The Iowa DOT reports that as of 5:56-p.m., Interstate 80 eastbound between Exit 29: County Road L66 (near Minden) and Exit 34: County Road M16 (near Shelby), has reopened to both lanes of traffic. One lane had been closed since just before 3-p.m. due to a motorcycle accident. Details concerning the accident are not currently available.

The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office reports the arrest today (Thursday) of Michelle Neville of Red Oak on a valid Montgomery County warrant for a violation of probation. Neville is currently being held at the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office on $7,500 bond.

Arraignment in the case of a former Harlan teacher charged with felony Sexual Exploitation by a School Employee and and Aggravated Serious Misdemeanor charge of Assault with Intent to Commit Sexual Abuse, is scheduled to take place later this month.

Lee Nelson

According to online court records, 72-year old Lee Gordon Nelson, of Harlan, is scheduled to appear in Shelby County District Court on August 26th. His trial will take place October 29th.  Nelson plead not guilty to charges on July 26th. He remains free on $7,000 bond.  If convicted on both charges, Lee faces up to seven-years in prison and fines amounting to nearly $14,000.

According to the Iowa DCI, a 17 year old female and her parents contacted Harlan police on May 30th, 2013, to report that since October, 2012, Nelson had been saying rude and inappropriate things to the victim, as well as touching her inappropriately. The incidents allegedly occurred at school, on band trips and at his residence.

Nelson was employed with the Harlan Community School District for 35 years, before the school board accepted his resignation on April 22nd.

The 17-year old son of a southwest Iowa School Superintendent is facing sexual abuse and kidnapping charges. According to KETV in Omaha, Kreighton Elwood, son of Treynor Community School District Superintendent Kevin Elwood, has been charged with two counts of 3rd Degree Sexual Abuse and one count of Kidnapping.

The teen is accused of forcibly removing one victims clothes and fondling her in his truck, covering her mouth with his hand to keep her quiet, and preventing her from leaving the vehicle. In a separate case, Elwood is accused of trying to rip off a victim’s underwear and forcing her to touch him inappropriately.

The alleged incidents date back to November 2012. Elwood turned himself in to Pottawattamie County authorities on July 11th. Afterward he was booked and given pre-trial release. A judge signed-off on trial information, Thursday morning. Online court records indicate the teen has a court appearance set for September 3rd and a trial date set for October 29th. If found guilty, Elwood faces up to 10-years in prison for each of the alleged felony sexual assaults, and life in prison without parole, for felony 1st degree kidnapping.

Treynor school officials say Elwood is a senior at the school and he has been placed in an alternative education program.

The Iowa Department of Transportation reports (As of 2:58-p.m.), Interstate 80 eastbound is partially blocked due to an accident between Exit 29 – County Road L66 (near Minden) and Exit 34 – County Road M16 (near Shelby). The left lane is blocked. No other details are currently available.

Bad bearings on a wagon caused the vehicle being pulled by a tractor to tip over and spill its load Wednesday afternoon, in Page County. The Sheriff’s Office reports a 2004 John Deere 7920 tractor operated by 33-year old Jay Crom, of Malvern, was traveling west on Highway 2 just east of C Avenue at around 3:40-p.m., when the wheel bearings on a Parker 4-wheel wagon it was pulling failed. The wagon dropped onto the road, turned over onto its side and spilled its load onto the road.

The wagon was totaled during the accident. It was valued at $15,000. The Page County road sustained an estimated $5,000 damage. There were no injuries, and no citations issued.

The rain was a much welcomed event across southwest Iowa overnight and early this (Thursday) morning, but a southwest Iowa teen probably wishes it hadn’t rained quite so much. The Page County Sheriff’s Office says 17-year old Koreen Polsley, of Essex, suffered minor injuries, when the car she was driving crashed after it hydroplaned on standing water in tire tracks on a gravel road.

The 2000 Pontiac Grand Am was traveling north on H Avenue at around 6:30-a.m., when it went out of control, slid sideways on a washboard gravel road, entered a ditch and struck a tree. The car then spun around and slide over other, smaller trees before coming to rest on another small tree.

Polsley was transported by private vehicle to the Shenandoah Memorial Hospital. Officials say standing water in the tire tracks and the washboard road conditions created by previously dry conditions, contributed to the crash. Damage to the vehicle amounted to $2,000. No citations were issued.