(Corning, Iowa) – A traffic stop Wednesday at 175^th and Elm Streets in Adams County, resulted the arrest of two people on drug charges. According to the Adams County Sheriff’s Office, Curtis Tolbert Connell, of Eagleville, Missouri, and Vicky Dearing, of Osceola, were taken into custody.

Connell and Dearing both faces charges that include: Possession of a controlled substance/Methamphetamine; Possession of Meth with the intent to deliver; Possession of marijuana; Failure to affix a drug tax stamp, and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Connell was additionally charged with OWI, and cited for speeding as well as failure to provide proof of financial liability.

Jim Field visits with Ken Moorman about the Friends of the Atlantic Public Library Shred Day event on Saturday, April 9 from 9:00 am – 11:00 am.  The Boy Scouts will be helping, and you can help them Scout for Food by bringing along some canned food items to donate.

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(Atlantic, Iowa) – The Atlantic City Council, Wednesday, heard a request from the City’s Code Enforcement Officer, Kris Erickson, who suggested proposed changes to the City’s Code of Ordinances, with regard to Nuisance Abatement fees and fines. She said it’s been about six-years since the City has raised its prices for nuisance abatement’s, and they are seeing more abatement’s taking place. The last time they raised it, she said, they had less abatement’s to do, because people didn’t want those bills.

The City charges for services anytime a property owner fails to clean-up their property when requested to do so, fails to mow or clear their sidewalk, and other infractions of the Code.

Erickson spoke with Mayor Grace Garrett, and both agreed it is time to increase the fees because of the wear and tear on both the equipment and City employees who take care of the nuisance.

She says the fees are collected through an invoice from the City Clerk. The property owner has 30 days to set-up a payment plan or pay the bill. If they don’t it gets assessed to the property owner’s taxes and it is spread out over 10-years if the amount is over $500. The City Council was fully supportive of the proposed changes, which will be presented next to the Community Protection Committee for a more detailed review and recommendation. Councilman Dana Halder asked about changing the Mowing Ordinance. Currently, the Ordinance says grass must not be allowed to grow to 12-inches tall before it is declared a nuisance. That’s the highest allowed in the State. Halder suggested it be lowered to nine-inches. For comparison, Pella’s limit is six-inches, and their ordinance is highly enforced.

Erickson says she wouldn’t go lower than nine-inches, because they don’t have the employees to be constantly out mowing grass on problem properties.

On a separate note, Erickson showed to the Council some signs they would like to sell at the Atlantic Animal Shelter about the City’s “pooper scooper” law, when it comes to dog droppings on City sidewalks and grassy areas frequented by the public. Erickson said they would be sold not only as a fundraiser for the Shelter, and as a reminder for persons who don’t pick up and dispose of the droppings as required under the Code of Ordinances.

Atlantic Code Enforcement Office Kris Erickson w/one of the fundraising/ordinance reminder signs.

The Council gave its full blessing to move forward with the sale of the signs.

(Creston, Iowa) – Police in Creston report the arrest Wednesday, of 38-year-old Lee Ryan Fowler, of Creston. He was taken into custody for Violation of Probation, and transported to the Union County Jail. Fowler was being held without bond, pending an appearance before a Judge.

An attempted traffic stop a little before 1-a.m. today (Thursday), in northern Mills County, resulted in a pursuit that ended in Pottawattamie County and the arrest of a man from Nebraska. According to the Mills County Sheriff’s Department, a Deputy with the Sheriff’s Dept. K9 Unit attempted to conduct the traffic stop on a 2014 GMC Sierra pickup, that was without license plates. When the deputy activated his patrol vehicles’ emergency lights and sirens, the suspect pickup truck sped-off at speeds of more than 100 mph.

The pursuit went northbound on Wabash Avenue into Pott. County. Troopers with the Iowa State Patrol set up “stop sticks” at the intersection of Highway 92 and Wabash Avenue, but the pickup instead turned east on Valley View Drive, in an attempt to evade the tire puncturing device. The vehicle then drove through the dead end on Valley View Drive and crashed into a large embankment. While the male driver took off on foot, a female passenger in the vehicle was detained by the K9 Unit. Over 28 grams of methamphetamine was located near the crash site.

Tyler Evans (photo courtesy Mills County S/O)

After a brief foot chase, the Council Bluffs Police Department K9 “Rudy” was able to apprehend the suspect driver at the bottom of a creek spillway. Authorities say 27-year-old Tyler Keith Evans, of Omaha, was taken into custody and transported to Mercy Hospital, where he was treated for injuries to his hand. He was then transported to the Mills County Jail and is facing several felony charges, including: Felony Eluding; Possession of Meth w/the intent to deliver; Theft in the 1st Degree; and Failure to Affix a Drug Tax Stamp, along with other, misdemeanor offenses. Evans also had several warrants out for his arrest from Virginia, but they were non-extraditable in Iowa. His bond was set at $40,000.

The female passenger in truck was released with no criminal charges. Mills County Sheriff’s Deputies were assisted during the incident by the aforementioned Council Bluffs P-D K9 Unit and Iowa State Patrol, along with Pottawattamie County Sheriff’s Deputies.

Disclaimer: a Criminal charge is merely an accusation and the defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty.