Following are excerpts of activities reported by the Jefferson police department:
Tuesday, April 30: At 11:35 am officers assisted the sheriff’s office at Wild Rose Casino with a stolen motor vehicle. At 3:08 pm an officer investigated a backing accident in the 200 block of S. Chestnut St. Cheree Derry of Jefferson backed a 2011 Jeep Compass owned by Joshua Derry, also of Jefferson, and struck a parked 2011 Morris trailer owned by Dallas Chargo of Scranton. Damage to the Jeep was estimated at $300. Damage to the trailer was estimated at $100. A citation for unsafe backing upon a highway is pending.
At 4:39 pm an officer investigated a two-vehicle property damage accident at S. Chestnut St and E. Wilcoxway. Mona Weltz of Jefferson was northbound on Chestnut St driving a 2010 Dodge Caravan owned by Greene County Community Schools. Vicki Copeland of Jefferson left the posted stop sign on Wilcoxway and struck the school vehicle. She was cited for failure to obey a stop sign. Damage to her 2016 Kia Sorento was estimated at $7,000. Damage to the school vehicle was estimated a $5,000.
Monday, April 29: At 2:12 pm a complainant reported a possible violation of a protective order that had occurred at the courthouse. The officer is investigating. At 3:22 a parent spoke with an officer concerning the congestion problems while picking up children at the Greene County Elementary School. The school district and chief of police are working together to come up with a solution to the issue.
Sunday, April 28: At 12:27 am an Iowa State trooper advised of a vehicle entering Jefferson from the south on Highway 4 at a high rate of speed. The trooper had locked the vehicle on radar at 123 mph. The officers and the trooper were unable to locate the vehicle after the trooper turned around on it. At 11:18 am an officer responded to a vibration alarm sounding on an ATM in the 200 block of W. State St. The officer located a male sitting at the ATM in his vehicle. In speaking to the male, the officer learned the machine would not accept the male’s card, which upset him. He had stepped out of his vehicle and kicked the front of the ATM machine. The machine was not damaged. The officer contacted the bank, which declined to take any criminal actions in the matter. At 7:41 pm a resident brought to the LEC a stray dog she had located in the 400 block of S. Oak St. The officer placed the dog in the animal holding facility.
Saturday, April 27: At 10:27 am an officer was requested at the parking lot at Hy0Vee for a “Door Ding.” Janet Meiners of Jefferson was operating a 2001 Mercury Villager owned by Krieger Land LLC when she struck a parked 2017 Chevrolet Silverado pickup truck owned by Michael Hirschberg of Churdan with the door of the Villager. The pickup truck sustained an estimated $300 in damage. The minivan was not damaged. At 6:37 pm a complainant reported damage to the coin operated dryer at 1216 Westwood Dr. The officer responded and determined unknown subjects had attempted to gain entry to the coinbox, causing $300 in damages to the unit. The owner of the complex was contacted by the officer. At 9;18 pm an officer performed a traffic stop near the intersection of Highways 4 and 30 with a vehicle that had a burned out tail light. During the stop, the officer smelled marijuana coming from inside the vehicle. During a probable cause search of the vehicle, suspected marijuana and smoking devices were located. Charges are pending lab results.
Friday, April 26: Routine activity reported.
Thursday, April 25: Routine activity reported.
Wednesday, April 24: ***** An officer has concluded an investigation and requested arrest warrants for Megan Ann Stuhr, 24, of Fort Dodge on charges of forgery (Class D felony), two counts, identity theft less than $1,000 (aggravated misdemeanor), two counts, and theft- fifth degree (simple misdemeanor)*.
Tuesday, April 23: At 6:30 pm after receiving an anonymous tip, an officer spoke with a male about an outstanding Warren County arrest warrant for him. The officer checked and was advised that Warren County would not extradite the male for their warrant. The officer advised the male subject to go take care of his warrant with Warren County.
