CRIME & SAFETY

A Denison man pled guilty Tuesday to charges including illegal possession of firearms and silencers. According to documents from the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Iowa, 37-year-old Ian Ward submitted his pleas to one count of prohibited person in possession of a firearm, one count of possession of a short-barreled rifle, and one count of possession of silencers. Evidence presented at the plea hearing showed that Ward was stopped by law enforcement in Pocahontas County on Aug. 21, 2023. During the traffic stop, Ward, who admitted to being high on fentanyl, was found with six firearms, including an illegal short-barreled rifle and five suppressors. Law enforcement also seized methamphetamine, THC wax, and drug paraphernalia from Ward’s vehicle. Ward admitted to using fentanyl, meth, and marijuana and to having a prior felony drug conviction in Minnesota, making him prohibited from possessing any firearms. Sentencing will be set following a presentence report. Ward remains in custody and faces up to 15 years in prison, a $250,000 fine, and three years of supervised release for the firearm conviction, and up to 10 years in prison, a $10,000 fine, and three years of supervised release for each illegal firearm and silencer conviction. The case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program aimed at reducing violent crime and gun violence.

A police chief in a small Iowa town has been slapped with a 60-month federal prison sentence for illegally possessing a machine gun and making false statements to authorities, prosecutors announced Wednesday.

(Harlan, Iowa) – The Shelby County Sheriff’s Office today (Wednesday), released a report on arrests that took place between June 4th and June 30th. Most recently:. On the 28th, 62-year-old Susan Yvonne King, of Harlan, was arrested and transported to the Shelby County Jail after a traffic stop on Willow St. King was charged with OWI-1st offense, Failure to Provide Proof of Financial Liability, and Driving on Wrong Side of Two-Way Highway. And, on the 27th, 37-year-old Lachelle Jean Petersen, of Atlantic, was arrested and transported to the Shelby County Jail on an active Shelby County warrant.