(Red Oak, Iowa) – Two people were arrested on separate charges Tuesday night, in Montgomery County. The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office reports 44-year-old Lisa Mae Harper, of Osceola, was arrested at around 7:25-p.m., following a traffic stop at Highway 34 and 200th Street, east of Red Oak. Harper was charged with Driving Under Suspension. She was being held in the Montgomery County Jail on a $491.25 bond.

And, at around 8:30-p.m., Tuesday, Red Oak Police arrested 41-year-old Tracy Ross Cowen, of Red Oak, for Disorderly Conduct (A Simple Misdemeanor). He was taken into custody in the 200 block of E. Prospect Street,and held in the Montgomery County Jail on a $300 bond.

(Neola, Iowa) – A man from Minnesota man suffered serious injuries during a single-vehicle crash Monday morning on westbound Interstate 80 near Neola. According to the Iowa State Patrol, 63-year-old Michael Knutti, of Ely, MN, was driving a 2004 Ford Ranger, when the pickup went out of control and struck a guardrail before coming to rest in the median. The accident happened at around 7:15-am., at around mile marker 28.

The accident was one of several that occurred in western Iowa due to wet roads that quickly changed to a sheet of ice as temperatures suddenly dropped from around freezing to just below freezing.

Knuutti was flown by helicopter Bergan Mercy Hospital in Omaha. The crash partially blocked the inside line until emergency crews cleared the scene.

(Clive, Iowa) – Police in Clive took to social media, Tuesday, to warn anyone who may have dropped-off mail at the West Suburban Post Office in Clive Sunday night into Monday morning, will want to follow up with the addressee. Authorities said a mail dropbox was vandalized, and mail was stolen. The incident happened sometime between 5:30-p.m. Saturday and 7-a.m. Monday, when employees got to work.

Police are working with Postal Service inspectors and local businesses to find the person responsible. If you think your mail has been stolen, you’re asked to contact Clive Police.

Theft or possession of stolen mail is a federal offense punishable by a $250,000 fine and five years in Federal Prison.

(Ogden, Iowa) – The Ogden Police Department posted pictures to social media, Tuesday, of damage to the cemetery property in Ogden. The pictures show obvious tracks where a vehicle or vehicles have torn through the grass in several areas. Chief Ethan Bailey said:

“This is unacceptable. Last year we had an issue with someone tearing up the south lot of the Glenwood Cemetery. People traveling to visit the final resting places of their loved ones were greeted with senseless acts of vandalism. Unfortunately, it has happened again. Not only is this a criminal act, it is beyond disrespectful.”

Chief Bailey said also, if anyone knows who is doing the damage: “Educate them on why this is wrong. Encourage them to take ownership and repair the damage done. Notify the authorities so we can address this as needed.” (Pictures via the Ogden PD Facebook page)

(Radio Iowa) – A report from the State Auditor’s Office indicates faulty computer programming in the state’s court system has been fixed for the CURRENT year, but court officials say they do not have the authority to reallocate funds to correct about 27 MILLION dollars worth of errors in previous years. Some court fines and fees are to be distributed to cities, counties and a variety of state programs, like victim services and road construction.

Lawmakers changed the formulas a few years ago, but programming errors meant the state courts were forwarding the wrong amounts. State Auditor Rob Sand held a news conference yesterday (Tuesday) about his report — and the distribution errors. “It should be fixed going forward,” Sand says. Iowa Department of Management director Kraig Paulsen says court officials recently told him they believe the problem has been fixed.

“They’re still going through testing, so it hasn’t been finalized,” Paulsen says. “Until we have an audit, it’s hard to know for sure anyway.” Sand says court officials recently sent his office the data about where the funds had been misdirected. “They are accurate. This is the actual number for how much this account has been over-funded and how much that account has been underfunded,” Sand says. “Now that we know that, the legislature can make those adjustments.” Paulsen, the governor’s budget director, says the auditor’s office needs to dig deeper.

“Can we actually say that everythng is 100% correct? I don’t think so,” Paulsen says, “because I’m not even sure we have looked at it going back far enough yet.” Paulsen, a former Republican legislator, and Sand, the only Democrat in statewide office, have been publicly feuding about the situation since October. Paulsen says Sand failed to notify the executive branch once Sand’s office was told there might be a problem.

Sand says Paulsen’s office knew D-O-T funding was affected before the auditor’s office learned of it.