Monday, April 22: At7:20 pm a complaint requested an officer at a residence in the 100 block of E. Central Ave. She advised she had been assaulted by her boyfriend. Officers arrived and spoke to both parties involved. Both advised of mutual pushing between themselves. As the male was attempting to load his property to move out, the intoxicated female complainant was interfering with the process. As the officers were advising her to go back inside her home, she assaulted one of the officers by pushing him in the chest. Lauren Marie Verle Schulte, 24, of Jefferson was arrested for assault on a peace officer (serious misdemeanor) and disorderly conduct (simple misdemeanor)*.
Sunday, April 21: At 1:22 am an officer was out of his vehicle performing business door checks near Highway 30 when he heard a passing vehicle driving on the rumble strips. The officer returned to his vehicle to investigate further. He caught up to the vehicle as it was turning into Wild Rose Casino. The officer had witnessed the vehicle leave its lane while he was attempting to catch up to it. The officer parked beside the vehicle and spoke to the driver. The officer’s investigation led the arrest of Gabriel Landa, 34, of Worthington, MN, for operating while intoxicated- first offense (serious misdemeanor)I*. He was also cited for failure to have a valid driver’s license and failure to provide proof of financial liability. At 4:02 pm a complainant reported as she was driving on W. Lincoln Way she noticed a driver following a young female as she walked westbound. As the complainant passed the female, she mouthed the word “help” to her. The officer located the reported truck and spoke to the male driver. He advised his girlfriend had broken up with him and got out of his vehicle and began walking. He advised he followed close behind her trying to speak to her and work out the issue. The officer located the female and spoke to her. Her version of the event matched the male’s. Nothing criminal had occurred. At 7:50 pm a resident caught a stray dog in the 800 block of W. State St. The officer placed the dog in the animal holding facility.
Saturday, April 20: At 3:13 am an officer performed a traffic stop on a driver who had crossed over the fog line on Highway 30 at Mulberry St. The officer’s investigation led to the arrest of Matthew James Merical, 25, of Victor for operating while intoxicated- second offense (aggravated misdemeanor), driving while license revoked (serious misdemeanor), possession of methamphetamine (serious misdemeanor) and possession of drug paraphernalia (simple misdemeanor)*. At 7:16 am an officer located two vehicles in the parking lot at Wild Rose Casino with hoods up and jumper cables being used. The officer stopped and spoke to the subjects to see if they needed assistance. During conversation with a male, the officer noticed behaviors consistent with narcotics usage. The male advised the officer he did have narcotics in his vehicle. The officer seized needles and white crystalline substances, along with green leafy substances, a smoking device, and other paraphernalia. The items will be lab tested and future charges are pending lab results. At 9:32 am workers for Renosys Corporation reported the theft of two large rolls of felt from the Jefferson municipal pool overnight. The company is installing a pool liner and cover at the pool and the felt was needed for that process. The officer’s investigation led to retrieving video of the event. He contacted the owner of the truck that had loaded the product and left the area at about midnight. The subject advised they believed the rolls of felt were placed curbside for spring clean up. The items were placed near the east sidewalk of the pool and could have been mistaken as clean up items. The officer recovered the items in the 100 block of S. Wilson Ave and workers picked it up. At 12:29 pm nurses at long term care at Greene County Medical Center advised of a male at the facility carrying several weapons on his belt. The officer made contact with the male at the facility. He was there visiting a patient. The officer removed four knives from the subject. Two of the knives were carried on his belt and were concealed in a sheath. The officer arrested Justin Jeffery Baker, 32, of Jefferson for carrying weapons- knife longer than 5 inches (serious misdemeanor)*. At 3:50 pm a complainant advised someone with a black truck had loaded up her picnic table and driven away from her residence in the 700 block of W. State St. The item was close to the curb when it was taken, but it was not meant to be a clean up item. The officer located the truck and spoke to the driver. He had assumed the table had been discarded. The table was returned. At 6:23 pm a local parent reported he had received information from his child about a juvenile advising his friends he had a handgun stored in his locker at Greene County Middle School The officer contacted school officials and the locker was searched. No weapon was located. The officer conducted an interview with the male student who had made the statement. The officer learned he had told his friends he had a gun to be “cool.” No crime had occurred, but the student may face consequences form the school.
