Authorities in southern Iowa are asking for the public’s help in finding a man wanted in connection with an assault early this (Wednesday) morning, in Creston.

William Michael Bird

According to the Creston Police Department, 20-year old William Michael Bird is wanted on charges of Attempted Murder, Burglary in the 1st Degree, and Domestic Assault by Strangulation. Officials say an unnamed female assault victim was able to get away from the residence where the incident took place, and run to a neighbor’s home.

The suspect, William Bird, chased the victim to the neighbor’s house, eventually catching her. He allegedly stabbed her in the upper chest before fleeing the scene. Creston Police and Emergency Medical Services personnel were called, and the victim was transported to Greater Regional Medical Center, in Creston.

Bird was described as being a white male, about 5-feet 9-inches tall, 189-pounds. He has green eyes and black hair. Anyone with information on his location or about the incident, is urged to contact the Creston Police Department at 782-8402.

Officials at Cass County Memorial Hospital (CCMH) have announced four more departments will be moving into newly remodeled areas over the next week. The move affects Rehab Services (physical, speech and occupational therapies), Hospital Pharmacy, Respiratory Care and the Diabetes Center.  The four departments will move into newly remodeled areas that formerly housed the Obstetrics, Surgery, Same Day Surgery and Emergency Departments.

The Hospital Pharmacy will move the morning of Friday, January 25^th.  Rehab Services will move that afternoon, and begin seeing patients in the new therapy center Monday, January 28^th.  The location for patients checking in for Rehab Services will not move at this time; the therapy areas have moved into the old OB and Surgery Departments.  The west parking lot and entrance are closest to this area.

Respiratory Care and the Diabetes Center will move to their new locations on Tuesday, January 29^th.  Patients coming to these departments will want to use the north (atrium/Atlantic Medical Center) or east parking lots and entrances.  The departments will be located across from the Emergency Department, but the Emergency parking needs to be left open for those patients.  Both the north and east entrances lead to the atrium; proceed south toward the gift shop and elevator; bear right and follow the signs.

U-S Attorney Nicholas Klinefedlt said Wednesday that a Council Bluffs man, 32-year old Jonathan Dale Campbell, was sentenced Tuesday in United States District Court in Council Bluffs on a charge of conspiracy to commit interstate transportation of stolen property regarding the theft of copper from center-pivot irrigation systems. Chief United States District Court Judge James E. Gritzner sentenced Campbell to 37 months (just over 3-years) in prison, and ordered him to serve 3 years of supervised release following his imprisonment. The Court ordered that the 37 months federal sentence of imprisonment be served consecutively to, that is, in addition to, State of Iowa sentences currently being served by Campbell. (Campbell is currently serving terms of imprisonment in Iowa for theft and burglary charges unrelated to the federal interstate transportation of stolen property case.)

The Court also ordered Campbell to pay restitution amounting to slightly more than $174,000 to identified victims of the theft scheme in which Campbell was involved, and to pay a $100.00 special assessment for the Crime Victim Fund. Campbell remains in the custody of the United States Marshal pending designation of the Federal Bureau of Prisons facility where he will serve his federal sentence, or return to the custody of the State of Iowa to complete serving sentences from Mills and Pottawattamie counties, which he was serving when taken into federal custody on the interstate theft charges.

Campbell was sentenced upon his plea of guilty to conspiracy to commit interstate transportation of stolen property. The charges arose from a prolonged series of thefts of copper from control cables for center-pivot irrigation systems. The cable was stolen from farming operations stretching from near Sioux City, Iowa, to near St. Joseph, Missouri, with a concentration of the thefts in Harrison and Monona counties in Iowa. Campbell was a part of a conspiracy involving three or more people, which operated from late in 2009, until the summer of 2010. The sentences imposed in this case were in part based on co-conspirators receiving an estimated $70,000, to $120,000.00.00, from a salvage yard in Omaha, Nebraska, for the copper cable.

Records established that persons involved in the conspiracy delivered copper from the center-pivot irrigation system control cables to the salvage yard in Omaha, Nebraska, on at least 73 occasions. The sentences were also based in part on the number of victims identified in the case, with approximately 28 farming entities and a number of insurance companies being identified as victims in Harrison and Monona counties.

Previously convicted in this conspiracy were 35-year old Charles Douglas Nichols,  and 30-year old Joseph Daniel Falknor, both of Council Bluffs. Nichols was sentenced to 31 months in prison, to be followed by 3 years of supervised release. Falknor was sentenced to 12 months and 1 day of imprisonment, to be followed by 3 years of supervised release. Nichols and Falknor were also ordered to pay restitution and to pay an assessment for the Crime Victim Fund. The investigation was conducted by the Harrison and Monona County Sheriff’s Departments,  the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The case was prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa.

