A former Perry man who was set to stand trial Tuesday in connection with a fatal 2009 crash in Guthrie County, will instead make his appearance in court in May. A judge has continued the trial for 30-year old Thomas Dugan until 9:30-a.m. May 15^th in Guthrie County District Court. A Pre-trial conference in the case is set to take place April 30^th.

Authorities allege Dugan was behind the wheel of a car that went out of control and crashed in rural Guthrie County on August 24^th 2009. The crash killed a passenger in the car, 28-year old Adam Anderson, of Bagley, and resulted in Dugan suffering critical injuries. Both men were ejected from the vehicle, which rolled end-over-end multiple times before coming to rest in a soybean field.

Charges of vehicular homicide, reckless driving and drunken driving were filed against Dugan in February of 2011, after DNA tests indicated he was the driver of the car. Prior to the test results, authorities couldn’t determine which man was behind the wheel.

When it gets underway in May, Dugan’s trial is expected to last about four days.

The Audubon County Sheriff’s Department said Tuesday, a Hamlin woman was arrested Sunday evening on an assault charge. 32-year old Brooke Marie Hines faces two counts of Assault on a Peace Officer. The charges stem from an investigation into an incident which allegedly occurred in the 1500 block of 200^th Street. Hines was brought to the Audubon County Jail and released from custody after appearing before the magistrate.

Police in Council Bluffs are investigating the assault of a woman who suffered severe facial injuries. Officials say they received a 9-1-1 call at around 11:20-p.m. Tuesday, about a woman in her 40’s who was found beaten in the 200 block of South 9^th Street, in Council Bluffs. The woman was transported by Council Bluffs Fire and Rescue to Mercy Hospital in Council Bluffs, for treatment of severe facial injuries and trauma to her body. The unidentified victim was unable to provide authorities with information on the suspect as of this morning. Her name was being withheld, pending notification of family.

Iowa’s governor returned from a five-day trip to Washington, D.C. , Monday, and Governor Branstad made a face-to-face appeal to officials from the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Army Corps of Engineers on flood-related issues. “I was really encouraged about that meeting. The Corps has not always been as responsive to governors as they are at this time,” Branstad says. “We discussed the need to adequately prioritize flood control as a top priority in the Missouri River management and the fact that this is an area where the federal government can be more effective.” Branstad asked the Corps to make a temporary levy protecting the southwest Iowa town of Hamburg permanent. The governor says he mentioned several unresolved flood-related issues still pending in Cedar Rapids and Iowa City which were struck by severe flooding in 2008. Branstad also made a pitch for a “flow study” of the Des Moines River to update flood preparation plans in the state’s capitol city.

(O. Kay Henderson/Radio Iowa)