Friday, April 19: At 2:59 pm an officer arrested Tyler James Smits, 26, of Jefferson on two outstanding JPD arrest warrants. The warrants for harassment- first degree and violation of a protective order stemmed from an incident reported on 4/10. At 3:17 pm an officer investigated a two-vehicle property damage accident the HyVee parking lot. Dale Runkel of Jefferson attempted to pull his 2018 Chevrolet Equinox into a parking space. He used the gas pedal instead of the brake pedal and pushed a handicap parking sign into a parked 2006 Pontiac Grand Prix owned by Bernice Schuttler of Rippey. Runkel was cited for failure to provide proof of financial liability. Damage to both vehicles was estimated at $500.
Thursday, April 18: At 2:05 am an officer assisted the Greene County sheriff’s office with an arrest at the intersection of Highway30 and Orchard Ave east of Jefferson for OWI. At 2:02 pm an officer responded to Sparky’s One Stop on E. Highway 30 for a possible fire. A beverage cooler was found to be overheating. There was no damage. At 11:34 pm an officer responded to a small ditch fire at the intersection of Highway 30 and M Ave west of Jefferson. The officer extinguished the fire.
Wednesday, April 17: At 1:25 am a traffic stop in the 100 block of W. Clark St resulted in Martin Tolsdorf of Grand Junction being cited for open container of alcohol in vehicle- driver. Tolsdorf was also arrested for outstanding Greene County arrest warrants and transported to the jail. At 9:37 am an officer investigated an accident at W. Clark and N. Elm Sts. Jon Weber of Palmer was driving his 2006 Chevy Silverado pickup truck and pulling a horse trailer. Weber turned off Elm onto Clark St and was turning from Clark into the Bomgaars entrance when the trailer fender struck a vehicle in the Bomgaars drive. The 2009 Honda Ridgeline was owned and operated by Curtiss Bird of Jefferson. The Weber trailer had a reported $500 in damages, while the Bird vehicle suffered a reported $1,000 in damages. Weber was cited for failure to maintain control.
Tuesday, April 16: At 2 am a traffic stop was performed on a speeding vehicle. During the stop, the male driver began complaining of chest pains. Greene County Ambulance Service was called to the scene and transported the male to Greene County Medical Center for evaluation. The driver was cited for failure to have a driver’s license and excessive speed. At 2:45 pm an officer investigated a backing accident in the Dollar General parking lot. Dennis Jordan of Jefferson was backing his 2004 Buick LeSabre and struck a parked 2007 GMC Sierra owned by Lisa Brant of Rippey. Damage to Brant’s vehicle was estimated at $500. Jordan’s vehicle was not damaged. At 2:45 pm staff at the medical center emergency room requested an officer for a male patient who had been advised by a doctor he can no longer safely drive a vehicle. The male was refusing to cooperate and was going to drive away. The officer provided the male a ride to his residence in Jefferson. ***** An officer has requested arrest warrants after completing an investigation initiated on 4/10 of violation of a protective order. Warrants have been requested for Tyler James Smits, 26, of Jefferson for harassment- first degree (aggravated misdemeanor) and violation of a protective order (simple misdemeanor)*.
Monday, April 15: Routine activity reported.
Sunday, April 14: At 6:22 pm an officer assisted a motorist at Sparky’s One Stop whose dog had stepped on the door lock and locked them out of the running vehicle. At 6:46 pm an officer investigated a backing accident in the parking lot of Central Christian Church. Anna Pound of Jefferson backed her 2013 Toyota Rav 4 into a parked 2003 Dodge Dakota pickup truck owned by Rose Lehrkamp of Scranton. Damage to Pound’s vehicle was estimated at $400. Damage to Lehrkamp’s vehicle was estimated at $100.
