IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) – Authorities have identified the suspects who allegedly robbed a bank and shot and wounded two police officers during a high-speed chase as two young men from northeastern Iowa.

Jeremiah Mumford

The Iowa Department of Public Safety said Wednesday that 24-year-old Jeremiah Mumford, of New Hampton, is charged with six counts of attempted murder and five counts of terrorism. His alleged accomplice, 19-year-old William Clayton of Osage, is charged with aiding and abetting and five counts of terrorism.

William Clayton

Both men made initial court appearances and are being held in the Bremer County Jail.

Special Agent Larry Hedlund of the Division of Criminal Investigation says the suspects used multiple rifles and handguns to shoot at police who were pursuing them after Tuesday’s bank robbery in Maynard. He called it a “running gun battle.”

The Cass County Board of Supervisors this (Wednesday) morning, approved the hiring of two new employees. The action came during their meeting in Atlantic.  The Board approved the hiring of Brandi Wittrock as a part-time Driver’s License Examiner at a rate of $15 per hour. Wittrock, a Walnut High School graduate, lives in Atlantic with her husband and two daughters, will work in the County Treasurer’s Office. The Board also approved the hiring of Krista Wessling, as a full-time Legal Administrative Assistant for the Cass County Attorney’s Office, effective November 5^th. Wessling will also be paid $15-per hour.

And, the Board approved a request from the Cass County Historical Society, a non-profit organization, for an exemption from paying taxes on a property at 410 Main Street in Griswold. The exemption is for the January 1^st, 2012 valuation. Auditor Dale Sunderman explained in the motion placed before the board, why the exemption was allowable.

He said the CCHS had filed and been granted an exemption for future years beginning with January 1^st, 2013. The organization became owners of the property prior to July 1^st, 2012, but did not receive title to the property until March 22, 2012, therefore the group was unable to file for the exemption prior to the February 1^st, 2012 deadline. The application for exemption was filed instead on April 1^st, which Sunderman said was in as timely manner as feasible.

Gasoline prices are -not- fluctuating in Iowa in the wake of the so-called super-storm. Six oil refineries on the East Coast cut production or closed prior to Hurricane Sandy’s arrival on Monday night. That’s usually cause for gas prices going up, but it hasn’t happened. Rose White, at Triple-A-Iowa, says production is halted at those refineries, but demand is also down significantly since so many roadways and airports shut down temporarily.  “Gasoline demand at this time of year is usually near 8.5-million barrels per day but it’s likely to be at least one-million barrels per day lower for the next several days because of the shutdown in operations,” White says. “This drop in demand has the potential to pressure pump prices lower, especially in regions like the Gulf Coast, which normally supplies products to the East Coast but will not feel the direct effects of the storm.”

White says gas prices in Iowa will likely remain stable or fall slightly through Election Day but that could change, depending on the amount of damage, which is being estimated in the tens of billions. So far though, pump prices aren’t budging. “A big part of that is because of the downturn in the demand we’re expecting to see as a result of this storm,” White says. “Remember, this is a very densely populated area and with the shutdown of the airline operations as well as people staying home, that’s certainly going to create a big lowering of demand for fuel products in that region of the country.” The average price for a gallon of gas in Iowa is three-38. That’s down from three-49 a week ago and three-81 a month ago. Iowa’s current average gas price is 14-cents below the national average.

(Radio Iowa)

(Update 11-a.m. Wed.)

The Cass County Sheriff’s Office says a Union County man escaped injury after the pickup he was driving left the road and caught fire Tuesday evening. 56-year old Dennis James Case, of Creston, was traveling on Oxford Road, between 640th and 650th Streets, when he fell asleep at the wheel of his 2001 Chevy S-10 pickup. The vehicle entered the ditch and caught the dry grass on fire. The flames consumed the truck, which was considered to be a total loss. Case was cited for Failure to Maintain Control and No Proof of Insurance. Officials say the accident, which happened at around 6:30-p.m., remains under investigation.