Sheriff’s officials in Montgomery County arrested a Red Oak woman this (Wednesday) morning, on a valid warrant out of Page County, for Contempt of Court. 21-year old Desiree Willis was turned over to the Page County Sheriff’s Office, and held on a $500 cash bond.

The Chairman of the Shelby County Relay for Life says this year’s event will be held around the square in downtown Harlan.  Since the beginning of Relay in the County, the event has always been held at Merrill Field in Harlan, with the exception of one year due to rain. However, according to Relay for Life Chair Joel McCall, those plans have changed with the recent fundraising efforts of the Harlan Community Education Foundation.

The Foundation is attempting to raise $2.1 million with $1.5 going towards upgrades at Merrill Field. The Shelby County Relay for Life Committee received word the school district will be making a decision in April on whether or not the remodeling will happen at Merrill Field this year. The Committee decided they could not wait until April to decide where the Event on Friday, June 7^th will be held. Instead, the Committee reached out to the Shelby County Supervisors and Harlan City Council.

A letter was written to each entity asking their permission to use the square and courthouse area for the event. The letter said  “The Committee believes the best location for the Shelby County Relay for Life Event would be around the square in downtown Harlan. We hope this would encourage more businesses to get involved in this great cause. The American Cancer Society has a certificate of insurance so there will be no risk to the city or county entities. We ask you today for your full support to have the Shelby County Relay for Life Event on Friday June 7^th, 2013 to be held around the square and the use of the Court yard area.”

The Supervisors and Harlan City Council approved the use of the square and downtown area during their meetings on Tuesday.

The Harlan City Council Tuesday, approved three appointments to the Hotel/Motel Tax Committee. In a regular city council meeting, Mayor Gene Gettys appointed City Councilman Dave Miller, Teresa Coenen and Lisa Meyer to the Committee for a 2 year term. Coenen will serve as the Harlan Business owner and Meyer will represent the Harlan Resident. Gettys also appointed Byron Christensen to the Veteran’s Memorial Auditorium Commission. The position became open once the City Council approved Terry Derby’s resignation. Derby had served on the Commission for 6 years but recently has been dealing with health issues. Christensen will finish out the term set to expire on April 19^th, 2015.

In other news, the Harlan City Council approved the Harlan Cemetery board’s request to use the south edge of the R.O.W along Cyclone Avenue to build a proposed retaining wall. Councilmember Aaron Anliker said the cement blocks will have designs on them and will set along the north edge of the Harlan Cemetery. Gettys said the Cemetery Board will need to work out details with Harlan Municipal Utilities and to come back with costs and options.

The Cass County Board of Supervisors today (Wednesday) approved an agreement for the use of a local agency Road as a detour, while a short bridge on Highway 92, one-mile west of Highway 148, is being replaced near Massena. Engineer Charles Marker said the County detour request came from the Iowa Department of Transportation. The detour would take traffic along Highway 148 north and east of Massena to County Road G-43. From there over to N-28 (The Cumberland Road), and back south to Highway 92. The project is expected to begin sometime between August 1^st and conclude by October 31^st, and will take about four weeks, weather permitting.

In other business, Engineer Charles Marker presented before the Supervisors a 5-year (2014-to 2019) Bridge construction plan as required by the DOT.

Cass County Engineer Charles Marker’s 5-year bridge replacement plan for the IA DOT.

The plan will appear in his DOT budget when it is submitted to them. Marker says in the current fiscal year, bidding was let on Bridge #345, with Murphy Construction the low bidder. Construction began in Oct. 2012 with bridge 345. He says as of the end of the Federal Fiscal Year 2012 which ended September 31^st, the County had $879, 741 in its account. The County is allocated approximately $400,000 per year for bridge projects.

That’s federal money the County receives from the Road Use Tax and other taxing entities. Marker says projects are an 80/20 match, which means the county must pay for 20-percent of the costs. He says there will be two more bridge projects coming up this next Fiscal Year. Marker says there are three bridges that have an estimated life expectancy of “zero years,” or are approaching the “Critical point” for replacement, according to the latest bridge inspection report. Marker says two of those bridges have already been taken care of, but did not show as being repaired, while another is under contract to be repaired or replaced. He says his department is trying to stay ahead of the required bridge replacement schedule.

Cass County 5-year Road repair plan

Marker says as far as repairs on County roads are concerned, two are included in next year’s budget: G-43 from Lewis to Highway 71, and N-56, from the Atlantic Airport Road south, to Highway 6. Those projects are also included in Marker’s 5-year construction report to the DOT.