Constitution. He also defended the Senate committee’s work.

Officials with the Cass County Board of Health said Thursday (March 3rd), the Board met February 15th and unanimously voted to name Cass County Health Systems (CCHS) as the official public health agency. The change will go into effect on July, 1st, 2016. Cindy Kail, local site manager for UnityPoint at Home, noted that UnityPoint at Home is committed to a smooth transition of public health services and staff to CCHS.

The hospital leadership has offered to assume the employment of UnityPoint at Home employees currently providing public health services. Kail said, “UnityPoint at Home will continue to proudly serve the community with home care and hospice services, including nursing, therapy, home care aide, and homemaker services. This transition will allow us to focus our energies on continuing to be the premier home care and hospice agency in the area.”

The Board of Health will continue to subcontract with UnityPoint at Home for nursing, home care aide and homemaker services for residents of Cass County. UnityPoint at Home will be funded with the Local Public Health Services grant and a share of board health funds (county taxes) to support patients who lack insurance coverage for home care services.

The board of health will fund the CCHS public health agency with Local Public Health Services grant funding to support local board of health coordination, as well as disease outbreak and collaborative relationships on behalf of the board of health. In addition, CCHS will be funded with a share of board of health funds to support other public health services, such as immunization, breast/cervical cancer screening, family planning, maternal/child health, lead follow-up, family home visitation, volunteer services, and Children at Home.

Grants for those programs will be prepared by CCHS staff this spring for the transition to occur this summer.

(clarifies to read 1 count aggravated misdemeanor, 1 Class-D felony count)

A search warrant executed this (Thursday) morning at a home in Council Bluffs resulted in the arrest of a Douglas County, NE. Corrections officer on a felony sex charge. Authorities say the Department of Homeland Security received a tip in December of 2015 from NCMEC (National Center for Missing or Exploited Children) that led to the arrest of 36-year old Shawn Beu, of Council Bluffs.

Through a joint investigation with members of the Department of Homeland Security and the Council Bluffs Police Department’s Criminal Investigation Division, evidence obtained during the investigation was used to apply for an arrest warrant, and a search warrant for Beu’s home.

On the morning of March 3rd, members of both Agencies executed the search warrant on Beu’s home and subsequently arrested him on one count of sexual exploitation of a minor/1st offense, an aggravated misdemeanor, and a Class D felony charge sexual exploitation of minor.

Shawn Beu

Beu remains in Pottawattamie County Corrections with a $10,000 cash bond.

The Adair County Sheriff’s Office is asking for you to be on the lookout for rare, stolen currency. On its social media page the Sheriff’s Office said “A burglary occurred and several rare items were taken. Among the items were Morgan silver dollars, early 1900’s(year) $ bills, gold presidential dollar bills to name a few.” The currency represents a family’s life collection.

Authorities say “If you know of someone trying to pawn these types of items off, who suddenly came into possession of them, please contact the Sheriff’s Office.” Anyone with tips or information about the burglary is also asked to contact the Sheriff’s Office.

Examples of the type of currency stolen is shown below: