The Cass County Auditor’s Office today (Friday), said they have received inquiries regarding the circulation of nomination petitions in advance of the June 2nd, 2020 Primary Election.  The first day for Democratic and Republican candidates for county offices to file nomination papers in the office of the county auditor is Monday, March 2, 2020. Last day to file is Wednesday, March 25, 2020. Nomination papers may be circulated prior to first date for filing as well as during the filing period. Nomination papers and candidate information are available at the office of the county auditor and from the secretary of state: www.sos.iowa.gov

The county positions to appear on the Cass County ballot for the 2020 PRIMARY ELECTION are: Attorney (vacancy term) Auditor Sheriff District 1 Supervisor District 4 Supervisor District 5 Supervisor. Persons currently holding those offices include: Attorney (incumbent: Vanessa Strazdas, appointed); Auditor (incumbent: Dale Sunderman, Republican); Sheriff (incumbent: Darby McLaren, Republican); District 1 Supervisor (incumbent: Stephen Green, Republican); District 4 Supervisor (incumbent: Steve Baier, Republican); District 5 Supervisor (incumbent: Frank Waters, Republican).

The number of signatures required for a person’s name to appear on the ballot are as follows: Supervisor, District 1 – 14 for Republicans, 6 for Democrats; Supervisor, District 4 – 18 Republican, 7 Democrat; Supervisor, District 5 – 16 Republican, 9 Democrat;  Attorney (Vacancy), Auditor and Sheriff – 77 Republican, 38 Democrat.

For additional information, please contact the Cass County Auditor’s Office at 712-243-4570, or by E-mail auditor@casscoia.us.

Officials with “Iowa’s Ride” today (Friday), announced that after meeting with cycling teams and cyclists throughout the state, they have decided to change the dates and direction of travel for the bicycling event. The Ride will now begin on Sunday, July 12th and end on Saturday, July 18th. Iowa’s Ride will also start on the eastern edge of Iowa in a Mississippi River town and travel west, ending seven days later in Western Iowa. Iowa’s Ride was originally set to begin in western Iowa on July 19, 2020 and travel across northern Iowa before finishing at a town along the Mississippi River on July 25. Those are the same dates as next year’s RAGBRAI.

Event organizers say in feedback they received from bicycling groups and individuals, “The most overwhelming concern that keeps coming up is the date of the event and how it is dividing long standing cycling teams.” Officials said also, “We apologize to those who have scheduled around this week and will be disappointed by this decision. We will refund 100% of those entry fees if they request since they no longer wish to do the ride.”

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — A supervisor in the Iowa public defender’s office has resigned his longtime side job as a police officer after critics said it created a conflict of interest. Mike Adams, supervisor of the special defense unit, resigned last month from the Colfax Police Department, where he worked as a reserve officer. His resignation letter was released Friday under the open records law.

It comes after The Associated Press reported on concerns about Adams’ work as an officer in a jurisdiction where his office represents low-income criminal defendants. His dual roles became a problem when Adams’ subordinates were defending a man charged in a beating death in Colfax. Adams arrested a potential witness in the murder case in August. Lawyers who report to Adams then withdrew from the case in September.

(Radio Iowa) — Woodbury County Sheriff Dave Drew says mug shots from the county jail will no longer be publicly sown on the jail’s website. Drew says the decision was prompted by complaints about the mugshots being shown on a Facebook page called “Lock Up Sioux City.” “We had nothing to do with it — but what they were doing is capturing photos of people who had been arrested,” Drew says.

Drew says there were distasteful comments being made about the pictures on the site and that caused some issues with inmates.  “We would find that our jail staff.. were dealing with people that were not combative, or not resistant until all of a sudden we got to that point of mugshot. Because they (mugshots) were on social media and didn’t want their picture on it,”Drew says. “We were spending 15 to 20 minutes extra tying ourselves up convincing them we didn’t have nothing to do with it, but this is something that has to be done.”

Sheriff Drew says many other counties do not publicly post mugshots of their jail inmates. He says mugshots will still be provided to the local news media for their use.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A man has been imprisoned for video recording girls in the bathroom of his West Des Moines record store. The Polk County District Court clerk’s office says 50-year-old Robert Kuhn was sentenced Thursday to 30 years in prison. Kuhn was found guilty last month of three counts of sexual exploitation of a minor and three counts of invasion of privacy.

Kuhn was arrested in 2017 after a girl who had worked for him told police she found a video camera hidden on a shelf in the bathroom after Kuhn had asked her to try on dresses. Federal prosecutors also had filed a child pornography charge but later dropped it.

