(Creston, Iowa) – Officials with the Creston Police Department report two arrests: On Monday, 22-year-old Alejandro Zafra Jimenez, of Ames, was arrested at the Creston Walmart. Jimenez was charged with Theft 5th. He was cited and released from the scene; and, late Friday morning, 40-year-old Mark Anthony Weems, of Creston, was charged with two Union County Warrants for Burglary 3rd Degree, and Theft 2nd Degree. Weems was being held in the Union County Jail.

There were several incidents reported to Creston Police over the past couple of weeks:

• On May 19th, a Corning woman said that her 2015 Chevrolet Tahoe was damaged while sitting in the Walmart employee parking lot. Damage estimate $1,000.
• On the 26th,a Creston woman residing in the 400 block of N. Maple Street, reported that sometime between May 25th and 26th, her 2008 Chevy Silverado was damaged while sitting in front of her residence. Estimated loss $600; and, a Creston woman in the 500 block of W. Mills Street, reported between 10:30am and 6pm, someone stole a Pink Woman Bike that was leaning up against the deck. Loss estimate $150.
• And, early Monday morning (May 29), a woman residing in the 1300 block of E. Howard Street, in Creston, reported that two people had cut a window screen to gain access to her residence. $60 in cash taken from a wallet. All other items were dropped as the thieves were chased out of the residence.

RED OAK, Iowa – Iowa Republican Senator Joni Ernst has announced that Governor Ron DeSantis will be one of her special guests at her annual Roast and Ride this Saturday, June 3rd. Ernst’s previously announced, other special guests, include Nikki Haley, Tim Scott, Mike Pence, Larry Elder, Vivek Ramaswamy, Asa Hutchinson, and Perry Johnson. Proceeds from her annual Ride are donated to veterans charities. This year, she will be honoring Freedom Foundation of Cedar Rapids.

Ernst says “I’m thrilled to welcome Ron DeSantis as a special guest to Roast and Ride this year! Despite Democrats ditching Iowa, Republicans are fired up for 2024 as we host the FIRST in the nation caucus. This year’s Roast and Ride will be my biggest yet — with eight exciting special guests — making it the can’t miss event of 2023!”

Governor DeSantis said “I’m delighted to be joining Senator Ernst in Des Moines. As military veterans, Joni and I both understand the importance of supporting those who have served our nation — and I’m excited to get the chance to do just that at the annual Roast and Ride. Over the past few months, Casey and I have had the pleasure of getting to know hard-working patriots across the great state of Iowa. Florida and Iowa have led the way in the fight for our way of life — and I’m running for president to take that fight to the White House. Our mission is simple: We are building a movement to restore America.”

(Council Bluffs, Iowa) – The Iowa State Patrol Trooper is rally around a Trooper in her battle with significant cancer. Rose Ives (Badge #191), serves with District 3, based in Council Bluffs. She has served southwest Iowa for about 5 ½ years. A T-shirt is being sold to help Ives with her additional medical expenses. The shirt design symbolizes Rose’ personality and her will as a fighter. The shirts are being sold through Thursday, June 1^st, with all the proceeds directed to Ives and her daughter.

(Radio Iowa) – A Cresco man drowned in a lake near New Hampton Monday. Authorities say Iowa Underwater Search and Rescue found the body of 52 year old Alvardo Barranco shortly before six p.m. The Chickasaw county sheriff’s office says they received a 9-1-1 call reporting that someone was drowning at the Airport Lake Park around quarter to two p.m. The Chickasaw County Medical Examiner determined the cause of death to be consistent with a fresh water drowning. ]

No foul play is suspected, and the death is being ruled accidental at this time.

(Red Oak, Iowa) – A traffic stop at around 4:37-a.m. today (Tuesday), in Red Oak, resulted in an arrest. Red Oak Police say 31-year-old Bengerman Jordan Housh, of Whiting, was arrested at Highway 34 and 4th Street in Red Oak, for Driving Under Suspension. He was being held in the Montgomery County Jail on slightly more than $491 bond.

(Ames, Iowa) – Two people were injured during a collision Monday night, in Ames. The Iowa State Patrol reports a 1986 Chevy Corvette driven by 19-year-old Cade Patrick Murphy, of Randall (IA), was traveling north on University Blvd. at around 10:12-p.m., at the same time a 2008 Ford Fusion driven by 23-year-old Matthew David Hoffman, of Waverly, was traveling east on Lincoln Way. A 1994 Chevy Camaro driven by 28-year-old Keith Joseph Primrose, of Ames, was westbound on Lincoln Way in the turn lane to head southbound on to University, when the Corvette entered the intersection, and was struck by the Ford.

After the initial impact, the Corvette collided with the Camaro, before coming to rest in the northeast ditch. The Patrol says Cade Murphy was flown to Mercy Medical Center in Des Moines, for treatment of serious injuries. A 17-year-old from Ames who was a passenger in one of the vehicles, was injured and transported by ambulance to the Mary Greeley Medical Center, in Ames.

The crash remains under investigation. Ames Police assisted at the scene.

(Radio Iowa) – Many law enforcement outlets across Iowa use specially-trained dogs to help solve crimes, but the Des Moines Fire Department is believed to be the first to deploy a full-time arson dog. A 30-year veteran of the department, Captain Eric Huntoon is being paired up with the well-educated rookie, an English Black Lab. “Yahtzee is an ignitable liquid detection canine,” Huntoon says. “He was trained through Maine Specialty Schools. He was with them for about three months and then the last month I went out to New Hampshire and Maine and we spent the month training together.”

The addition of this canine is a game-changer for the fire investigation unit, according to Huntoon, as the dog’s highly-skilled at detecting small traces of chemicals that are used to start fires. “Yahtzee will go into a fire scene post-fire and he will sniff to see if there’s any ignitable liquids in there that could have been used, possibly as accelerant,” Huntoon says. “Yahtzee’s nose is way better than human’s nose and he’ll be able to go in and locate those ignitable liquids that we can’t. In turn, we’ll be able to have a higher success rate at solving positive fires.”

Humans have about six-million sensory receptors in their nasal cavities, while dogs have about 100-million receptors. Plus, the part of a dog’s brain that’s devoted to analyzing odors is about 40 times larger than the comparable part of the human brain. “When Yahtzee smells an ignitable liquid, he sits down. That’s called a primary alert and that’s him letting me know that he has found something,” Huntoon says. “So he smells all those different things and he can determine which one is ignitable liquid.”

Huntoon says he’s thrilled to have his new partner become a part of the team, on and off the job. “Yahtzee lives with me and my family. He comes into work with me every day. He spends the day in the office. When I go on calls, he goes on calls with me and we train multiple times a day,” Huntoon says. “When we get a call, we respond together and he goes to work. It makes my job a lot more fun.”

Funding for Yahtzee and his training was provided through the State Farm Arson Dog Program, which has placed more than 450 dogs across the U-S and Canada since its launch in 1993.