(Creston, Iowa) – The driver of an SUV was arrested early this (Thursday) morning, following an investigation into an accident. According to Creston Police, a 2013 Ford Explorer driven by 24-year-old Larry Dean Fernandez, of Creston, struck a pole in the Creston True Value parking lot, next to the building, at around 12:30-a.m.  Fernandez then drove-off and was followed to the area of the 1200 block of N. Spruce Street. The vehicle was parked in front of a driveway, but not before hitting a garbage can at the end of the driveway.

When officers arrived, Fernandez told them he had been drinking, and that he was the only one in the vehicle. He was arrested for OWI.

The Explorer had sustained front-end damage and was leaking red fluid. An investigation showed a pole that held up an over hang on the True Value building was struck, and red fluid matching that which was coming from the SUV, was found on Spruce Street. Damage to the pole was estimated at $2,500.

Paint chips also matched the color of the vehicle on Spruce.  An officer followed the trail of red fluid, starting at the pole and across the parking lot, over a curve and then onto eastbound Townline Road. The red trail ended where the SUV stopped.

The vehicle was parked by a friend of the owner’s daughter.

(Montgomery County, Iowa) –  Sheriff’s officials in Montgomery County report a traffic stop on a speeding vehicle Wednesday afternoon, resulted the arrest of two people from northwest Iowa. Authorities say a Sheriff’s Deputy stopped a car for speeding at Highway 34 and 8th Street, at around 3:11-p.m. The driver, 36-year-old Ashley Lamonte Roberson, of Sioux City, was arrested for Driving While Barred and cited for speeding.

During the same traffic stop, 40-year-old Nicholas Lamonte Roberson, also of Sioux City, was arrested on a Woodbury County warrant for Contempt of Court. Both subjects were being held in the Montgomery County Jail on $1,000 bond, each.

(Radio Iowa) – Iowa City Police say a man with a gun was arrested Tuesday morning at the Grant Wood Elementary School after he allegedly threatened multiple staff members. Police charged 31-year-old Brandon Jones of Iowa City with two counts of first-degree harassment and carrying a weapon on school grounds. The school district released a message to parents that said Jones was in the school office and had a handgun on his hip, but gave it to another person when he was asked to take it outside. No other details were released.

The Iowa City school district said it would have counselors at the school for staff members or students who wish to speak with someone about the incident.

(Radio Iowa) – Home sales in the state were down nearly 12 percent in October compared to last year. Iowa Association of Realtors spokesperson, Ashlee Kieler, says it’s a seasonal drop. “Really it’s very indicative of a typical housing cycle for us you know nationally and at the state level and the fall people are more settled you know school started now people are in the swing of things, so they’re not necessarily looking to uproot and move to new places,” she says. Kieler says the market didn’t come to a total standstill.

“That doesn’t mean there aren’t people out there looking there definitely are and it’s starting to kind of stabilize you know with those interest rates and things,” Kieler says. One of the issues has been having enough homes on the market for sale, something she says has been improving. “The inventories are ticking up little by little and so that gives some more opportunity and maybe will entice some people to get out there into the market too,” she says. Having more homes on the market creates movement that she says benefits everyone.

“Those people who are selling a lot of times they’re entering the market then too so that also gives them some opportunities out there,” Kieler says. The number of days homes were on the market increased year-over-year to 37 days compared to the 32 day average of October 2022. Median sales prices increased eight percent to 216-thousand dollars.

(Red Oak, Iowa) – Police in Red Oak report two men were arrested on separate charges, late Wednesday afternoon/evening. At around 4:45-p.m., officers arrested 36-year-old Bryce Michael McKinnon, of Clarinda. He was taken into custody in the 1100 block of N. 5th Street, for Assault and Interference with Official Acts. McKinnon was being held in the Montgomery County Jail on a $300 bond.

And, a little after 5-p.m., Wednesday, Red Oak Police arrested 40-year-old Douglas Ray Kirsch, of Villisca. He was taken into custody at the Red Oak Fareway Store, for Theft in the 5th Degree. His bond was set at $300.

(Creston, Iowa) – An accident near the Casey’s Store on Devoe Street in Creston, Wednesday evening, caused $3,000 damage to the vehicles involved, but no one was injured. Creston Police report an SUV driven by 49-year-old Paula Crow, of Creston, was leaving the store parking lot at around 6:05-p.m., and turning left onto Devoe Street. She failed to see an oncoming westbound Chevy Cruze driven by 69-year-old John Raddatz, of Creston. Crow was unable to stop in time before the vehicles collided.

The Police report noted Crow failed to yield the right-of-way in making a left turn, but there were no citations issued.

(Radio Iowa) – The wife of G-O-P presidential candidate Ron DeSantis is stepping up her solo appearances in Iowa as the Caucuses draw closer. In May, Governor DeSantis invited his wife to join him on stage during his first campaign speech here. As she approached the microphone to speak and the crowd cheered, he said: “Let ‘er rip.” A few weeks ago it was Casey DeSantis who introduced Governor Kim Reynolds at the rally where Reynolds delivered her public endorsement of the Florida governor.

During an interview with Radio Iowa, Casey DeSantis laughed when asked if she had a role in securing that endorsement for her husband. “She is an exquisite governor. She is a fighter. She is somebody who stands up for what is right and she is very much like the governor,” Casey DeSantis says. “…She understands what it’s like to be able to put yourself in the line of fire.”

DeSantis campaign rally on Nov. 6, 2023 featured Casey DeSantis introducing Gov. Kim Reynolds, who endorsed Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis that night.

DeSantis says as first lady of Florida, she decided not to sit on the sidelines. “I could have been taking the easy path where sometimes when you’re not out putting yourself in the arena, you’re not going to get hit,” DeSantis said, “but I saw it as an opportunity not necessarily about me, but about the position as first lady, to be able to do good on behalf of the people of Florida and hopefully of the country.”

Governor DeSantis says he and his wife shrug off criticism from the left. And Casey DeSantis says the associate of former President Trump who recently made a crude comment about her is part of the campaign noise that should be ignored. “When you’re standing up for what you know in your heart is right, you’re going to get attacked. People are going to come after you…You just have to stand strong and you know the truth and remember: ‘Mission first.’ And that is saving this country.”

Casey DeSantis is an Ohio native who graduated from the College of Charleston with a degree in economics. She’s a former T-V anchor and reporter and currently the mother of three children under the age of seven.

DES MOINES, Iowa – The U-S Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa report a Des Moines man was sentenced on November 16, 2023 to 13-and-a-half years in federal prison for possessing a firearm as a felon.

According to public court documents, 36-year-old Fawnie Allen Avery, was on parole with the State of Iowa when he led officers with the Des Moines Police Department on a nighttime chase through residential neighborhoods after law enforcement attempted to conduct a traffic stop of his vehicle. Avery crashed his vehicle, climbed out of his window, and attempted to flee on foot. A uniformed officer attempted to apprehend him. Avery struggled against the officer and pulled a firearm from his waistband. Avery pointed his firearm at a plain clothes officer and chambered a round in the firearm. Police were able to subdue Avery when a third officer arrived on scene.

At sentencing, the District Court found that two Des Moines Police officers were victims of Avery’s offense because Avery pulled his gun during the struggle leading to his arrest, pointed his gun at an officer, and chambered a round in his gun. The Court also found that Avery recklessly created a substantial risk of injury or death during the vehicle chase prior to his arrest.

United States Attorney Richard D. Westphal of the Southern District of Iowa made the announcement. This case was investigated by the Des Moines Police Department.