COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa (AP) – A Council Bluffs man who told police that he performed a sex act on a cat and then threw it out of a seventh-floor window has been given two years in prison. Thirty-year-old Gerardo Martinez was arrested after officers  found the dead cat on a sidewalk outside a Council Bluffs apartment building on Aug. 3. Officers say Martinez was naked and told them he used methamphetamine and had had sex with the cat.

Court records say Martinez pleaded guilty last week to animal torture. A charge of beastiality was dropped. Martinez is a registered sex offender in Iowa. Online Iowa records say he was convicted in Pottawattamie County of sexual abuse of a girl age 13 or under in 1998.

Authorities in Shelby County are warning about a scam being perpetrated on area residents following the death of a local firefighter. Officials with the Shelby Fire and Rescue Department have learned residents are receiving phone calls asking for donations, which the caller says will help the family of Shelby volunteer firefighter Mike Collins, of Minden, who was hit by a vehicle and killed Sunday night on Interstate 80, while assisting at the scene of an accident.

A telemarketing firm has been making phone calls to residents around the area, asking for donations to the “Mike Collins Fund.” When officials with the Shelby Fire and Rescue squad heard about the scam Wednesday, they issued an alert asking resident to hang up the phone if you receive such a call, and report it to the authorities.

The only legitimate fund for the family of Mike Collins is at the Shelby County State Bank, Shelby Branch. Officials say the bank will NOT call and ask for your donation. They will accept donations in person or by mail, at an address we provided you with earlier this week, here on KJAN. The address can be found in the story we posted about Collins’ death, at www.kjan.com. Click on “News” under the “Community Hub” tab, and look for the story on September 20^th.

The Cass County Memorial Hospital (CCMH) in Atlantic is now offering community blood screenings for people ages 18 and over. CCMH Community Health Coordinator Denise Coder says “Regular blood screenings are a valuable tool in the early detection and treatment of many chronic diseases,” and that they’re “Very pleased to be offering this community health service at such a reasonable cost.”

The screenings will be held in the CCMH Atrium on Monday, October 24th from 7 am – 9 am, Thursday, October 27th, from 7 am – 9 am, and on Friday, October 28th, from 7 am – 9 am. Appointments can be made by logging on to www.casscountyclinics.com or by calling 243-7475. The cost for the blood profile is $35.

The basic blood profile includes the following: Lipid Panel (total cholesterol, triglycerides, HDL, LDL), Glucose, Hemoglobin, White Blood Count, Red Blood Count, Hematocrit, Liver Functions, Kidney Functions, Thyroid Screening. The PSA test (Prostate Specific Antigen) is available to men for an additional $20.

The cost for a blood profile with A1c is $47, and a Vitamin D screening is an additional $30. Participants should fast overnight before their appointment, although a small amount of water or black coffee the morning of the blood draw is fine.