A Cass County man is scheduled to appear in court next month on felony charges related to the theft of money from his grandmother. 26-year old David Allen Coenen, of Lewis, faces four counts of Forgery, for allegedly writing checks from his grandmother’s account. He’s scheduled to appear in Shelby County District Court on December 20^th.

David Allen Coenen

Coenen entered a written plea of Not Guilty to the charges, on November 14^th. His pre-trial hearing will take place Monday, November 28^th. If convicted of the class D Felony charges, Coenen faces a maximum of 20 years in jail, with additional fines totaling $20,000.

According to complaints filed through the court system October 4^th, Coenen allegedly signed his grandmother’s name on four checks from August 30th through September 5th, 2011. The checks were written to a bar and two separate gas stations, all of which are in Harlan.

SIOUX CITY, Iowa (AP) – In a year of tornadoes, flooding and farmland fires, some northwest Iowa residents might find the holiday season of giving a little hard to celebrate with donations to charities. The Salvation Army says it recognizes the obstacles facing some area residents and has slightly lowered its hopes for donations. Capt. Von Vandiver says that the Salvation Army has dropped its area goal by $1,500, to $178,500 this year. Despite the tough times for some, the giving spirit endures. Vandiver says two $100 bills were found folded inside one of the local red kettles earlier this week.