A traffic stop on Friday evening in Fremont County led to an arrest and the discovery of over 11 pounds of methamphetamine.

The Fremont County Sheriff’s Office reports a 2019 Dodge Ram was stopped at approximately 5:12 p.m. on Friday in the area of Knox Road and Bluff Road near Sidney for a traffic violation. Fremont County K9 Roby was deployed during the stop and a search of the vehicle uncovered the methamphetamine concealed inside the vehicle. The driver, 21-year-old Humberto Mancinas of Sidney, was placed under arrest.

A search was then conducted at Mancinas’ residence in Sidney and K9 Roby located over another 20 lbs of methamphetamine concealed at the residence, for a total of 30 pounds.

Mancinas was charged with two counts of Possession of Methamphetamine with Intent to Deliver. He was held in the Fremont County Jail until seen by a Magistrate.

The methamphetamine recovered consisted of over approximately 153,200 doses with a street value of approximately $350,000.

The Fremont County K9 Unit and Mills County K9 Unit assisted the Fremont County Sheriff’s Office with the call.

(Radio Iowa) – A recent Woodbury County case where a supervisor had to resign because he moved out of his district and then won reelection has started a discussion on the issue. The five supervisors each have to live in their own district — but voters in all five districts vote on every supervisor. Woodbury County resident Brian Miller says it is kind of like a reverse of the Electoral College situation on the national level.

“We’ve had county supervisors that run from a district and they don’t win the vote in that district –but they are elected as a supervisor because they’ve won countywide,” Miller says. “I’ve looked at some numbers and that’s happened at least three times if you go back to 2016 through now. And again, I don’t know if that’s a bad thing — it’s an awkward thing I guess is how I look at it.”

Fifteen other Iowa counties use the same option as Woodbury County, while the rest of the state uses the two other options that are available. County Auditor Pat Gill says there isn’t enough time to get a measure for a change in any county. He says you need petitions equal to 10 percent or more of the people who voted in the last general election to get it on the ballot. That would be 45-hundred-70 signatures in Woodbury County. Gill says they would have to be gathered June first and there would be a special election on the first Tuesday in August, with all three plans would be on the ballot.

A bill in the legislature to require counties with populations of more than 60-thosuand to use a plan where supervisors are elected only from voters in their district failed to meet a deadline to be considered. Thirty-three counties currently use that plan, while most counties elect supervisors on a majority vote of all those in the county.

A man from Page County was arrested Friday at his home, on warrants out of Cass and Mills Counties. Sheriff Lyle Palmer reports 40-year-old Phillip Jay McClish, of Clarinda, was arrested on the Mills County warrant for possession of a controlled substance 2nd offense, and a Cass County warrant for failure to appear on an original charge of Theft 4th. His total bond was set at $3,000.

Phillip Jay McClish

McClish was being held in the Page County Jail pending transportation to the counties with warrants.

Stuart Police have arrested an adult male for Harboring a runaway child. Authorities say 61-year old Dale Terrell, of Stuart, was also charged with Interference with Official Acts, and Violation of a No Contact Order. 20-year old Amanda Terrell was issued a summons to appear for Harboring a Runaway Child.

According to Police, on Monday, March 8th, a 13-year-old female was reported missing from her residence in Stuart. Officers were notified at approximately 10:12A.M. and began looking for her. At approximately 11:20 A.M. a Stuart Officer responded to the residence of Dale Terrell in the 400 block of N. Sherman St. Terrell was questioned but denied that the missing juvenile was present or had been present at the residence.

At approximately 8:30 P.M. Stuart Officers returned to Terrell’s residence in the 400 block of N. Sherman St. Officers contacted Dale Terrell at the front door and Terrell initially denied that the missing juvenile was present. After Officers presented evidence to the contrary, Terrell admitted that the juvenile was inside. Officers were able to locate the juvenile inside unharmed and returned her to her parents.

Authorities say this is an ongoing investigation, and additional charges may be filed.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — More than 1 million doses of coronavirus vaccine have been administered in Iowa, even as residents who qualify struggle to make appointments for a shot. The Iowa Department of Public Health said Friday that Iowa has administered 1.03 million doses.

The milestone reflects significant increases in vaccine supplies but it’s unclear how the state will handle surging demand as more adults become eligible in the coming months. Iowa has no centralized system for people to secure a vaccine appointment.

SIOUX CITY, Iowa (AP) — A Sioux City man has pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder in the shooting death of another man last year. The Sioux City Journal reports 36-year-old Roderick Banks entered the written plea Friday in Woodbury County District Court. He’s been charged with the murder count and a count being a felon in possession of a firearm for the Nov. 1 shooting death of 33-year-old Solomon Blackbird near Park Place Apartments in Sioux City.

Prosecutors say Banks confronted Blackbird and Blackbird’s girlfriend outside the apartment complex and shot Blackbird once in the chest. Police believe the shooting was related to a drug deal. Investigators say they recovered a handgun believed to be the murder weapon.

Iowa City (AP) — As virus cases plummeted, Iowa quietly extended a $3.9 million contact tracing contract with a company owned by a major Republican Party donor and supporter of Gov. Kim Reynolds. The Iowa Department of Public Health hired MCI, an Iowa City telemarketing firm, in November to trace the contacts of Iowa residents infected with COVID-19 after a one-day emergency bidding process.

The two-month, $2.3 million contract came during an explosion of cases that filled up hospitals with patients and after counties had for months complained of a shortage of contact tracing workers. Four days before MCI’s contract was to expire on Jan. 31, Iowa’s state epidemiologist signed a three-month contract extension with MCI that is worth another $1.6 million.