Two new members of the Shelby County Board of Supervisors were sworn into office this (Wednesday) morning. Prior to the start of the Boards’ regular meeting, Charlie Parkhurst and Steve Kenkel, along with Auditor Marsha Carter and Shelby County Sheriff Mark Hervey, were officially sworn-in. Parkhurst and Kenkel were elected to the Board last November. They replace Supervisors James Burmeister and Delbert Hull.

In other business, the Shelby County Supervisors re-elected Roger Schmitz as the Board Chair, while Kenkel was nominated as vice-chair. Auditor Marsha Carter informed the board that she, along with Schmitz, recently attended the Ordinance Committee meeting to discuss the Hotel/Motel Tax. Carter said during that meeting, she volunteered to become the fiscal agent for the tax money. However, the Supervisors did not make an actual motion regarding the Hotel/Motel Tax Ordinance. They are likely to bring that to their next meeting next Tuesday.

Shelby County Treasurer Carolyn Blum was in attendance at the Supervisors meeting to give an update on their recent audit from Gronewold and Associates. Blum said following Gronewold’s audit, there were a few discrepancies and she wanted to clarify a few things. Blum said the errors stemmed from advance taxes not being subtracted from the audit.

She said after presenting all the reports, the Gronewold associate was satisfied that they were in balance. Since the audit, Gronewold and Associates sent an e-mail to County officials saying it was their error, and that the Shelby County Treasurer’s Office records were correct.

The Shelby County Supervisors meeting finished with a report from Shelby County Engineer Dan Ahart.

(Joel McCall/KNOD)

The Harlan Police Department reports five people were arrested over the course of the past week or so. On Sunday, 17-year old Jenna McDaniel and 21-year old Michael Tremayne, both of Harlan, were charged with Domestic Abuse Assault. The pair were arrested after officers investigated a reported altercation. Tremayne was brought to the Shelby County Jail, while McDaniel was transported to the Juvenile Detention Center in Council Bluffs. That same day, 18-year old Cassidy Coenen, of Harlan, was arrested on a weapons charge, after she was found to be in possession of a switchblade knife, following a traffic stop.

On Saturday, officers with the Harlan P-D arrested 29-year old Gabriel Brown, of Harlan, for allegedly violating a No Contact Order. The order was issued after Brown was arrested last Friday, following an altercation between himself and his wife. Police had responded to the 800 block of Market Street after receiving a report of a man threatening suicide. During their investigation, Brown’s wife told police about the domestic incident. Brown was later taken into custody on a charge of Domestic Abuse Assault.

And, 29-year old Bret VanPatten, of Harlan, was arrested Friday following a reported disturbance at the Westside Bar, in Harlan. VanPatten was charged with Public Intoxication.

Just two days into the New Year, and already two arrests have been reported in Audubon County. On Wednesday (today), 47-year old Lori Jean Handlos, of Carroll, turned herself-in to the Sheriff’s Department. Handlos was wanted on a warrant charging her with Revocation of her Probation. She is being held in the Audubon County Jail, and is scheduled to appear before the magistrate Thursday, Jan. 3rd.

And, at around 2:30-a.m. Tuesday, Jan. 1st, 21-year old Jacob Lawrence Best, of Audubon, was arrested in connection with an incident which allegedly occurred at 120th and Goldfinch Avenue. Best was taken into custody on OWI/1st Offense and Failure to Maintain Control, charges. He later posted a cash bond and was released, with orders to appear before the magistrate on Thursday.

No injuries were reported following a single-vehicle accident early Tuesday morning, in Lewis. According to the Cass County Sheriff’s Office, the collision happened at around 12:30-a.m., at the intersection of 1^st and Minnesota Streets in Lewis. Officials say a 2008 Pontiac Grand Prix owned and driven by 51-year old Lisa Swanson, of Marne, was northbound on First Street when Swanson lost control of the car, which then hit a parked 1995 Chevy 1500 pickup owned by Mary Mayo of Lewis. Damage from the mishap amounted to $4,000. Swanson was cited for Failure to Maintain Control.

And, Sunday afternoon, December 30th, deputies in Cass County responded to a report of a one-vehicle accident on Oxford Road, about one-quarter of a mile east of 660^th Street. Authorities say a 2002 Chevy Silverado owned and driven by 60-year old Galen Dean Becker, of Cumberland, was westbound on Oxford Road when the pickup entered a slushy stretch of roadway at around 2-p.m.. The road conditions caused the trailer the truck was pulling to jackknife. No injuries were reported. Damage occurred to Becker’s pickup, a power pole, fence and posts. The loss was estimated at $11,300 altogether.

A Griswold man was arrested Tuesday on an OWI charge. The Cass County Sheriff’s Office reports 47-year old Drue William Kirchhoff was taken into custody on a charge of OWI/1st Offense. He was released later than same day, on his own recognizance.

Last Thursday (Dec. 27th), deputies in Cass County arrested 33-year old Ryan Vincent Lee Richards, of Atlantic, on a District Court warrant for Failure to Appear, and an Atlantic Police Department warrant for Ongoing Criminal Conduct, Theft 2^nd Degree, and Possession of a Controlled Substance. Richards was taken to the Cass County Jail where he was being held on $31,750 bond.

SIOUX CITY, Iowa (AP) – A 30-year-old Nebraska man has been sentenced for selling crack cocaine and marijuana in northwest Iowa.  Federal prosecutors say Jason Martinez had pleaded guilty in June to distributing crack and marijuana and to illegally possessing a gun. Martinez was sentenced last week to 130 months in prison and must serve 10 years of supervised release when he leaves custody.

Prosecutors say Martinez has previous convictions in 2008 and 2002 for selling drugs in Douglas County, Neb., and also in 2002 for selling drugs in New York.  During his plea hearing at a U.S. District Court in Sioux City, Iowa, Martinez admitted obtaining crack in Omaha, Neb., that he would sell in Sioux City. His drug operation ran from 2010 through June 2011.