Saturday, April 13: At 8:45 am staff at White Oak Station reported a customer had pumped $10.02 of fuel the previous day and did not have any money to pay for it. The store allowed him to leave with the promise to return and pay for the fuel. He had not yet returned. At 2:48 pm an officer was advised of three juveniles hanging around the restrooms at Kelso Park. The officer arrived and heard three voices coming from inside the restroom and smelled the odor of burnt marijuana. The officer entered the restroom and made contact with the three male juveniles. The officer located a small amount of marijuana on one teen and a vape device on another. The officer has contacted parents and charges are pending test results. At 3:59 p an officer located a group of juveniles at Daubendiek Park and spoke with them. The officer seized a small amount of marijuana and three smoking devices from a juvenile female. A pack of cigarettes was discovered and seized from another juvenile. All parents were contacted and the items will be tested. Future juvenile charges are pending.
Friday, April 12: At 1:17 am a complainant reported two males knocked on his door in the 1000 block of W. Adams St. The complainant advised when he answered the door, one of the subjects assaulted him and the two ran from the area. The officer is working to obtain any video that may exists and is investigating. At 8:17 am an officer investigated a backing accident at Oly’s Corner. A 2000 GMC pickup truck owned by Michael Teeples of Jefferson was parked. It rolled from the parking space and struck a parked 2015 Ford Fusion owned by Lynda Pierson of Jefferson. Damage to Pierson’s vehicle was estimated at $1,000. Damage to Teeples’ vehicle was estimated at $300. At 5:31 pm an officer was requested at a residence in the 900 block of W. State St for a theft report. The officer learned a cousin of the complainant had lived with her for about six months. The cousin had left and took several household items. A purse containing $100 was also missing. The officer is investigating.
Thursday, April 11: At 6:50 am a complainant reported a stop sign that was blown down at S. Cedar and W. Russell Sts. City crews were advised. At 7:36 am a resident caught a stray dog n the 200 block of N. Wilson Ave. The officer placed the dog in the animal holding facility. At 9:36 am the DHS intake center advised an officer of a possible sex assault that had occurred in Jefferson. The officer is investigating. At 11:41 pm a complainant called and advised his debit card had been stolen recently from his residence in Boone. He advised his bank had notified him it had just been used at Wild Rose Casino. The officers responded to the casino, but had nothing to work with to know which of the many customers present may have the card.
Wednesday, April 10: At 10:32 am a complainant reported a protective order violation. The officer is investigating. At 3:06 pm a caller advised of a group of juveniles climbing on the roof of the shelter house at Washington Park. The officer spoke to the group of youngsters about the dangers of this and made them put the picnic tables back where they had found them. At 3:35 pm a resident turned in two found wallets at the LEC. They were placed in lost and found.
Tuesday, April 9: Routine activity reported.
Monday, April 8: Routine activity reported.
Sunday, April 7: At 7:13 pm an officer captured and removed a juvenile wood duck from the basement of a house in the 400 block of E. Washington St and released it on a local body of water.
Saturday, April 6: At 6:08 am an officer investigated a hit and run accident, which occurred in the 300 block of N. Pinet St. A 2014 Dodge Dart, owned by Brandon Bride of Jefferson was parked on the street. Damage was located in the morning to the vehicle. The officer is investigating. At 6:20 pm an officer witnessed two juveniles blowing a handheld air horn at passing vehicles near Park and S. Elm Sts. The officer spoke to the pair about the dangers of their actions and confiscated the air horn for destruction.
