On 3/20/2016 at 12:07 a.m. the Palo Alto County Sheriff’s Office received a report of an accident involving injuries. The accident was located in the 3400 block of 530th Avenue. Upon investigation it was determined a 1995 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme, owned and driven by Lana Rachel Sweat, 35, of Fenton, swerved to miss a deer and exited the roadway. Sweat was transported to the Palo Alto County Hospital by ambulance. During the investigation, Sweat consented to the Implied Consent Advisory and as a result blood samples were obtained and sent to the DCI for blood alcohol analysis.
On 04/12/2016 at 4:30 p.m. the Palo Alto County Sheriff’s Office arrested Lana Rachel Sweat, 35, of Fenton on valid Palo Alto County warrants. The warrants stem from original charges of Operating while Intoxicated 1st Offense and Failure to Maintain Control. Sweat was unable to post bond and was subsequently booked into the Palo Alto County Jail to await her initial appearance before the judge.
It was during the time of Sweat’s arrest that the Palo Alto County Sheriff’s Office received information that Sweat may have changed her identity in order to avoid arrest warrants in the states of New York and Pennsylvania. The Sheriff’s Office learned that Sweat’s true identity may be Renata Jeanne Undt. Undt had a valid warrant for her arrest out of New York for a parole violation and a valid warrant out of Pennsylvania for a probation violation. The Sheriff’s Office began an investigation into the information received.
On 04/13/2016 the Palo Alto County Sheriff’s Office was able to confirm through fingerprint identification that Sweat was indeed Undt. The Sheriff’s Office continued their investigation into Undt. On 04/27/2016 a search warrant was executed in Swea City, Iowa which uncovered additional information on Undt (A.K.A. – Lana R. Sweat) During the investigation documents were located that aided Undt in obtaining a fraudulent Iowa driver’s license, federal social security number, and State of Iowa welfare benefits. As a result of the investigation and documents located additional charges were filed on Undt.
On 05/03/2016 at 5:42 p.m. the Palo Alto County Sheriff’s Office arrested Renata Jeanne Undt, 37, of Fenton on a valid Palo Alto County warrant. The warrant included charges of Ongoing Criminal Conduct, a Class “B” Felony, 2 counts of Identity Theft, a Class “D” Felony, 6 counts of Perjury, a Class “D” Felony, and Tampering with Records, an Aggravated Misdemeanor. Undt was unable to post the additional $25,000.00 cash bond and is currently being held on the new charges as well as the original Operating while Intoxicated 1st Offense and Failure to Maintain Control warrants. Undt was already being held in the Palo Alto County Jail at the time of her arrest.
The investigation is ongoing and more charges are expected. The Palo Alto County Sheriff’s Office is being assisted by the Office of Inspector General, FBI, Kossuth County Sheriff’s Office, Palo Alto County Attorney’s Office and the Iowa Department of Transportation.
