The Cass County Sheriff’s Office says a Guthrie County man was arrested Saturday night following a brief chase. 25-year old Simon Lee McAlister, of Guthrie Center, was arrested after his vehicle went out of control and ended-up against an embankment. McAlister was arrested on  Felony Eluding and OWI 1^st Offense charges. He was also arrested for Failure to Have SR-22 Insurance, and he was cited for Excessive Speed, Failure to Maintain Control, and Violation of a Restricted License. McAlister was taken to the Cass County Jail where he is being held on $7500 bond.

The Sheriff’s Department reports also 46-year old Philip Reed Thompson, of Lewis, was arrested Sunday, on charges of Public Intox and Criminal Mischief 5^th Degree. Thompson was taken to the Cass County Jail where he pled guilty later that day and was released.

And, on Friday, 33-year old Timothy James Kroening, of St. Paul, MN, was arrested on a Possession of a Controlled Substance charge, after a deputy investigated a report of a possibly unconscious man in a vehicle on a gravel road north of Atlantic. Kroening was also cited for Open Container. He was brought to the Cass County Jail and released the following day on $1500 bond.

The judge in the case of a Lewis man charged with the sexual abuse of a 14-year old girl has approved expanded media coverage of the trial. Fourth District Court Judge Kathleen Kilnoski this (Monday) morning granted permission for KJAN News and other media outlets to record certain segments of the trial as allowed by law, and take still pictures without the use of flash, despite objections by witnesses, and the attorney for 52-year old Roger Allen Ericksen.

Ericksen faces two Aggravated Misdemeanor charges of Assault with the intent to commit Sexual Abuse, two counts of Lascivious Conduct with a Minor (A Serious Misdemeanor), and 46 Class-C felony counts of Sexual Abuse in the 3rd degree. Jury selection in his trial is slated to begin at 9:30-a.m. Tuesday, with opening statements at around 1-p.m.

Ericksen was arrested in December 2011, following an on-going investigation into allegations he had sexual contact with a teenaged girl over a two-month period of time in May of 2011. He’s plead not guilty to the charges.

The trial is expected to last about three-days.

SIOUX CITY, Iowa (AP) – Authorities say a 27-year-old man has admitted distributing methamphetamine in the western Iowa city of Denison.  Prosecutors say Antonio Lara-Pantoja, of Denison, pleaded guilty in federal court in Sioux City to a drug conspiracy charge. He was arrested on March 26, 2011, after officers found nearly 4 grams of meth in his vehicle.

Investigators say Lara-Pantoja sold meth in Denison from January through March last year after obtaining it in Omaha, Neb. He faces a minimum of five years and a maximum of 40 years in prison. His sentencing hasn’t been scheduled yet.

The city council will look at suspending the rules covering nude dancing in Sioux City at their meeting tonight. Mayor Bob Scott says the action is related to an Iowa Supreme Court ruling. “Which basically says that cities can’t license dancers and dance establishments, and so what we’re doing is just putting a hold on our ordinance, we’re not going to enforce. And all the cities are going together and asking the legislature to clarify what the law should be and to allow us to continue to license those facilities,” Scott says.

Last month, the Iowa Supreme Court ruled the city of Hamburg that it cannot enforce an ordinance that prohibits a local business from allowing semi-nude lap dances because state law pre-empts the ordinance. The city in 2008 had passed a local ordinance that requires semi-nude dancers to remain more than six feet away from customers. The owners of a property that leases space to a place known as “Shotgun Geniez” sued the city. They claimed the ordinance eliminates lap dances — one of the major reasons patrons go to the club. The court found Iowa law pre-empts local obscenity ordinances and that nude dancing falls within the state’s obscene materials statute, which prohibits cities from regulating obscenity.

Scott says the ruling keeps cities from regulating nude dancing, “Because as it is now, if you don’t want to serve liquor, you can have nude dancing and call it a dance theater.” He says the Iowa Legislature would have to pass a new law to allow cities to enforce restrictions on nude dancing.

The man who authorities say robbed the Shelby County State Bank late last Thursday morning did not display a weapon during the robbery. Shelby County Sheriff Mark Hervey told KJAN News 48-year old Larry Tiarks did however, produce a note during the incident, which occurred at around 11:45-a.m., Thursday. The note contained specific information as to what he wanted the teller to do. Hervey says Tiarks was wearing sunglasses and a ball cap.

Hervey said Tiarks was a regular customer at the bank.  Even so, the teller on duty did not recognize him. A deputy who was on-duty and in the City of Shelby at the time of the robbery, observed a vehicle leaving the city, that matched the description of the suspect’s vehicle. Sheriff Hervey said they had no idea at the time, that Tiarks was the suspect.  The deputy engaged in a pursuit of the vehicle, which traveled east of Shelby to the 200-block of Juniper Road. The chase ended after Tiarks left his vehicle and entered a rural residence. Sheriff Hervey says the deputies who went to the front door of the residence retreated once Tiarks appeared before them.

He says they thought they saw a weapon in his hand when Tiarks appeared at the patio doors, but that was never confirmed. Sheriff’s officials along with those from surrounding counties and the Iowa State Patrol established a perimeter around the residence. At around 4-p.m., the Iowa State Patrol Tactical Entry Team, using specialized equipment from the FBI, made entry into the home. When the entered the home, they found Tiarks inside, dead from a “Self-inflicted wound.” For the sake of the family, Hervey would not elaborate on how Tiarks died.

Hervey says its still not clear what motivated Tiarks to rob the bank. He says they’re looking at several different avenues of explanation, but right now, they are “At a loss.”

As expected this time of year, the Iowa Department of Public Health (IDPH) is receiving an increasing number of bat-related rabies calls. These calls usually peak in August and September. According to the Department of Natural Resources, these are the months when interactions between humans and bats typically increase because of bat migration and increased mobility and traveling of young bat pups. So far in 2012, 11 rabid bats have been reported to IDPH.  One case was reported in Mills County. There have been no human rabies cases. There have also been reported cases of skunks having rabies. The IDPH says one each was reported in Cass and Guthrie Counties.

Rabies is a deadly virus spread to people from the saliva of infected animals, usually through an animal bite. The most common carriers of rabies in Iowa are bats and skunks, although many different species of animals can be infected with rabies. IDPH Public Health Veterinarian, Dr. Ann Garvey says “Rabies in humans is 100 percent preventable through prompt, appropriate medical care.” According to Garvey, ” If you think you might have been exposed to rabies, you should clean the wound immediately and then contact your health care provider.”

Bat bites can be visibly undetectable and therefore, if you have any physical contact with a bat, you should wash the exposed area thoroughly with soap and water. If possible, the bat should be captured and tested for rabies. If capture is not possible, you should seek medical attention. Additionally, if a bat is found in the same room as an unattended child, a sleeping person, or anyone who cannot reliably communicate what happened, this is considered a potential bat exposure, and medical attention should be sought.

There is a common misconception that you cannot legally kill bats in homes. This is not true. If you encounter a bat in your home, you may kill it in order to have it tested for rabies. This will help determine if you need to get the rabies shots.

For more information about rabies, visit www.idph.state.ia.us/Cade/DiseaseIndex.aspx?disease=Rabies.