Mount Ayr Record-News
Mount Ayr, Ringgold County, Iowa
Thursday, November 09, 2004

A former Ringgold county resident is recovering from wounds received when he was making a traffic stop in his duties as a Pottawattamie county deputy sheriff.

Brian LOOMIS, 30, son of Ron and Janis LOOMIS of Kellerton, was shot five times after he stopped a brown Lincoln Navigator with Nebraska plates back on November 10.

LOOMIS was hit three times in his left arm, one in the right arm and once in the left upper chest where his bullet-proof vest didn't cover, according to his mother.

He is recuperating at home with his wife, Shawn, who he married in September. They live at 2310 S. 16th St. in Council Bluffs, Iowa.

According to his mother, LOOMIS continues to need outpatient physical therapy and wound care. He has considerable pain due to nerve damage from the bullet wounds in his arm.

According to law enforcement officials, the saga started with two men - 24-year-old Jeremy L. Clark of Lavista, Nebraska and Colton J. Dineen, 23, of Omaha, allegedly confronted another man about stolen items.

The pair allegedly held the other man against his will. When two of the third man's acquaintances called to check on him, methamphetamine was demanded as the price for the man's release.

The two acquaintances brought the drugs, but then were taken hostage themselves. The three men were released by the pair the same day.

At 3:20 a.m. Wednesday, Nov. 10, the pair was headed eastbound on Interstate 80 near Avoca when LOOMIS made the traffic stop.

LOOMIS stopped the vehicle, collected some information from the driver and returned to his squad car for a few minutes. When LOOMIS went back to the stopped vehicle, the driver opened fire.

The car sped off from the encounter, but was seen by a police officer in Plattsmouth, NE, three hours later. After leading police on a chase at up to 70 miles per hour through Plattsmouth, NE, the Navigator crashed into the garage of a retired newspaper publisher.

The passengers fled but two men were arrested later that afternoon.

Jeremy L. Clark and Colton J. Dineen were returned to Pottawattamie county after waiving extradition from Nebraska and were charged with attempted murder. Christopher Smith, 24, of LaVista is also under arrest for being the third man involved in the shooting.

Dineen is accused of doing the actual shooting and all three are charged with attempted murder, willful injury causing serious injury, assault on a police officer while using a dangerous weapon, assault committing a felony and first-degree theft.

Smith and Clark are charged with aiding and abetting the crimes, and Dineen as a felon in possession of fire arms.

LOOMIS was thought to be the first Pottawattaie county sheriff's officer shot in the line of duty since 1911.

Transcription by Sharon R. Becker, October of 2012