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2 Des Moines residents charged with child endangerment

News

December 10th, 2023 by Ric Hanson

(DES MOINES, Iowa/KCCI) — Two Des Moines residents are behind bars after being sentenced for their role in injuring an infant last year. Frankie Honeyman and Cheyenne Swink pleaded guilty after a 4-week-old arrived at the hospital with multiple broken bones. Honeyman was sentenced to 15 years in prison for both child endangerment causing bodily injury and neglect of a dependent. Swink was sentenced to two years for aggravated misdemeanor. The bond on appeal is set at $100,000 for Honeyman and $50,000 for Swink.

 

ISU student cleared in assault/extortion case

News

December 10th, 2023 by Ric Hanson

(AMES, Iowa/KCCI) — One of the three Iowa State University students involved in a harassment case has been cleared. Tyler Ekstrom was charged with assault and extortion. He originally pleaded not guilty. Police say he and two other Farmhouse Fraternity members tried to force another member to perform a sex act and threatened to shoot that person with an airsoft gun if he didn’t do it. On Friday, a judge granted a motion to dismiss the charges against Ekstrom. Another member, Grant Kuehnast, was sentenced earlier in the week to two years probation and an $855 fine.

New C. Bluffs Police Chief says recruiting officers is his top priority

News

December 10th, 2023 by Ric Hanson

(Council Bluffs, Iowa/KETV) – The Council Bluffs Police Department is ending 2023 with a new police chief. Matt Davis was sworn in at a ceremony in late November. Davis is settling into his position as the top cop in Council Bluffs.  He previously worked for the Illinois State Police for 25 years and worked right under the chief there. With 2024 on the horizon, Davis already has goals for his 118 sworn officers. He already knows recruitment is a top priority. The chief said he’s ready to lead. Davis replaced Chief Tim Carmody, who retired earlier this year. Carmody spent 40 years with the department.

Creston man arrested on multiple charges early Sunday morning

News

December 10th, 2023 by Ric Hanson

(Creston, Iowa) – The Creston Police Department reports a man was arrested early this (Sunday) morning on multiple charges and a repeat charge. Authorities say 36-year-old Brandon Hurshel Whitfield, of Creston, was arrested at this residence on Five Union County Warrants and Probation Warrants. His original charges include: Violation of Probation/Domestic Abuse Assault (a simple misdemeanor)  – no bond; Violation of Probation/Eluding (a serious misdemeanor) – no bond; Possession of Controlled Substance/2nd Offense, and Possession of Controlled Substance/Marijuana-2nd offense, with a $2,000 cash-only bond; Violation of no Contact/Protection Order – $300 cash or surety bond; 2 counts of Violation of no contact/protective order, and Interference with Official Acts. Whitfield also face a new/additional charge of Interference with Official Acts. He was taken to the Union County Jail and was being held without bond.

A little before 10-p.m., Saturday, Creston Police arrested 28-year-old Joseph Jason Blakely-Luddington (no known address) at the Creston Union County LEC.  Blakely-Luddington was charged with Disorderly Conduct-Loud Raucous Noise. He was taken to the Union County Jail and held on a $300 cash or surety bond.

Skyscan Forecast for Atlantic & the Nishna Valley: Sunday, Dec. 10, 2023

Weather

December 10th, 2023 by Ric Hanson

Today: Increasing clouds, with a high near 39. Northwest wind 5 to 10 mph becoming south southwest in the afternoon.
Tonight: Partly cloudy, with a low around 19. Southeast wind around 6 mph.
Monday: Sunny, with a high near 44. East southeast wind 5 to 8 mph becoming west southwest in the afternoon.
Monday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 23. Southwest wind 6 to 9 mph becoming north northwest after midnight.
Tuesday: Partly sunny, with a high near 37. North northwest wind 6 to 9 mph.
Tuesday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 18.
Wednesday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 41.

Saturday’s High in Atlantic was 38. We received a trace of snow (just a light dusting). The Low was 19. Last year on this date, the High in Atlantic was 39 and the Low was 15. The Record High on December 10th in Atlantic, was 58 in 1891. The Record Low was -14 in 1917. Sunrise is at 7:35. Sunset at 4:50.

Audubon man dies in a Dallas County motorcycle accident

News

December 10th, 2023 by Ric Hanson

(Dawson, Iowa) – A man from Audubon County died Friday afternoon, when the motorcycle he was riding collided with a pickup truck west of Dawson, in northwestern Dallas County. The Iowa State Patrol reports a 2017 Dodge RAM pickup driven by 64-year-old Gary Bugger, of Boone, was traveling west on Highway 141 at around 1:30-p.m., and attempting to turn left onto C Avenue, and in doing so, turned into the path of an eastbound 2010 BMW motorcycle operated by 56-year-old Daniel Royce Beattie, of Audubon.

