Sheriff’s Office

Hours 8:00 a.m. through 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday

County Sheriff:
Darby McLaren

Employees in Sheriff’s Office:
Chief Deputy:
John Westering

Deputies:
Brandon Taylor
Kyle Quist
Ben Bartholomew
Josh McLaren
Jake Reynolds
Sawyer Ocheltree
Tim Olsen

Civil Deputy:
Spencer Walton

Sheriff’s Assistant:                      Steph Witzman

 

 

Cass County Courthouse
5 West 7th Street
Atlantic, IA 50022
Office: (712) 243-2206
Fax:    (712) 243-4736
For All Emergencies, Please Dial 911

Duties of the Sheriff’s Office

  • The Sheriff is the principal peace officer of the county.
  • Summons grand jurors and trial jurors.
  • May call any person to his aid, and when necessary summons the power of the county.
  • Serves subpoenas and other notices and levies on property when a judgment has been secured.
  • Executes and returns all writs and other legal processes issued by lawful authority.
  • Custodian of the county jail and is responsible for all prisoners committed to him until discharged by law.
  • Transport individuals to locations as directed by court order.
WEAPON PERMITS

Weapon Permits

APPLICATION FORMS:    https://dps.iowa.gov/divisions/administrative-services/weapons-permit

PERMIT TO CARRY WEAPONS INFORMATION: 

The cost is $50.00 for a plastic permit card. This is a uniform card that will be issued by the Iowa Department of Public Safety. This card will be mailed directly to the mailing address provided by the applicant.

Must be 21 and a resident of Iowa.

TRAINING REQUIREMENT:

*Handgun safety training course utilizing an instructor certified by a state law enforcement agency;

*Handgun safety training course utilizing an instructor certified by the National Rifle Association;

*Completion of a hunter education program approved by the Natural Resource Commission, if handgun safety training is noted on the certificate of completion.

*Armed forces small arms training (for those released or retired from Active Duty) – requires documentation of honorable discharge OR general discharge under honorable conditions (DD-214, DD-256, NGB-22, or similar).

*Armed forces small arms training (for those on Active Duty) – requires certificate of completion of basic training or similar.

*Handgun safety training course for security guards, investigators, or special deputies, if such course has been approved by the Iowa Department of Public Safety.

*TRAINING EXEMPTION – Documentation that applicant holds or held an Iowa Permit to Carry Weapons issued on or after 01/01/2011.

Applicant must apply in county you reside in.

Applicant must have driver’s license or ID with applicant’s current address on it.

Payment must be made at time of application by check or cash only.

Permit is good for 5 years.

PERMIT TO CARRY WEAPONS RENEWAL PROCESS:

Permit holders may apply for renewal within 30 days before or after their expiration date. The application must be filled out again and a $25.00 fee is payable at that time.

When the permit holder is earlier or later than 30 days of expiration, the regular fee of $50.00 applies.

Applicant must renew in county you reside in.

Applicant must have driver’s license or ID with applicant’s current address on it.

Payment must be made at time of application by check or cash only.

Permit is good for 5 years.

PERMIT TO ACQUIRE INFORMATION:

Must be 21 and a resident of Iowa.

The cost is $25.00 for a plastic permit card. This is a uniform card that will be issued by the Iowa Department of Public Safety. This card will be mailed directly to the mailing address provided by the applicant.

There is no training required.

Applicant must apply in county you reside in.

Payment must be made at time of application by check or cash only.

Applicant must have driver’s license or ID with applicant’s current address on it.

Permit is good for 5 years.

