A U-S District Court Judge in Pottawattamie County, Wednesday, sentenced 27-year old Nicholas M. Malone, of Onawa, to 5-years in prison for being a felon in possession of a firearms andpossession of stolen firearms. The U-S Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa, says  Judge John A. Jarvey also sentenced Malone to three years of supervised release, following completion of his sentence.

Malone entered his guilty pleas on February 23, 2016, to illegally possessing stolen
firearms, based on his arrest on June 5, 2015, by the Council Bluffs Police Department. At the time of his arrest, Malone was operating a stolen pick-up truck and was found to be in possession of methamphetamine, drug paraphernalia, a loaded .40 caliber hand-gun, a Tikka .204 Rifle, and assorted ammunition. The firearms and ammunition had been reported stolen from Oakland, Iowa prior to Malone’s arrest.

The matter was investigated by the Council Bluffs Police Department, with support from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives. The case was prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa.

A call about a “Suspicious person” at a rest area off Interstate 80 in western Iowa resulted in the arrest of a Washington State man, Wednesday. Trooper Mike Miller with the Iowa State Patrol in Council Bluffs, told KJAN News the call came in at around 11-a.m. A Trooper who responded to the scene encountered the suspicious person and ultimately placed him under arrest for disorderly conduct and interference with official acts. The man’s vehicle was towed. During an inventory of the vehicle, authorities located items that appeared to be of an explosive nature.

Officials contacted the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives [ATF], State Fire Marshal’s Office and FBI. Other agencies responding to the scene include the Bureau of Narcotics Enforcement, Underwood Fire and Rescue, Department of Transportation.

The items in the vehicle were examined, and determined to be an explosive device. The device was detonated in a controlled environment at the rest area. The vehicle was removed from the scene and the subject was subsequently charged with possession of explosive devices. He was booked into the Pottawattamie County Jail.

The suspect identified himself as Christopher T. Peak, of Seattle, Washington. Trooper Miller said Peak has not been cooperating with investigators. Miller said the interstate was shut down in both direction for several hours while the explosives were being removed and safely detonated.

Miller said the incident remains under investigation, while authorities work to confirm the suspects’ identity, track down where the explosive devices came from, and how Peak came into possession of those devices. They also hope to determine his motive for possessing the explosives.

Police in Creston say a resident in the 600 block of W. Adams Street reported Wednesday night, that someone had stolen a red, BMX bike from the porch of her residence. The theft occurred sometime between May 31^st and June 1^st.  The loss was estimated at $130.

A man from Washington State was arrested Wednesday afternoon after authorities investigated a suspicious object inside his vehicle parked at a rest area off Interstate 80, near Underwood. According to Omaha television station WOWT, Christopher Peak was arrested on charges that include Interference with Official Acts, Disorderly Conduct, and Possession of Explosive Device.

His arrest followed the search of his vehicle, during which a commercial explosive device was found and safely detonated. Authorities said Peak was charged with disorderly conduct after he allegedly became combative with law enforcement.

The incident began at around 11-a.m., Wednesday, and resulted in the westbound rest stop being evacuated and closed for several hours.

The Atlantic City Council, Wednesday, approved a Resolution “Authorizing bids for the 2016 Street and Alley Improvements.” Snyder and Associates Engineer Dave Sturm said bid-letting for the projects will begin later this month. Sturm said their intention is to have the work completed late this summer or early fall. The projects were finalized for the Fiscal Year 2016 Capital Improvement plan. Slightly more than 1-million dollars for the projects will be financed by the 2016 bond. One-half-million dollars will be used from the Local Option Sales Tax Capital Improvement Streets fund to pay for the remaining projects.

The Council also approved, by a vote of 5-to 1, with Councilman Dana Halder opposed,   a change order pertaining to storm water improvements for the Nishna Hills Golf Course. Sturm explained this was the second change order for the project. The change amounted to an additional $3,293.95. He said that includes 46-square yards of cart path, excavation and grading and miscellaneous removal work. 20-cubic yards of dirt had to be brought in to close the project out.

The Atlantic City Council, Wednesday, also approved a Resolution in support of Home Base Iowa, a public/private partnership initiative. Cass-Atlantic Development Corporation (CADCO) President Pat McCurdy, explained Home Base Iowa serves to assist veterans and transitioning service members, back into the community and work force, and give them a place to call “home.”

He says their talents are especially needed here in Cass County, where employers are looking for mid-level workers (Such as electricians, welders and other, skilled labor), whose with skills that can be put to use right away. He said veterans are used to a structured environment and are perfect for those types of positions.

Dan Mehman, a local financial advisor, is spear-heading the local Home Base Iowa initiative. He said to date, 38 communities in Iowa have passed a similar resolution in support of the initiative. The Cass County Board of Supervisors last month passed a resolution of support for the program. Each community in the County must do the same in order for Cass County to be designated a Home Base Iowa County.

And, Mayor Dave Jones signed an order Proclaiming June 13th through the 17th as SWITA’s Ride Transit Week. The Southwest Iowa Transportation Association (SWITA) provides reasonably-priced rides for persons in need (55-thousand rides were provided last year alone, in Atlantic). Daurine Petersen, Outreach Specialist for the SWITA, says as a kick-off celebration of the designation, there will be a mobile unit serving cupcakes from a specialty baker in Des Moines, from 1-to 4-p.m. (or until they last) on Tuesday, June 7th in the SWIPCO parking lot on the west side of Atlantic.