O’Brien County, Iowa — A Spencer man has been arrested at a Fort Dodge prison and returned to O’Brien County in connection with a December 2020 theft case.
Court records indicate that on December 21, 2020 a white Ford pickup was stolen from a Hartley residence. Less than an hour later, an O’Brien County Deputy responded to a report of a white pickup in a ditch near Sanborn, with that vehicle having left the scene prior to the deputy’s arrival.
Later that morning, the vehicle was located parked at the Pizza Ranch in Sanborn and had, according to authorities, “clearly been involved in an accident.” Surveillance footage from the convenience store next door reportedly showed a white male, later allegedly identified as Jordan Walbaum enter the store during the corresponding time period.
Authorities say blood samples were taken from the tailgate of the stolen pickup. Court records indicate that a search warrant for a DNA sample from Walbaum was issued and the sample collected and sent to the DCI Lab for analysis.
In July of last year, authorities completed their investigation, filing charges on Walbaum for 1st Degree Theft, which is a Class C Felony, with an arrest warrant being issued at that time.
Court records indicate that Walbaum had been incarcerated at the prison in Fort Dodge on convictions for other theft cases in other northwest Iowa counties since before the new charges were filed.
On Wednesday of this week, as Walbaum was scheduled to be released from prison, an O’Brien County Deputy traveled to Fort Dodge and took him into custody, returning him to face the O’Brien County charges.
Online court records indicate that Walbaum is scheduled for a jury trial in the case on September 13th, in O’Brien County District Court.
