A district court judge has sentenced a Mills County man to as much as 50-years in prison for the death of 13-month old. The Daily NonPareil says 23-year old Colby Puckett, of Pacific Junction, received his sentence today (Monday), in connection with the Feb. 2012 death of Aliyanna Lenae May. Pucket had earlier pleaded guilty to second-degree murder. He must serve at least 35-years in prison before he is eligible for parole. The court also ordered Puckett to pay more than $9,000 in restitution to the victim’s family, and $150,000 in restitution to the state.

Court records indicate Puckett was baby-sitting the 13-month-old girl and two of her siblings, ages 3 and 2, while their mother was taking a college class. Puckett – who was dating the baby’s mother – told a Mills County Sheriff’s Office deputy that he had placed Aliyanna on a bed and she fell off. She died the next day.

Doctors found extensive injuries to her eyes and brain, which they said was more consistent with abuse, and not a fall. The Iowa State Medical Examiner’s Office performed an autopsy, which determined Aliyanna had died as a result of the head injuries. Her death was ruled a homicide.

Authorities arrested Puckett on Feb. 8th, 2012.

FONDA, Iowa (AP) — A police chief in northwest Iowa has been cut off from emergency dispatch communications following a dispute with a county sheriff over the proper response protocol for emergency calls. Pocahontas County Sheriff Bob Lampe recently issued a memorandum that says employees should not communicate with Fonda Police Chief Alex Leu on radio traffic.

The Des Moines Register reports Leu posted about the situation on the Facebook page for Fonda, a city about 90 miles east of Sioux City. He listed his city-issued cellphone number with the post. Lampe says Leu is not authorized to respond to emergency medical calls outside of city limits. Leu, who is a state-certified emergency medical technician, disputes that. He says he can often get to a scene quicker than a county deputy.

The Cass County Sheriff’s Office reports the arrest on Thursday of a Council Bluffs man. 48-year old Timothy Andrew Frieze was taken into custody on a Sheriff’s Office warrant for Theft 2nd Degree (Motor Vehicle) (a Class-D Felony) and Operating without Consent (Aggravated misdemeanor). Frieze was taken to the Cass County Jail where he was released later that day on his own recognizance.

Volunteers are wanted to visit nursing homes and similar facilities in the state to help resolve concerns among residents about quality of care. Deanna Clingan-Fischer is the state’s Long-Term Care Ombudsman. “We hope to recruit individuals and train them to go into nursing facilities and be the eyes and ears for individual residents, so that we can insure quality care and make sure residents have someone they can turn to if they are in need of some assistance,” Clingan-Fischer says.

The new Volunteer Ombudsman Program is open to anyone at least 18 years of age. Previous experience in health care is not required. “Certainly, individuals who have a background in health care…would have an instant advantage, so to speak, in knowing some of the lingo and the health care needs of our vulnerable people,” Clingan-Fisher says. Plans call for placing one or two volunteers in every nursing facility, residential care facility, and elder group home in Iowa. Potential volunteers must go through a one-day, eight-hour long training session.

Volunteers are also be required to attend 16 hours of continuing education and commit to visiting a care facility at least three hours per month for one year. More information and volunteer applications are available at: www.iowaaging.gov/vop

(Radio Iowa)

A small town in southwest Iowa is getting national recognition in a new T-V commercial. A taco restaurant in Mineola is the destination for what’s called a “taco ride,” as bicyclists pedal ten miles from Council Bluffs along the Wabash Trace Nature Trail. In the commercial, the beef taco meat is replaced with turkey. Jen Ehresmann at Jennie-O Turkey says they wanted authentic responses.

Ehresmann says, “Rather than hiring a bunch of actors and actresses, we wanted to make sure the people in our commercial were reacting to the tacos themselves and were truly riders and truly local.” The commercial features the event where dozens, sometimes hundreds of riders meet weekly — regardless of weather — and bicycle from Council Bluffs to Mineola to eat tacos. It’s billed as the world’s longest-running weekly social bike ride and is listed as one of the 10 best weekly rides in the world by Bicycling Magazine.

“There was definitely a level of pride and protection about the taco ride and about Mineola specifically,” Ehresmann says. “I hope we did treat it very respectfully and I know that we had a great time.”

Mineola is located in Mills County in the Loess Hills. Jennie-O Turkey is based in Willmar, Minnesota, and is one of the largest turkey processors in the world.

Link to the commercial: www.youtube.com/watch?v=GNUxA6_rBj4

(Radio Iowa)

The CEO of the Cass County Memorial Hospital will conclude 29-years of service to the facility and the community, this Friday.

Pat Markham (left) and her family. (CCMH/photo)

Pat Markham announced her retirement last fall. She came to Cass County Memorial Hospital as Assistant Administrator in November 1984 and was promoted to Administrator/CEO in June 1988. 

Over the years, she has seen many changes in the world of medicine, and at the facilities operated by the Cass County Health System, including the areas of technology, patient care and regulatory moves that have affected healthcare and healthcare providers.

Markham has led CCHS through two major building addition and renovation projects during her tenure. She says “I’m proud to leave our community with an outstanding medical facility that will meet our patients’ needs for many years to come.”  The building updates have addressed many of the changes in how health care is delivered, transitioning from an inpatient to an outpatient-oriented facility.

Markham says she is looking forward to spending more time with her family and just having a little time for herself in retirement. Todd Hudspeth was selected in November to succeed CEO Pat Markham. Hudspeth, who brings more than 15-years of experience as a CEO in critical access hospitals, will take over as CEO at CCMH, on January 20th.

Two teens from Villisca suffered possible/unknown injuries following a single-vehicle accident this (Monday) morning, about 7-miles northeast of Villisca. Authorities in Montgomery County say a 2002 Dodge Ram pickup driven by 15-year old Halee Elizabeth Olson, of Villisca, was traveling east on Highway 34 at around 7:55-a.m., when the right front tire dropped off the roadway. Olson tried to bring the truck back onto the road, but lost control of the vehicle on the icy roadway.

The pickup slid across the road and entered the north ditch. The right rear tire came off as the truck continued to slide through a fence and came to rest on a field. Olson, and her passenger, 16-year old Kelsey Kay Steinbach, of Villisca, were transported to the Montgomery County Hospital by private vehicle. There were  no citations issued.

Damage to the truck…registered to Gary Olson, of Villisca…was estimated at $6,000. The Sheriff’s Office was assisted at the scene by crews from the Villisca and Red Oak Fire and Rescue Departments, deputies from the Adams County Sheriff’s Office, and the Iowa State Patrol.