Four Arrested Near Buena Vista University on Public Intoxication, Theft Charges

Authorities arrested four college-age men Feb. 20 on or near the Buena Vista University campus in Storm Lake, identifying them as 21-year-old Brant Goodchild of Royal, 21-year-old Adam Galm of Hartley, 21-year-old Ryan Gau of Woodbine and 22-year-old Michael Nicholson of Osage; all four were charged with public intoxication and possession of stolen property, according to initial reporting.

The initial account did not specify which agency made the arrests, whether the men are students at Buena Vista University, what items were allegedly stolen, or bond and court dates. Storm Lake has been the jurisdiction for several recent campus investigations, and previous incident reports show local detectives and campus security working together on cases that led to room searches, arrests and criminal charges.

Those earlier campus investigations include a 2017 Storm Lake Police Department search of room 324 in Pierce Hall after an April 11 interview operation. A Storm Lake press release tied to that search said officers recovered "stolen blank checks, forged checks, a debit card, receipts and a small amount of marijuana" after a reported car break-in and forged checks amounting to $2,000. That search led to the arrest of a student, who faced four counts of forgery - class D felony - possession of marijuana as a serious misdemeanor and possession of stolen property as a simple misdemeanor, and was held on a $5,000 bond. Mark Kirkholm, director of security, told campus media that the student was "currently looking at about six years in prison" and that campus security and Storm Lake officers "work well together when it comes to issues regarding the law."

Separate campus fallout from hateful messages previously drew local detectives to Pierce and White halls, where university officials reported "at least four incidents of offensive language and symbols" on residence doors that targeted three African-American students, two white students and one Hispanic student. The university said President Joshua Merchant met with residents and was "repulsed" by the messages; Merchant told students, "Hate is an open attack on tolerance and acceptance. I am asking you to not tolerate hate, instead speak up." A student identified only as Parker said, "I was just shaking pretty bad. I just wanted to go home and didn't feel safe."

A third strand of campus crime reporting involved a Briscoe Hall burglary reported on a Sept. 18 date in earlier coverage; at least eight students reported losses of more than $300 in cash, gift cards and personal items. Police later reported that 22-year-old Jordan Flynn of Albuquerque voluntarily returned to Storm Lake and surrendered on Oct. 19, was booked into the Buena Vista County Jail and released pending a court date on warrants charging multiple counts of third-degree burglary and fifth-degree theft.

Initial reporting on the Feb. 20 arrests provides names, ages, hometowns and charges but leaves key procedural details unresolved. Bond amounts, arresting agency confirmation, descriptions of the alleged stolen property and any scheduled court appearances were not included in the report; those items will determine whether the Storm Lake arrests lead to criminal filings or campus disciplinary action in the weeks ahead.