(Radio Iowa) – A second man has been found guilty in the October, 2021 death of David McDowell, whose body was found on a rural road outside of Estherville. A jury found Cejay Van Der Wilt guilty of involuntary manslaughter after hearing testimony from Connor Uhde and Brady Salberg, who were described in the courtroom as accomplices. Prosecutors were seeking a first degree murder conviction.

In a closing statement, prosecutor Maureen Hughes said it was Van Der Wilt that implemented and carried out a plan to kill David McDowell. She said Van Der Wilt, along with Connor Uhte and others, lured McDowell to an apartment in Estherville. McDowell was then driven to a rural area outside of Estherville. He was shot in the neck with a shotgun. Defense attorney Mike Adams said there was conflicting testimony from Uhte and Brady Salberg, who were in the car with Van Der Wilt and McDowell. The defense attorney told the jury the testimony from accomplices cannot be used to corroborate one another. Involuntary manslaughter is a Class D felony that carries a sentence of up to five years in prison.

Connor Uhde, who testified against Van Der Wilt during the trial, had earlier pleaded guilty to attempted murder and third degree kidnapping. He faces up to 25 years in prison. Brady Salberg, the other man who testified against Van Der Wilt this week, has never been charged in connection with McDowell’s death. McDowell was 20 years old when he was killed.

[COUNCIL BLUFFS; 3:39-p.m.] – Officials with the Pottawattamie County Sheriff’s Office 9-1-1 Communications Center were informed Wednesday afternoon, that the Verizon Wireless 9-1-1 service outage has been restored.

Verizon Wireless customers in Pottawattamie County may now directly dial “9-1-1” to call for emergency assistance.

No additional information has been provided to local officials regarding the cause or nature of the outage at this time.
Emergency Management urges all residents to sign up for Alert Iowa emergency notifications at https://pcema-ia.org.

During emergencies or critical events, communication is key, and the Alert Iowa system is our primary method of distributing alerts and information.

The City of Atlantic yard waste site has been closed until further notice due to the dry weather and windy conditions. City officials made the announcement on Wednesday afternoon and they thank the public for their understanding.

The Crawford County town of Ricketts was being evacuated early this (Wednesday) afternoon, due to a huge field fire north of Highway 141, headed towards Ricketts. Authorities are advising people to please stay clear of the area. Roads were being shut down.

Fields and bales were reportedly burning in the area. Multiple fire departments were requested to help contain the spread of the flames. The smoke was making for limited visibility, including as far north as Cherokee.

No further details are available at this time.

(Radio Iowa) – A teenager faces a felony gun charge after a shooting in Fort Dodge last (Tuesday) night. Tuesday night around 8:30, the Webster County Telecommunications Center received a call of shots fired at an apartment complex in Fort Dodge. The caller said several shots had been fired and gave dispatchers a description of a vehicle seen leaving the area. Shortly after, police located a vehicle that matched the description.

Police say they found a gun and one of the people in the vehicle was taken into custody. The 17-year-old has been charged with Possession of Firearm by a Felon, which is a class D felony.

According to a news release from the Fort Dodge Police Department, the juvenile — who is male — is being held in the Central Iowa Juvenile Detention facility in Eldora.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – Cass County Auditor Kathy Somers advises residents that their polling locations for the November 8th general election may have changed in 2022, due to redistricting following the 2020 census.

Voters are encouraged to confirm their polling location prior to election day using a map of precincts or by going to the Cass County Auditor’s website which offers a link where voters can find their polling place by entering their address at
https://www.casscountyia.gov/county-departments/auditors-office/.

Polls will be open from 7:00 a.m. until 8:00 p.m.

Police in Council Bluffs report an officer on patrol a little before 2-a.m. today (Wednesday), in the area of the Target Store (3706 Metro Drive), in Council Bluffs, noticed a vehicle traveling behind the store. The Officer called for other Officers to assist in checking the vehicle. As the other Officers arrived, they saw 42-year-old Christopher Rae Holz, of Lewis (IA), by a storage container.

Authorities say it appeared as though Holz was trying to make entry into the store. When he was ordered to stop, Holz fled on foot and refused orders to stop. He was eventually taken into custody. On his person, Holz was in possession of 42.5 grams of methamphetamine. 

He was booked into the Pottawattamie County Jail on charges that include:

• Conspiracy with Intent to Manufacture/Deliver Meth over 5g but under 5 kg;
• Eluding a Police Officer;
• Failure to affix a drug tax stamp for 42.5 grams or more.

(Radio Iowa) – Iowans are now able to open enroll under the Affordable Care Act Marketplace. Federal data shows more than 72-thousand Iowans enrolled in health care plans through the marketplace last year. Iowa Insurance Commissioner Doug Ommen says enrollment in marketplace plans has risen in recent years as more options became available. Ommen says Iowans who haven’t done this before should talk to marketplace navigators or contact the Iowa Insurance Division for help.

Ommen says, “We would encourage all Iowans, if they’re new into the market, that they need to make some effort to talk to somebody that can provide some help to them.” He says Iowans who are interested in enrolling in a plan shouldn’t wait. “We encourage people to don’t delay on their decision,” Ommen says. “Get the decision made and get things sort of locked in. That will impact the coverage in those early months, so it’s really important to get things settled, in my view, before the end of the year.”

Iowans who are interested in signing up for a plan or need help doing so can go to healthcare-dot-gov. Open enrollment opened Tuesday and runs through January 15th.