Friday, April 5: At 2:18 am an officer attempted to conduct a traffic stop on Highway 30 just west of Elm St but the driver refused to yield. The driver began to accelerate when the officer activated his siren. The officer gave chase westbound on Highway 30. The officer reached speeds faster than 120 mph following the vehicle. The subject turned south on County Road P-14 (J Ave). A train was going through the area and blocked access at the railroad crossing. The driver turned around and headed back north on P-14 with the officer still giving chase. They turned west on Highway 30 and continued to Eaton Avenue, where the subject west south into Scranton. The vehicle turned west on 9th St and the officer lost sight of it. Officers and a deputy checked Scranton, but the vehicle was not located. The officer is still investigating the event. At 11:19 am staff at the Jefferson Vet Clinic captured a stray dog in the 1900 block of N. Wilson Ave. The officer placed the dog in the animal holding facility. At 1:56 pm an officer performed a traffic stop in the 200 block of W. Lincoln Way after he was advised by NCIC that there were outstanding warrants for one of the vehicle owners. Curtis Gene Hoyt, 54, of Perry was arrested on two Perry PD warrants for assault and a warrant for failure to appear on a Dallas County warrant for OWI. Hoyt was also charged by the Jefferson officer with OWI- first offense (serious misdemeanor) and driving while license revoked (serious misdemeanor)*. He was also cited for failure to provide proof of financial liability. The other driver, Charles Bradshaw of Jefferson, was cited for failure to have a valid license and failure to provide proof of financial liability. Both motorcycles were towed and impounded. During an impound inventory an officer located a large quantity of suspected methamphetamine, mushrooms, unknown pills, and drug paraphernalia. The officer will have the items tested.
Thursday, April 4: At 1:11 pm an officer was requested at Greene County Elementary School. School staff reported an 8-year-old male had assaulted a teacher. The child had already been picked up by parents when the officer arrived. The teacher received minor injuries in the incident. The officer is investigating the event. At 3:15 pm an officer investigated a two-vehicle property damage accident at the intersection of W. Lincoln Way and Elm St. Kimberly Heltemes of Arizona was northbound on Elm driving a 2015 Kia Optima owned by Corey Heltemes. Richard Moranville was eastbound on Lincoln Way driving his 1997 Chevrolet K1500 pickup truck. Heltemes left the posted stop sign and struck the front passenger tire area of Moranville’s vehicle. Heltemes was cited for failure to obey a stop sign and failure to provide proof of financial liability- accident related. Both vehicles were disabled, with damage to Heltemes’ vehicle estimated at $8,000 and damage to Moranville’s vehicle estimated at $3,000. At 6:08 pm staff at Dairy Queen advised a juvenile male had climbed over the guard fence on the overpass in the 600 block of N. Elm St. An officer made contact with the juvenile in the 300 block of N. Elm St and spoke to him about the issue. The officer took the juvenile home and spoke to his mother about his findings. At 7:09 pm officers were called to a residence in the 300 block of Lincoln Way for a reported violation of a no contact order and a domestic abuse assault. The officer spoke to the victim and witnesses and learned the alleged perpetrator had fled from the residence after the event. Officers located him and spoke with him. The officers’ investigation led to the arrest of Branden Gerrick Smith, 43, of Jefferson for violation of a protective order (simple misdemeanor), domestic abuse assault- third of subsequent offense (Class D felony), and criminal mischief- third degree (aggravated misdemeanor)*.
Wednesday, April 3: At 8:44 am an officer responded to a backing accident in the parking lot at the Greene County High School. Nathan Hicks was backing a 1991 Chevy C1500 owned by Kevin Hanson of Perry when he backed into a parked 2001 Dodge Ram 1500 owned by Kirk Davis of Bagley. The Hanson vehicle suffered a reported 500 in rear damages, while the Davis vehicle had a reported $1,000 damages. No citation issued as it occurred on private property.
Tuesday, April 2: At 10:47 am a complainant reported several personal checks cashed in local banks which she had not written. The officer is investigating.
Monday, April 1: At 4:24 pm Brian Kinsey advised his work truck, a 2017 Chevrolet K150 owned by Nikkel & Associates of Ames, was parked on the street in the 300 block of E. State St over the weekend. He arrived at work on Monday and noticed minor damage to the front bumper. The officer estimated the damage at $500, but has no way of knowing where and when the damage occurred. At 11:54 pm an officer located two juveniles riding skateboards in the 100 block of W. Monroe St. The city curfew is 10:30 pm Monday through Thursday. The officer took the two juveniles home and spoke to parents in lieu of a citation.
*Note: All charges are merely an accusation. All defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