Beattie was ejected from his motorcycle during the collision. He landed in the south ditch and died at the scene.

The State Patrol was assisted at the scene and during the investigation, by the Dallas and Guthrie County Sheriff’s Departments, and the Dallas County Medical Examiner.

Trojan Girls Fall @ Nodaway Valley

Sports

December 9th, 2023 by admin

The Atlantic Trojan Girls team took a two-game winning streak on the road Saturday afternoon to the 14th ranked team in Class 2A in the Nodaway Valley Wolverines. The Trojans would get off to a nice quick start as sophomore guard Zoey Kirkhhoff would bury a triple to give the Trojans an early lead, but the Wolverines duo of Lindsey Davis and Izzy Eisbach would be too much for the Trojans to handle all night. Turnovers have been a problem for the Trojans to start the season averaging 31 per game and that continued early on as the Trojans had 15 turnovers in the first half that allowed the Wolverines to push the ball in transition and get open easy layups. Head Coach of the Trojans Dan Vargason said his team played timid to start the game.

The Trojans would respond with a much better second of playing team basketball and taking care of the basketball. Ther Trojans struggled to get going from behind the arc as team shooting just 2-15 on the night but were able to get the inside game going led by junior Paytn Harter who led the Trojans in scoring with 14 points. The Duo of Eisbach and Davis combined for 43 points as both went over the 20-point mark to help lead the Wolverines to a 68-31 victory improving to 4-0 on the season and the Trojans fall to 3-4. Coach Vargason said his team has to learn and take some things away from this game to help them improve.

The Trojans now 3-4 on the early season but will be back in action Tuesday night at home to take Kuemper Catholic in a girls/boy’s double header with the girls tipping off at 6:00pm at Atlantic High School.

 

Trojan basketball Grabs first win of the year

Sports

December 9th, 2023 by admin

The Atlantic Trojan boys basketball team had a dominating road victory, winning 72-35 to give Head Coach Dalton Franken his first win as Head Coach. The Trojans started on a 8-2 run and controlled the rest of the game. By halftime Atlantic was leading 41-16 and they never let their foot off the gas.

Atlantic was led by Colton Rassmussen who scored 27 points from multiple treys and Gavin McLaren with 14 points over five put backs. Coach Franken explained that while getting his first win was nice, he enjoyed the performance on the floor from his team more.

With the win, Coach Franken hopes the Trojans can carry the positive momentum and speed into Tuesday’s contest at home against Kuemper Catholic.

Atlantic is now 1-4 on the year and Nodaway Valley remains winless at 0-4.

Update: Search continues for missing Sac County man – timeline of his disappearance

News

December 9th, 2023 by Ric Hanson

(Sac County, Iowa) – The Sac County Sheriff’s Office, this (Saturday) afternoon, updated the status of the search for a missing Wall Lake man. Multiple agencies and the United Cajun Navy along with countless volunteers have aided in the search for 53-year-old David Schultz, who went missing late last month (November, 2023).
Here’s the timeline in his disappearance, as provided by the Sheriff’s Department:
November 21, 2023, at 2:23 PM, Sarah Schultz after learning that her husband David Schultz had not dropped a load of pigs off at Wieckman’s hog buying station in Sac City as scheduled that day called the Lake View Police and reported her husband missing after she was unable to make contact with him by telephone. David Schultz left his home around 7:00 PM on the evening of November 20, 2023. Schultz was scheduled to pick up a load of pigs in the Eagle Grove area and transport the pigs to Sac City.
At 3:04 PM on November 21, 2023, a Sac County Secondary Road employee reported to the Sac County Sheriff’s Office that there was a semi-tractor-trailer parked on the traveled portion of the road at the intersection of D-15 (190th Street) and N-14 (Union Ave.). It was reported that this semi had been sitting there since early morning. Responding deputies determined that it was David Schultz’s. The semi was shut off, and inside deputies found David Schutlz’s wallet and cell phone. David Schultz’s driver’s license was in the wallet. Investigators would later learn that nothing was missing from the wallet.

David Schultz

Over the next several hours, law enforcement searched the immediate area on foot and with a K-9. The Sac County Sheriff’s Office requested assistance from the Iowa State Patrol airwing unit. An airplane was dispatched from Iowa City that was equipped with forward-looking infra-red (FLIR). A state patrol pilot flew the surrounding area and did not detect a heat signature that would be consistent with a person. For the next two days, law enforcement, area firefighters, and volunteers expanded the ground search on foot and with the use of drones. Nothing of significant value was located.

