A Lenox woman was cited today (Monday) for contributing to the delinquency of a minor, by allowing an underage person to consume alcohol, and by providing the booze. 48-year old Kristi S. Long received the citation following an investigation into an incident which occurred Saturday.

Lenox Police say they received a called at around 12:05-a.m. on December 10th, about juveniles consuming alcohol in a residence on East Ohio Street. An officer responded and identified a 15 year old female as drinking in the residence and several others who left just prior to the officers arrival. The 15 year old was released to a family member and referred to juvenile court on a charge of possession of alcohol while under the legal age.

The Iowa Board of Medicine announced last week, in a rare emergency order, that they have suspended the license of an anesthesiologist who practices in Council Bluffs. In suspending his license, the Board alleges 47-year old Dr. Michael C. Prescher engaged in “sexual misconduct and professional incompetency while performing injection procedures for pain treatment on two female patients who were under sedation.”

In making their decision, the board alleged that Prescher provided pain treatment to the women after hours in his office when no other health-care provider or staff person was present; that he didn’t charge them for the service; that the level of sedation reportedly provided for their respective procedures was unnecessary; and that he didn’t maintain medical records for the women. The board says the alleged incidents took place in 2009 and 2010.  They didn’t provide details on just how those incidents came to light.

Under terms of the emergency adjudicative order, Prescher is prohibited from practicing medicine until the matter is resolved, the board said. A hearing on the matter will take place January 12th.

On Friday, after officials at Jennie Edmundson Hospital in the Bluffs learned of the license suspension, Prescher’s clinical and admitting privileges immediately were suspended. Hospital officials said that means he will no longer be able to admit, treat, operate, or perform other such functions at the facility.

The U-S Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa said today (Monday), two southwest Iowa men were sentenced Friday in U-S District Court, to a combined 21 ½ years in prison for their participation in a conspiracy to manufacture methamphetamine. United States Attorney Nicholas A. Klinefeld says 45-year old Robert Gene Ott, Jr., of rural Imogene, and 24-year old Christopher Nicholas Smith, of rural Glenwood, received their sentences from Senior United States District Court Judge Ronald E. Longstaff.  Robert Ott, Jr. was sentenced to 168 months imprisonment, plus five (5) years of supervised release following his imprisonment, and ordered to pay $100 to the Crime Victim Fund. The Judge sentenced Christopher Smith to 90 months imprisonment, plus 3 years of supervised release following his imprisonment, and also ordered him to $100 to the Crime Victim Fund. Both men were ordered to remain in the custody of the United States Marshal pending designation of the Federal Bureau of Prison facility at which each will serve his sentence. 

On April 28th, 2011, a federal grand jury returned an indictment charging Ott, Smith and four other persons with conspiracy to manufacture methamphetamine and associated charges in what has been referred to as “the Fisher Farm Case”. Each of the defendants had previously appeared in Federal Court in Council Bluffs and pled guilty to their respective role in the conspiracy. The “Fisher Farm” is an acreage located in rural Mills County where an estimated 2.5 kilograms (5.5 pounds) of pure methamphetamine was manufactured by several people from at least February of 2003, to May of 2011.  

Persons involved in the conspiracy were responsible for the theft of substantial quantities of anhydrous ammonia in southwest Iowa and for the purchase of pseudoephedrine from several stores in Iowa, Nebraska and Missouri, all of which were used to manufacture methamphetamine. In sentencing Christopher Smith, the Judge noted that under the federal sentencing guidelines, Smith was eligible for what is referred to as a “safety valve” reduction in his advisory sentence due to his lack of criminal history and the presence of other factors contained in the federal sentencing guidelines. 

Others previously sentenced in connection with the case were: Kirk Jason Hardman, Trent James Fischer, Jennifer Mae Biggerstaff, Timothy Earl Bendt, and Paul Leon Foster. Another person, Andru Alan Fisher is awaiting sentencing in the case.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Gov. Terry Branstad says he’s confident the Iowa Supreme Court will support his right to veto funding for Iowa Workforce Development offices, calling it a key test of gubernatorial authority.Branstad used his line item veto power to reject $3 million to pay for running Workforce Development offices around the state. Instead, the state has installed computer terminals at libraries and other spots where people can access employment services. A lawsuit charged that Branstad exceeded his authority, and last week a Polk County judge agreed.Speaking at his weekly news conference Monday, Branstad expressed confidence, saying he’ll seek an expedited Iowa Supreme Court review of the decision. Branstad says it’s an important marker for deciding how far the governor can go to control spending.

Officials with the Lenox Police Department report a Red Oak woman was arrested last week on a 4^th degree theft charge. The arrest of 20-year old Desiree Willis was the result of an investigation into bad checks allegedly written to the Lenox Computer Store. Willis was transferred to a Taylor County Deputy and was transported to the Taylor County Jail.

SIOUX CITY, Iowa (AP) — A thief or thieves broke into an equipment room at Headid Park in Sioux City and stole the Little League’s utility vehicle. The vehicle was stolen one night last week. Headid Little League board member Tim Scherle says the vehicle is used to prepare the fields for the 375 Little Leaguers who play at the park.The vehicle was valued at $6,500.

Scherle says people shouldn’t steal from anyone, “but to take something from a Little League park was pretty disheartening, pretty upsetting, actually.”