SIOUX CITY, Iowa (AP) – A Nebraska man has been given probation and a suspended prison sentence for fondling a Sioux City girl around 15 years ago. The Sioux City Journal says 33-year-old Joshua Feenstra, of Norfolk, Neb., pleaded guilty on Monday in Woodbury County District Court to three counts of lascivious acts with a child. Prosecutors amended the charges from one count of second-degree sexual abuse as part of a plea agreement with Feenstra.

Judge Steven Andreasen suspended a 15-year prison sentence and placed Feenstra on five years of probation. Feenstra also must register as a sex offender and write a letter of apology to the girl.  Feenstra is accused of fondling the girl in 1997 or 1998, when she was about 8 years old and he was 17 or 18.

Authorities in Montgomery County say a woman has died after apparently jumping from a moving Amtrak train in Stanton.  Sheriff’s deputies were called to the vicinity of Broad and James Streets in Stanton at around 9:50 p.m.  When they arrived, deputies  located the woman’s body near the train tracks. The Montgomery County medical examiner declared the female dead at the scene.

The incident remains under investigation. Red Oak Police and the Iowa State Patrol assisted the sheriff’s office with the investigation.

The suspect who was shot Monday morning by an Ames Police officer on the campus of Iowa State University has died. The man reportedly stole his father’s truck and trailer around 10 a.m., and when police spotted him, he led them on a chase that ended when he jumped a curb near the Campanile on the I-S-U campus. Ames Police Commander Geoff Huff says the truck became stuck, but the man continued to rev the engine, moving slightly forward and back.

“Officers were yelling verbal commands to stop, but he wouldn’t. They were really afraid that he was going to break loose again,” Huff said. “We had pedestrians in that area – it’s really a pedestrian area of campus, so one of our officers fired into the truck.”

The officer fired six rounds into the truck, hitting the suspect at least once. He was taken to an Ames hospital, where he was pronounced dead. Huff defended the officer’s actions, noting the suspect had previously put the truck in reverse and rammed the trailer into a patrol car. In addition, the truck had traveled the wrong way down a one way street and went through grassy areas of the ISU campus with people jumping out of the way.

“You know, I think (officers) did everything they could,” Huff said. “There were a lot of people that were put in danger by this and I think that was kind of the option that was left. When the vehicle backed up and backed the trailer partially up over the hood (of the patrol car), that was very dangerous for the officer. It was probably in our best interest to continue to pursue to try and stop this person before anybody else got hurt. Unfortunately, the result was he wouldn’t stop.”

The name of the suspect and the officer involved have not been released.

(Radio Iowa)

Authorities in Montgomery County say an accident Monday afternoon in Red Oak resulted in minor, possible injuries, but no one was hospitalized. Officials say vehicles driven by 72-year old Norman Rebitzke and 67-year old Sheryl Franzen, both of Red Oak, collided at around 3:30-p.m. at the intersection of East Valley and North Third Streets in Red Oak.

The accident happened when Rebitzke’s 2009 Subaru Forester was struck by Franzen’s 2005 Chevrolete, as Rebitzke was traveling south on North 3rd Street. Franzen pulled out from the intersection traveling west on East Valley Street, and struck the Subaru on the driver’s side door. She was subsequently cited for Failure to Yield. Damage from the crash amounted to $5,000.

This time of year it is not uncommon to see deer running beside Iowa’s highways. Field and Stream.com (http://www.fieldandstream.com/rut-report) shows deer in many parts of Iowa are currently in the “seeking and chasing” phase of the annual rut. That means more animals on the move and more danger to motorists, especially at dusk and dawn when it is more difficult to see animals along the roadsides.

There is little a driver can do about deer movement, but to reach the goal of zero fatalities on Iowa highways drivers need to be more aware of deer habits to reduce the risk of coming in contact with deer. As of Oct. 15, 2013, Iowa Department of Transportation data shows, 3,279 drivers reported collisions with deer so far in 2013. The crashes resulted in four motorist deaths and an estimated 172 injuries.

Since 2003, 70 people have died in Iowa as a result of motor vehicle crashes involving animals. According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, each year nearly 200 fatalities nationwide are caused by deer-vehicle collisions.

If a deer runs into the path of your vehicle, not veering to avoid the animal greatly increases the chances of maintaining control of your vehicle. Most deer crash injuries and deaths result when drivers attempt to avoid the animal. This action often results in drivers losing control and colliding with other vehicles or running off the road. When a deer is in the path of your vehicle, the driver of a vehicle (other than a motorcycle) should: Brake firmly•Steer to maintain control.•Stop safely within the lane or along the shoulder of the highway.•Use a safety belt to reduce the chance of personal injury.

The following motor vehicle driver tips will reduce the risk of deer crashes...

•Slow down when you see a deer warning sign – pay greater attention.•Be especially careful driving at dawn and dusk.•Remember deer rutting season occurs in November and December, and deer are more mobile and less cautious.•Deer are more mobile during harvest and the hunting season.

Be most alert for the presence of deer at locations where three factors converge: •Food (corn fields or recently harvested corn fields).•Shelter (woods). •Water (streams, culverts and river crossings).