History
Cass County was named in honor of Lewis Cass and was organized as a county the first Monday in March, 1853, with County Judge Benedict and three Commissioners. Francis E. Ball was elected as Cass County’s first Sheriff at the time of the organization of the county. He resigned in august of 1853.
The first man hanged in the county was Mike Kelley, who killed a man named Tom Curran in a saloon. A mob took Kelley from the Town Constable and hanged him in a locust tree near Grove City. Iranistan was the first town in Cass County, two and a half miles west of the present town of Lewis. Lewis was started in 1853 and was made the county seat. The jail sat to the southeast of the courthouse in Lewis and housed twenty-two people. The living quarters for the sheriff was a two-story house attached to the jail. Both the jail and the Sheriff’s living quarters have since been torn down. The original courthouse in Lewis has also since been torn down. Lewis remained the county seat until 1882, when the seat was moved to Atlantic.
On March 15, 1932, the fifty-year-old courthouse in Atlantic was destroyed by fire. The county offices moved to the Atlantic Motors Company building at second and Poplar until the new courthouse was opened in 1934. This is the same courthouse in use today. The jail, which held twenty-one inmates, was then on the third floor, along with the living quarters for the sheriff.
In April of 1984, a new 16-bed ground level jail was built on the west side of the courthouse with no living quarters for the sheriff. The old third floor jail was renovated into office spaces.
On March 28, 1988, the largest cocaine seizure in Iowa at that time took place. Grizzley, the county drug dog, was used for probable cause to obtain a search warrant on the stopped California car. After the search warrant was executed, 189.2 pounds of cocaine was seized with a street value of $40,000,000.  Grizzley joined the Department in June of 1986. Grizzley was donated by the Atlantic Elks Lodge #445.
On June 30, 1989, this office was called to the County Home south of Atlantic to help look for a man that had wandered off. Such a call was not out of the ordinary; however, what happened at the end of the afternoon will never be forgotten by the law officers in this area. While a ground search was under way, Trooper Pilot Lance Dietsch and Trooper Stan Gerling were in the patrol plane looking for the 66-year-old walk away. At 5:41 p.m., Dietsch radioed Sheriff Jones to say he would make one more sweep before calling it quits. One minute later, Dietsch radioed that he found the man and would circle the area. The next radio message was that the plane had crashed. Dietsch was removed and taken to Cass County Memorial Hospital where he was pronounced dead. Gerling was killed instantly. This was the first plane crash involving a patrol plane that resulted in a fatality.
Rewritten article from the Atlantic News Telegraph, August 7, 1918:”Those who leave this county always feel pride that they came from grand old Cass in preference to the other counties of the state, and are always willing to welcome anyone from the old home county. In everything that makes a land worth living in, Cass County leads. Its roads are kept, its schools are as good as the best of them, and its land is among the most valuable land in America.” That feeling lives on today.
Press Releases

All criminal charges are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty in the court of law.

Arrest(s):

On March 7th, 2024, the Cass County Sheriff’s Office arrested John Nelson, 36, of Griswold, on the charge of OWI 2nd Offense.  Nelson was transported to the Cass County Jail where he was booked and held pending his later release on his own recognizance. 

On March 6th, 2024, the Cass County Sheriff’s Office arrested David Thomas, 43, of Atlantic, on a warrant for another agency.  Thomas was transported to the Cass County Jail where he was booked and held pending his transfer to another County.

On March 4th, 2024, the Cass County Sheriff’s Office arrested Nicole Anaya, 43, of Atlantic, on the charges of OWI 2nd Offense and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia.  Anaya was transported to the Cass County Jail where she was booked and held pending her later release on her own recognizance.

On March 3rd, 2024, the Cass County Sheriff’s Office arrested Tylor Thompson, 26, of Lewis, on the charge of OWI 1st Offense.  Thompson was transported to the Cass County Jail where she was booked and held pending her later release on her own recognizance.

On March 3rd, 2024, the Cass County Sheriff’s Office arrested Logan Nielsen, 27, of Atlantic, on the charge of OWI 2nd Offense.  Nielsen was transported to the Cass County Jail where he was booked and held pending his later release on his own recognizance. 

On March 2nd, 2024, the Cass County Sheriff’s Office arrested Jason Frederiksen, 42, of Marne, on the charge of OWI 1st Offense.  Frederiksen was transported to the Cass County jail where he was booked and held pending his later release on his own recognizance.

On March 1st, 2024, the Cass County Sheriff’s Office arrested Sam Sinatro, 20, of Atlantic, on a warrant for Failure to Appear.  Sinatro was transported to the Cass County Jail where he was booked and held pending his later release.

On February 27th, 2024, the Cass County Sheriff’s Office arrested Shawn Sowder, 30, of Goldfield, IA, on a warrant for Failure to Appear.  Sowder was transported to the Cass County Jail where he was booked and held.

On February 27th, 2024, the Cass County Sheriff’s Office arrested Robin Grieshaber, 38, of Cumberland, on the charges of Harassment 1st Degree, Possession of Drug Paraphernalia and Possession of a Controlled Substance.  Grieshaber was transported to the Cass County Jail where he was booked and held pending his later release on bond.

On February 26th, 2024, the Cass County Sheriff’s Office arrested Zachary Jones, 32, of Council Bluffs, on a warrant for Violation of Probation.  Jones was transported to the Cass County Jail where he was booked and held pending his later release on his own recognizance.

On February 25th, 2024, the Cass County Sheriff’s Office arrested Tochiro Kovac, 52, of Atlantic, on the charges of OWI 1st Offense and Child Endangerment.  Kovac was transported to the Cass County Jail where he was booked and held pending his later release on his own recognizance.

On February 25th, 2024, the Cass County Sheriff’s Office arrested Jeanna Kramer, 19, of Atlantic, for OWI 1st Offense.  Kramer was transported to the Cass County Jail where she was booked and held pending her later release on her own recognizance. 