Detectives from the Sac County Sheriff’s Office and the Lake View Police traveled to the Eagle Grove area and with assistance from the Wright County Sheriff’s Office, located the hog confinement that Schultz was scheduled to load from. Load crew members were interviewed, and load records were obtained. Investigators learned that Schultz had picked up his load but had been late to arrive and he was the last truck loaded. Schultz left at about 10:50 PM.
Investigators obtained video footage of David Schultz at 11:15 PM on November 21, 2023, at the MM126 truck stop east of Fort Dodge on Hwy 20. Schultz is there for 16 minutes before leaving the truck stop. He is then seen on a DOT camera on Hwy 20 west of MM 126 truck stop heading west. This was the last time David Schultz was seen. Cell phone data obtained from David Schult’s phone corroborates this timeline.
Cell phone data also shows investigators that Schultz travels across Hwy to the intersection of Hwy 20 & Hwy 71 junction. There was not any usable video from the DOT camera at Hwy 4 and Hwy 20, and there is no video of Schultz stopping at the truck stop at Hwy 4. Cell phone shows Schultz’s phone arrives at Hwy 20 & 71 at about 12:18 AM. The data shows the phone traveling north to where the truck was found. Data suggests the truck may have been there since 12:40 AM on November 21, 2023.
Video surveillance from an area business was obtained near Wieckman Hog Buying station. This video shows that David Schultz never made it to Wieckman’s. Law enforcement has searched for additional video footage from Eagle Grove to Fort Dodge but has not located any.
The Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation has assisted with a forensic search of David Schultz’s phone. They have also confirmed that David Schultz has not legally gone through a US Bordering Crossing. Information was received that a person named David Schultz had a one-way flight from Minneapolis to Phoenix, AZ on the late afternoon of November 21, 2023. Working with Minneapolis Airport Police and the airline, it was determined after viewing video footage of the gate and receiving ticketing information, that it was not the David Schultz that is missing. DCI continues to assist in the examination of other digital evidence that has been obtained or requested through a subpoena or search warrant.
Over 100-thousand acres have been searched by the United Cajun Navy and many volunteers. As of the time of the latest press release today (Saturday, 12/9/23), David Schultz has not been located. Agencies that have assisted the Sac County Sheriff’s Office, Lake View Police Dept., and Sac County Attorney’s Office are the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation, Iowa State Patrol, Wright County Sheriff’s Office, and Minneapolis, MN Police.
Anyone with any information is asked to contact the Sac County Sheriff’s Office at 712-662-7127 or your local law enforcement agency.

Hawkeyes Cruise Past Columbia, 38-3

Sports

December 9th, 2023 by Asa Lucas

IOWA CITY, Iowa – The fourth-ranked University of Iowa men’s wrestling team won nine of 10 matches to cruise to a 38-3 victory over Columbia on Friday night on Mediacom Mat inside Carver-Hawkeye Arena.  The Hawkeyes posted seven bonus point wins and had a 37-3 advantage in takedowns in the dual.

“We have to be steady and keep looking to put the best ingredients on the mat for this team” said head coach Tom Brands. “Whatever the ingredients are, those are the ones that need to be on that mat.”

The victory moves Iowa’s dual record to 5-0 heading into Big Ten Conference action in January.  The Hawkeyes next competition will be the Soldier Salute at Xtream Arena on Dec. 29-30.

“We have to keep looking to put the best team on the mat,” said Brands. “It isn’t rocket science to say we need 10 weight classes contributing. That’s what we’re looking for.”

Of Note…

  • Jared Franek’s winning streak moved to 10 consecutive victories.
  • Caleb Rathjen and Bradley Hill recorded the first victory of their careers in Carver-Hawkeye Arena.
  • Eight of Caliendo’s nine victories have been via bonus points this season.
  • Iowa had a 15-0 advantage in back points and a 140-39 advantage in total match points.

#4 Iowa 38, Columbia 3

125 – #17 Drake Ayala (UI) tech. fall Nick Babin (CU), 18-3 (3:32)

133 – Cullan Schriever (UI) dec. #11 Angelino Rini (CU), 9-6 (OT)

141 – No. 1 Real Woods (UI) tech. fall Kai Owen (CU), 17-2 (3:00)

149 – Caleb Rathjen (UI) major dec. Richard Fedalen (CU), 15-3

157 – #2 Jared Franek (UI) dec. Jaden Le (CU), 9-5

165 – #7 Michael Caliendo (UI) major dec. Kyle Mosher (CU), 18-5

174 – #14 Patrick Kennedy (UI) tech fall Garrett Bilgrave (CU), 20-3 (3:45)

184 – Aaron Ayzerov (CU) dec. Aiden Riggins (UI), 4-2

197 – #18 Zach Glazier (UI) major dec. Jack Wehmeyer (CU), 14-2

285 – Bradley Hill (UI) tech fall. Billy McChesney (CU), 19-4 (5:00)