Arraignment in the case of a former Harlan teacher charged with felony Sexual Exploitation by a School Employee and and Aggravated Serious Misdemeanor charge of Assault with Intent to Commit Sexual Abuse, is scheduled to take place later this month.

Lee Nelson

According to online court records, 72-year old Lee Gordon Nelson, of Harlan, is scheduled to appear in Shelby County District Court on August 26th. His trial will take place October 29th.  Nelson plead not guilty to charges on July 26th. He remains free on $7,000 bond.  If convicted on both charges, Lee faces up to seven-years in prison and fines amounting to nearly $14,000.

According to the Iowa DCI, a 17 year old female and her parents contacted Harlan police on May 30th, 2013, to report that since October, 2012, Nelson had been saying rude and inappropriate things to the victim, as well as touching her inappropriately. The incidents allegedly occurred at school, on band trips and at his residence.

Nelson was employed with the Harlan Community School District for 35 years, before the school board accepted his resignation on April 22nd.

The 17-year old son of a southwest Iowa School Superintendent is facing sexual abuse and kidnapping charges. According to KETV in Omaha, Kreighton Elwood, son of Treynor Community School District Superintendent Kevin Elwood, has been charged with two counts of 3rd Degree Sexual Abuse and one count of Kidnapping.

The teen is accused of forcibly removing one victims clothes and fondling her in his truck, covering her mouth with his hand to keep her quiet, and preventing her from leaving the vehicle. In a separate case, Elwood is accused of trying to rip off a victim’s underwear and forcing her to touch him inappropriately.

The alleged incidents date back to November 2012. Elwood turned himself in to Pottawattamie County authorities on July 11th. Afterward he was booked and given pre-trial release. A judge signed-off on trial information, Thursday morning. Online court records indicate the teen has a court appearance set for September 3rd and a trial date set for October 29th. If found guilty, Elwood faces up to 10-years in prison for each of the alleged felony sexual assaults, and life in prison without parole, for felony 1st degree kidnapping.

Treynor school officials say Elwood is a senior at the school and he has been placed in an alternative education program.

The Iowa Department of Transportation reports (As of 2:58-p.m.), Interstate 80 eastbound is partially blocked due to an accident between Exit 29 – County Road L66 (near Minden) and Exit 34 – County Road M16 (near Shelby). The left lane is blocked. No other details are currently available.

Bad bearings on a wagon caused the vehicle being pulled by a tractor to tip over and spill its load Wednesday afternoon, in Page County. The Sheriff’s Office reports a 2004 John Deere 7920 tractor operated by 33-year old Jay Crom, of Malvern, was traveling west on Highway 2 just east of C Avenue at around 3:40-p.m., when the wheel bearings on a Parker 4-wheel wagon it was pulling failed. The wagon dropped onto the road, turned over onto its side and spilled its load onto the road.

The wagon was totaled during the accident. It was valued at $15,000. The Page County road sustained an estimated $5,000 damage. There were no injuries, and no citations issued.

The rain was a much welcomed event across southwest Iowa overnight and early this (Thursday) morning, but a southwest Iowa teen probably wishes it hadn’t rained quite so much. The Page County Sheriff’s Office says 17-year old Koreen Polsley, of Essex, suffered minor injuries, when the car she was driving crashed after it hydroplaned on standing water in tire tracks on a gravel road.

The 2000 Pontiac Grand Am was traveling north on H Avenue at around 6:30-a.m., when it went out of control, slid sideways on a washboard gravel road, entered a ditch and struck a tree. The car then spun around and slide over other, smaller trees before coming to rest on another small tree.

Polsley was transported by private vehicle to the Shenandoah Memorial Hospital. Officials say standing water in the tire tracks and the washboard road conditions created by previously dry conditions, contributed to the crash. Damage to the vehicle amounted to $2,000. No citations were issued.

Cass County Election Commissioner Dale Sunderman reports he has received a call for a special city election from the City of Massena. Purpose: to fill the vacant mayor position. The Auditor has set September 17th, 2013 as the date of the election.

Nomination petitions for the office of Mayor in the City of Massena may be filed with the Massena City Clerk beginning now and continuing until noon on August 23, 2013. Nominations petitions are available from the Massena City Clerk, the Cass County Auditor and online from the Iowa Secretary of State.

The term of office for the Mayor in the City of Massena is 2 years. The person elected in this special election will serve until the end of year 2013. The office of Mayor will appear on the November 5, 2013 city election ballot. The two year term for the person elected in November will begin in January of 2014.

Officials with the Cass County Memorial Hospital Foundation recently accepted a donation of $500 from the Delta Zeta Sorority. The group raised the funds through their annual community nut sale.

For more information about the Foundation, surf the web to: http://www.casshealth.org/ccmh-foundation/

Deb Lamb, right, of Delta Zeta Sorority; Dawn Marnin, Cass County Memorial Hospital Foundation Director

The Cass County Memorial Hospital Foundation is pleased to announce that Simon Estes will be performing in Atlantic on October 27th, 2013, as part of his Roots to Wings tour, and part of fulfilling his goal of performing in each county of Iowa.  Estes will have a young musician perform with him, along with choirs from area High Schools.

Estes will also be sharing his journey from humble beginnings in a small Iowa community to performing all over the world for dignitaries, royalty and people of all walks of life in an assembly for area high school students on October 28th, 2013, at the Atlantic High School Auditorium.  During the assembly, Estes will emphasize the value of hard work, determination and perseverance.

The CCMH Foundation would like to invites area businesses and individuals to be a part of bringing this opportunity to Cass County.  If you would like to be a concert sponsor, or for more information, please contact Dawn Marnin, CCMH Foundation Director at 712-243-7409 or email her at mardd@casshealth.org.

As a sponsor, you will have special seating at the concert and be invited to a sponsor-only dinner with Simon Estes and his troupe after the concert at the Atlantic Golf and Country Club.  Sponsors $500 and above are listed in the program; all sponsors will be recognized on the posters.

Individual tickets will go on sale soon, with limited availability.