The Cass County Sheriff’s Office today (Friday) issued a report detailing nearly a dozen arrests that have occurred since Oct. 28th. Beginning with the most recent arrests:

• 33-year old Anthony Lyle Miller, of Atlantic, was arrested Sunday, for OWI/1st Offense. Miller was taken to the Cass County Jail and released later that day on his own recognizance.
• On November 9th, 27-year old Kevin Lee Davis, of Creston, was arrested on a District Court warrant for Failure to Appear. Davis was taken to the Cass County Jail and later released upon completion of time served.
• 55-year old Roger Lee Donner, Jr., of Atlantic, was arrested Nov. 8th, on a District Court warrant for Probation Violation. Donner was taken to the Cass County Jail where he remains held on $2,000 bond.
• Cass County deputies arrested 26-year old James Lee Rasmussen, of Guthrie Center, Nov. 7th, on a warrant for Violation of a No Contact Order. Rasmussen was taken to the Cass County Jail and released later that day on $1,000 bond.
• There were two arrests on Nov. 4th: 30-year old Brittiny Christina Marie Sampson, of Atlantic, was arrested for Felony charges that include Possession with Intent to Deliver Meth (A Class-B Felony) and a Drug Tax Stamp Violation (Class-D Felony). Sampson was taken to the Cass County Jail where she remains held on $30,000 bond. 28-year old Jade Michael Nicholson, of Atlantic, was arrested that same day, on two district court warrants for Failure to Appear. Nicholson was taken to the Cass County Jail where he remains in custody awaiting transport to a state correctional facility.
• Two separate arrests also took place on November 3rd. Cass County deputies arrested 28-year old Alex Michael Garside, of Atlantic, on an Atlantic Police Department warrant for Harassment 3rd Degree, Criminal Mischief 5th Degree, and Trespassing (all simple misdemeanors). Garside was taken to the Cass County Jail and released the following day on $2,000 bond. And, 33-year old Erin Jean Larson, of Red Oak,  was arrested on citations for Driving Under Suspension, Fraudulent Use of Registration, and Failure to Obey Traffic Control Device. Larsen was taken to the Cass County Jail and released later that day on his own recognizance.
• On October 31st, 25-year old Shawn Michael Williams,  of Griswold, turned himself in at the Cass County Jail on a district court warrant for Probation Violation. Williams was later released on $5,000 bond.
• On October 29th, 37-year old Curtis James Bruett, of Ottumwa, was arrested in Cass County on a charge of OWI/2nd Offense. Bruett was taken to the Cass County Jail and released the following day on $2,000 bond.
• And, on October 28th, 32-year old Gentry Seymon Johnson, of Vernon, TX, was arrested in Cass County on charges of Felon in Control of a Firearm (A Class-D Felony), and Eluding. Johnson was taken to the Cass County Jail and later released on $5,000 bond

The Cass County Sheriff’s Office today (Friday) released a report on recent accident investigations. Authorities say that a weather-related accident happened at around 2:07-a.m. Monday, on eastbound Interstate 80. A 1999 Ford F-350 owned and driven by 33-year old Joshua Wayne Andrews, of Lead, SD, was towing a Volkswagen Jetta on I-80, when Andews lost control of the pickup. The towed vehicle jackknifed and struck the Ford on both sides. Both vehicles then struck a cable barrier and came to rest facing westbound. No injuries were reported. Damage to the Ford is estimated at $2,000; damage to the towed Volkswagen is estimated at $1,600.

And, at around 5:50-p.m. November 8th, the Cass County Sheriff’s Office responded to a report of a two-vehicle accident on 650th Street in Cass County. A 2004 Chevy Silverado driven by 50-year old Cirilo Hernandez Garcia, of Marshalltown, was pulling out a driveway and struck a 2009 Chevy CBT owned and driven by 23-year old Jeremy Robert Albert, of Kimballton. Albert suffered unknown injuries, and was transported to Cass County Memorial Hospital by private vehicle. Damage to his vehicle was estimated at $3,000; damage to Garcia’s vehicle was estimated at $4,000. Hernandez Garcia was cited for Failure to Yield Upon Entering Through Roadway.

(Radio Iowa) — All classes and activities are cancelled through Sunday after a threat was made against a northeast Iowa school district. Officials with the Benton Community School District say they’re working with the FBI to find whoever is responsible for the threat, though they’re not saying how it was received. The violence was reportedly directed at the combined middle and high school in Van Horne. In addition to classes being cancelled, a host of academic and sports practices and events are cancelled, from drivers ed courses to wrestling meets.