On February 24th, 2024, the Cass County Sheriff’s Office arrested Zander Luft, 20, of Red Oak, for OWI 1st Offense.  Luft was transported to the Cass County Jail where he was booked and held pending his later release on his own recognizance. 

On February 24th, 2024, the Cass County Sheriff’s Office arrested Jesse Kinser, 21, of Griswold, for Possession of a Controlled Substance.  Kinser was transported to the Cass County Jail where he was booked and held pending his later release on bond.

On February 23rd, 2024, the Cass County Sheriff’s Office arrested Harry Wood Jr., 72, of Massena, for OWI 1st Offense.  Wood was transported to the Cass County Jail where he was booked and held pending his later release on his own recognizance. 

Civil Division

Please contact the Sheriff’s Office prior to faxing or emailing documents for service. Advanced fees are accepted, but not required prior to service being provided. You may contact the Sheriff’s Office at 712-243-2206 or email civil@casscoia.us for any additional civil process questions.

Pending Sheriff’s Sale (s):

903 Linn St., Atlantic, IA  50022, Date of sale:   April 9, 2023 at 10:00 a.m.

201 E 5th St., Atlantic, IA  50022, Date of sale:  May 14, 2024 at 10:00 a.m.

 

 

**Please click the link to view the current Notice of Sheriff’s Levy and Sale**

K-9
Kyle - Vader1

K9 Vader, a German Shepherd, was purchased with money seized from drug forfeitures. Vader is a dual-purpose K9 certified in narcotics detection, suspect apprehensions, handler protection, building and area search, tracking, and evidence searching. Deputy Kyle Quist is Vader’s handler. K9 Vader replaced K9 Kane after Kane suffered a career-ending injury. K9 Kane was highly awarded in his time with the Cass County Sheriff’s Office. Deputy Quist and Vader have already won several awards in their time together. Vader has had numerous narcotics finds and apprehensions of offenders.
Deputy Quist has been part of several K9 teams in his career and is a Certified Trainer who trains the Cass County Sheriff’s Office’s K9 Units.


tyler - Mufasa 1K9 Mufasa, a German Shepherd, is part of the Cass County Sheriff’s Office crime-fighting force. Deputy Tyler Shiels is Mufasa’s handler. Mufasa was purchased with money seized from drug stops in Cass County. Mufasa is a dual-purpose K9 trained in tracking, area and building searches, handler protection, suspect apprehension, and narcotics location.

How to Lodge a Personnel Complaint
Complaints may be lodged against personnel of the Cass County Sheriff’s Office by submitting a Personnel Complaint Form, which is available in the lobby of the Sheriff’s Office. Complaints may also be filed via email directly to Sheriff Darby J. McLaren at dmclaren@casscoia.us. A link to the Complaint Form is included here as well:
Download Personnel Complaint Form
Cass County Jail/Current Inmates/PREA Complian

inmate roster 3-18-24 The Cass County Jail is located at 5 West 7th Street, Atlantic, IA 50022. Inmates can receive mail correspondence at this address. The jail can be reached 24 hours a day at (712) 243-6960. Please click the link below for the current inmate list

DISCLAIMER
Record of an arrest is not an indication of guilt. The Cass County Sheriff’s Office does not provide case disposition.

The Cass County Sheriff’s Office provides this roster as a public service. The Cass County Sheriff’s Office does not expressly or by implication warrant that the information or data accessed by the customer is accurate or correct. The Sheriff is not liable for any loss, cost, damage or expense arising directly or indirectly in connection with this access. In no event shall the Sheriff be liable for any special or consequential damages or for any direct damages resulting from the customer’s use or application of the information obtained as a result of using this web site.

Individuals obtaining information from this web site should verify accuracy through the arresting agency or Iowa Courts Online.

THIS AGENCY IS PREA COMPLIANT
The Cass County Sheriff’s Office and the Cass County Jail have zero-tolerance of sexual misconduct of inmates (by inmates, staff, volunteers, contractors).

HOW TO REPORT
-In Person
-Phone Call
-Letter
-Anonymously

WHO TO REPORT TO
-Sheriff
-Jail Administration
-County Attorney
-Public Defender
-Phoenix House

CONTACT INFORMATION
Cass County Jail
5 West 7th Street
Atlantic, IA 50022
712-243-6960

Phoenix House
Sexual Assault Line
300 West Broadway
Council Bluffs, IA 51501
1-888-612-0266 (toll-free)

Cass County Sheriff’s Office
5 West 7th Street
Atlantic, IA 50022
800-233-3336 (toll-free)
712-243-2206