An investigation into illegal narcotics activity and the execution of a search warrant at 2400 north 8th Street in Red Oak late Friday evening, resulted in the arrest of three persons. The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office says 30-year old Charles Adam Bradshaw, of Clarinda, 25-year old Randy Mitchell, of Red Oak, and 24-year old Alyssa Adkisson, of Red Oak, were arrested on a felony Delivery of Methamphetamine, charge.  The trio were being held in the Montgomery County Jail on $100,000 cash bond, each.

Their arrests stemmed from a multi-jurisdictional investigation that involved the Montgomery and Fremont County Sheriff’s Offices, and Red Oak Police. During a search of the home at around 4:50-p.m., Friday,  deputies seized over 75 grams of Meth, valued at over $7,500, plus more than 50 grams of marijuana, a sizable amount of cash, multiple firearms, as well as various other narcotics and drug paraphernalia.

A traffic stop in Red Oak early this (Saturday) morning, resulted in an arrest. Red Oak Police report 35-year old Joseph Earl Smith, of Red Oak, was in a vehicle stopped at the corner of east Joy and north 4th Streets in Red Oak, at around 2:15-a.m.  Smith was taken into custody on a valid Taylor County arrest warrant for Failure to Appear in court on a Driving While License Revoked charge. He was also cited for Open Container as a passenger.

Smith was being held in the Montgomery County Law Enforcement Center on $1,500 cash bond.

Voters in Berkeley, California, approved a controversial “sin” tax on sugary soft drinks last month, but Iowans may not realize Iowa is one of about 20 states that already tax soda pop. “You don’t see it unless you pay attention to your grocery bill,” according to John Beghin, an Iowa State University economist. “We don’t have a sales tax on foods in Iowa,” he says, “but the sales tax applies to soft drinks, so in a sense, we have an implicit soda tax in Iowa.”

The state’s six percent sales tax is charged on bottles and cans of soda pop. far less than the “sin” state taxes charged on alcohol and tobacco products purchased in Iowa. Policymakers in Iowa have argued significant increases in the taxes on cigarettes, for example, will help curb smoking. There is now a stigma attached to smoking, because of the cancer risk — making it easy for policymakers to hike taxes by a dollar-per-pack, but Beghin says increasing taxes on high-calorie sodas may increase awareness of the health issues associated with obesity.

“We need to start somewhere signaling to people that the current lifestyle is not that healthy,” Beghin says. “The soda tax may not be the best idea, but maybe a mild reminder you shouldn’t overconsume those products.” Berkeley, California’s “sin” tax on soda is a penny per ounce and it applies to syrups added to coffee as well as soft drinks. Diet cola is not subject to the city’s tax. Iowans, by the way, will consume 136 million gallons of soft drinks this year.

(Radio Iowa)

The race for Senator-Elect Joni Ernst’s vacated Iowa State Senate seat now has six contenders. According to the Daily NonPareil, Charla Schmid of Red Oak announced her candidacy on Friday, and will vie with five other candidates during the Republican Party’s special nominating convention Dec. 11th, in Clarinda.

The Harlan Police Department, Friday, released a report on arrests dating back nearly three-weeks. The most recent arrests include 38-year old Ryan Schechinger, of Harlan, who was arrested Monday (12/1), when officers were called to a domestic disturbance in the 3000 block of 12th Street. Schechinger was taken to the Shelby County jail where he was charged with domestic abuse assault for allegedly assaulting Shawn Schechinger, also of Harlan.

On Saturday, Nov. 29th: 31-year old Michael Gifford, of Harlan, was arrested on an active Shelby County warrant. Gifford was transported to the Shelby County jail without incident; 23-year old Jordyn Timmerman, of Harlan, was arrested following a traffic stop. Timmerman was charged with driving under suspension, operating a non-registered vehicle, and failure to show proof of insurance. Timmerman was cited and released; and 29-year old Jason Ostrus, of Earling, was arrested when officers were called to a domestic disturbance in the 1300 block of Garfield Avenue. Ostrus was taken into custody and taken to the Shelby County jail where he was charged with domestic abuse assault for allegedly assaulting Makayla Hammel, Harlan.

And on Nov. 27th, 18-year old David Poole, of Turin, was arrested when officers were called to a residence on Cheyenne Avenue for a vehicle that pulled into a driveway and left leaving tire marks on the driveway. The home owner also allegedly received a phone call asking how he liked the marks. The vehicle was located in the same area. Poole was taken into custody and transported to the Shelby County jail where he was charged with possession of a controlled substance, possession of drug paraphernalia, and criminal mischief. Poole was also cited for careless driving and failure to maintain safety belt.