The Cass County Sheriff’s Office says a Cumberland man was arrested Friday night on charges of OWI/2nd offense and Eluding. During the chase, one of the deputies involved in trying to box 51-year old Brian Lee Smith’s vehicle in, reported the man allegedly tried to hit his cruiser. Smith was taken to the Cass County Jail and later released on his own recognizance.

On Saturday, 19-year old Michael Boyd Vyzourek, of Atlantic, was arrested on a warrant out of Colorado. Vyzourek was taken to the Cass County Jail where he was being held awaiting extradition. That same day, 32-year old Ryan Vincent Lee Richards,  of Elk Horn, NE, was arrested on a Cass County warrant for Failure to Appear. Richards was taken to the Cass County Jail where he was released the following day on $2000 bond.

In other news from the Cass County Sheriff’s Department, 44-year old Steven Paul Winebrenner, of Atlantic, was arrested January 9th, after deputies responded to a report of a one-vehicle accident on Front Street in Atlantic. As a result of the accident, Winebrenner was arrested on charges of OWI 1st Offense and Driving Under Suspension. He was brought to the Cass County Jail where he was released the following day on his own recognizance.

And, on January 10th,  the Cass County Sheriff’s deputies arrested 27-year old Kristy Lynn Bender, of Council Bluffs, on a warrant out of Nebraska warrant. Bender waived extradition on January 12th,  and was released to Nebraska authorities the next day.

A college student from northwest Iowa who vanished last fall is now believed to be a homicide victim. The body of a former Sioux City man who’s been missing for two months was discovered over the weekend in Arizona. Tucson police say they found the remains of 21-year-old Jordan Alexander Peterson on Friday in a remote area of undeveloped desert. Peterson was living in Arizona and was last heard from on November 16th. Authorities found his truck, keys and cellphone two days later in Tucson. Investigators say the case is considered a homicide. An autopsy will be performed to determine the cause of Peterson’s death.

(Radio Iowa)

The Atlantic Police Department says an Atlantic man was arrested Friday. 23-year old Joseph Fredericksen was taken into custody on a warrant for violating his probation. Fredericksen was booked into the Cass County Jail and held pending a court appearance.

And, no injuries were reported following an accident Friday morning. According to the Atlantic Police Department, Susan Giasson, of Harlan, was cited for Failure to Obey a Stop sign, after he vehicle collided with a vehicle driven by Tisha Mendenhall, of Atlantic. The accident happened just after 8-a.m., at 6th and Olive Streets. Officials say Giasson was traveling west on 6th Street as Mendenhall was traveling south on Olive. When Giasson failed to stop at the intersection, her car struck Mendenhall’s vehicle, and came to rest against a power pole. Damage from the mishap amounted to $5,000. No injuries were reported.

BLENCOE, Iowa (AP) – A missing financial report with the Iowa state auditor means Blencoe has no legal authority to collect property taxes this fiscal year. The slip-up is shaving the western Iowa town’s $200,000 operating budget by about a-third. The missing form is a report from the 2010 fiscal year. All Iowa cities produce a report wrapping up the previous fiscal year. Then they draw up budgets, identifying tax rates for the coming year estimating how much revenue they plan to collect. While Blencoe filed its budget on time, it lacked the previous year’s financial report.  State officials say without a financial report, there’s no budget.  And, without a budget, Blencoe can’t collect taxes.  Blencoe is considering a loan and using future taxes to pay it off.

The Fremont County Sheriff’s Office reports a Shenandoah man and an unidentified passenger in his vehicle were transported to the Shenandoah Hospital, following a rollover accident last week, east of Imogene. Officials say Christopher Dyer, of Shenandoah, was traveling east on 120th Street, just west of Highway 59 last Wednesday, when the 1999 Toyota Tacoma he was driving went out of control due to icy road conditions. The pickup went into the north ditch and rolled onto its top.

That same day, a semi traveling on northbound Interstate 29 near mile marker 14, jack-knifed due to slick road conditions. The rig was driven by Lassine Bamba, of Stone Mountain, GA. No injuries were reported. And, a pickup driven by Aslan Golant, of Lexena, KS, rolled into the median of I-29 southbound, just two-miles north of the state line, Wednesday. That accident was also a result of slick road conditions, and no injuries were reported. The Fremont County Sheriff’s Office said also, that on Thursday, a vehicle driven by Terry Owens, of Shenandoah, went out of control due to slick road conditions on Waubonsie Avenue, in Fremont County. The 2007 Hyundai Elantra rolled into a ditch, but Owens was able to drive the vehicle out of the ditch and make his way to Tabor, where he reported the accident to the police department. There were no injuries reported.

Sheriff’s officials in Harrison County say one person died during a large grass fire in rural Harrison County, Sunday. Magnolia and Logan Fire Departments were called to the scene of the fire in rural Harrison County just after 6-p.m.  Officials say 83-year old Miles James Barnhart, of rural Magnolia, was found dead at his residence on Minot Place. Barnhart was apparently attempting to put out the fire, when he fell down and was overcome by the smoke and flames. Authorities say the fire started in a burn barrel, but spread to dry grass. The two fire departments were able to put out the grass fire with no damage to any structures.

(Joel McCall/KNOD)