On Tuesday, January 24^th, the Marion County Sheriff’s Office received multiple reports of a fire at Lambirth Enterprises located at 1764 Highway G-76 in rural Marion County. Witnesses reported hearing an explosion and then saw flames coming from the building. Reports indicated a person was trapped inside the building, but the person was able to make it out of the building just before deputies arrived on scene. Two people were injured and transported by ambulance. One person was transported to Knoxville Hospital and later transported to the University of Iowa Hospital burn unit where they are listed in stable condition. Another person was transported to Pella Hospital and later released.

Indiana Township Fire Department, Knoxville Township Fire Department, Columbia Fire Department, Bussey Fire and Rescue, Melcher Fire Department, Pella Fire Department, Knoxville Rescue and the Marion County Sheriff’s Office all responded to the scene of the fire. This fire is currently under investigation by the Marion County Sheriff’s Office and the Iowa State Fire Marshall’s Office.

On 1-24-17, at 1956 hours the Jasper County Sheriff’s Office was dispatched to W 52nd St N and N 19th Ave W for a motor vehicle accident. The reporting party stated that two of the individuals involved in the crash were Katelund Jeffrey, 20 years old and Anthony Dommer, 26 years old. Both subjects were known to have valid arrest warrants. Dommer has been wanted since November for an escape from custody. Jeffrey was wanted for a parole violation. Recent information also revealed that Dommer was possibly in possession of multiple firearms.
Deputies arrived on scene and determined that Dommer and Jeffrey were not involved with the crash and were not at the scene. Deputies did witness a vehicle leaving the area of the accident scene at a high rate of speed.
At approximately 2046 hours the Jasper County Sheriff’s Office received a call about a vehicle stopped in the middle of the roadway in the 5600 block of Hwy F-62 W. It was determined that this was possibly the vehicle that Jeffrey and Dommer were using. The immediate area was searched for persons, none were found.
At approximately 2153 hours the Jasper County Sheriff’s Office received notification regarding 2 individuals in a garage approximately 1.5 miles from the scene of the vehicle stopped in the roadway. Deputies arrived on scene and found Katelund Jeffrey on the property, she was taken into custody. A search of multiple buildings took place, revealing no other persons. A short time later, deputies searched a field, finding Anthony Dommer hiding in the brush. Dommer was taken into custody without incident and transported to Skiff Medical Center for cold exposure symptoms. Dommer was later transported to the Polk County Jail.
Assisting agencies in this manhunt are as follows:
Newton Fire/EMS, Monroe Police, Prairie City Police, Iowa State Patrol,
AUTHORITY Lieutenant Aaron Groves

As a reminder, a criminal charge is merely an accusation and all defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.

OSKALOOSA — Who doesn’t enjoy a nice, warm bowl of chili on a cold winter day? On Friday night, area residents will have the opportunity to taste a variety of tasty chili.

On Jan. 27, William Penn University will host the first ever Party and Chili at the PAC. There will be free chili dogs, drinks, kids’ activities, popcorn and movies at 6:30 p.m. and 8 p.m. There will also be a free will donation, which will benefit the New Hope Community Center, which wants to open a soup kitchen.

Ann Smith, of the Mahaska Wellness Coalition, says that the group is always looking for ways to bring the city of Oskaloosa together.

“The Mahaska Wellness Coalition is always looking for ways to engage the community. During one of the meetings it came up about showing a family friendly movie for the people of Oskaloosa, and the students at William Penn,” she said. “After talking about different ways to engage, we came up with the chili cook off and then movie night.”

A call also goes out to anyone who has a great chili recipe. A competition will be held to see who can create the best chili. Those who wish to enter the competition will have the chance to claim the “Golden Ladle” prize. Competitors will go spoon-to-spoon with representatives of the Oskaloosa Police Department, Mahaska Bottling Company and various city entities.

Oskaloosa Police Chief Jake McGee is also an active member of the Wellness Coalition, and Smith says he stepped up to bring the departments of the city together for a good cause.

“When the idea came up about hosting a chili cook off, Chief volunteered to help lead the city in the efforts to be a part of the engagement,” she said. “Chief McGee has talked to the different departments in the city to bring chili and enter into the contest! He also volunteered his officers time to come help with the volunteering and organization of the event.”

Smith says there is also a panel of celebrity judges who will have the first taste of each batch of chili in the competition.

“We will have a panel of celebrity judges, Jay from MHP, Clete from Hy Vee, Cory from Mahaska, the Mayor, Dave Kruztfeldt and Karen from the Oskaloosa Chamber,” she said.

“These judges will be the first to sample the chili. Their expert taste buds will decide on who wins the prestigious Golden Ladle. There will also be a People’s choice award. Everyone entering the PAC will be given a ticket, they will drop that ticket in a cup at the table they like the most. That person will win the Golden Spoon award.”

When the awards have been handed out, a family-friendly movie will be shown on the jumbo screen at 6:30 p.m., followed by a movie for older teens and adults at 8 p.m. You are encouraged to bring blankets and pillows to cozy up on the floor while watching the movies.

Story provided by Chris Rhea of the Oskaloosa Herald