The U-S Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa said Thursday, a southwest Iowa man plead guilty Wednesday, to drug and weapon charges. U-S Attorney Nicholas A. Klinefeldt said 33-year old Edward Eugene Gray, Jr., of Clarinda, pled guilty to conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. A sentencing hearing before District Court Judge John A. Jarvey will be scheduled at a later date.

According to the written plea agreement, from approximately January of 2004, until November of 2010, Edward Gray, Jr., was involved in the distribution of methamphetamine in the Southwest Iowa and Northwest Missouri areas with co-conspirators: 56-year old Orvis Lee Wagaman, of College Springs; 53-year old Edward Eugene Gray, Sr., of Coin; 23-year old Levi Edward Gray, of Clarinda, and others.  In addition Gray. Jr., was aware that a co-conspirator carried a firearm while distributing methamphetamine with Gray, Jr., and the possession of the firearm was in furtherance of the drug conspiracy.

Orvis Lee Wagaman, Edward Eugene Gray, Sr., and Levi Edward Gray have entered guilty pleas to the drug conspiracy and are pending sentencing. Conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine, has a mandatory minimum sentencing of ten years in prison up to life imprisonment, a fine of up to $10,000,000 or both a fine and imprisonment, and a period of supervised release following imprisonment of at least five years. Possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking offense carries a mandatory minimum penalty of five years in prison, or a maximum of  life imprisonment, a fine of up to $250,000, or both a fine and imprisonment. Inaddition, the offense requires a period of supervised release of three years. The sentence for possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking offense must be served consecutively to the sentence imposed for the drug conspiracy.

The case was investigated by nearly a dozen law enforcement agencies. The case was prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa.

In an update to a story we told you about earlier today (Thursday), KJAN News has learned of a head-on collision between two vehicles in Shelby County, Thursday morning. The accident took place on Highway 44, between Quince and Redwood Streets, about 3.5-miles east of Harlan.

At about 7:55 Thursday morning, a 2001 Chevy Silverado pickup driven by 50-year-old Kevin Fries, of Harlan, was traveling east on Highway 44 while a 2002 Chevy Malibu driven by 35-year-old Shawn Strong, of Harlan, was traveling west on Highway 44.

The Strong vehicle crossed the center line into the path of the Fries vehicle where both vehicles then collided nearly head on.  The Fries vehicle came to rest in a ditch while the Strong vehicle came to rest on the highway.  Both vehicles were considered a total loss.

Strong was transported to Myrtue Memorial Hospital in Harlan by Medivac Ambulance, and then flown to Creighton University Medical Center in Omaha by Life Net Helicopter.  The status of his injuries is not known.  Fries was uninjured in the crash.

The accident remains under investigation with charges pending.

As of 12:38-p.m., Atlantic has broken the old record high temperature set for this date. We were at 53-degrees, which beat the old record of 52, set back in 1933!

The Lenox Police Department reports a Missouri man was arrested this (Thursday) morning on a charge of animal cruelty. Officials say 30-year old Clint Auger was taken into custody at around 10-a.m., following an investigation into an incident Tuesday night, during which Auger allegedly stabbed a dog before beating it with a baseball bat. Lenox Police Chief Jon Huggins told KJAN News the dog survived the attack, and was being cared for at a local veterinary clinic. Auger was being held in the Taylor County Jail.

You may recall, the same man was arrested Tuesday evening, on a charge of Public Intoxication, after Lenox Police were called to the scene of a local grocery store, and found Auger was in possession of two, half-consumed bottles of vodka. A breath test indicated he had nearly three-times the legal limit of alcohol in his system.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Legislative leaders say they are getting closer to a deal over plans to overhaul Iowa’s commercial property tax system. Despite failure to reach an agreement during last year’s session, lawmakers such as Republican Rep. Tom Sands, of Wapello, say they’re ready to work with Democrats again during the session that begins Monday. Democrats, who hold a majority in the Senate, say they were optimistic they could reach agreement with Gov. Terry Branstad and Republicans who control the House. A key, though, is whether reductions in commercial property taxes could be phased in over a long enough time.

KJAN News has learned of an apparent head-on collision between two vehicles in Shelby County, this morning. The accident reportedly took place on Highway 44, between Quince and Redwood Streets, about 3.5-miles east of Harlan. Our sister station KNOD in Harlan says authorities and rescue personnel were called to the scene. One person was flown by helicopter to a hospital in Omaha, while other persons injured in the crash were transported to Myrtue Hospital in Harlan. The Shelby County Sheriff’s Office said additional details would be released later this afternoon.

w/ Ric Hanson

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The Adair County Public Safety Center and Jail in Greenfield is slated to open in about two-weeks. Sheriff Brad Newton says to celebrate the long-awaited event, they’re holding an open house for the public on Saturday, beginning at 1-p.m. The only thing holding back the Sheriff’s Office and Greenfield Police force from moving in right now, according to Newton, is the installation of new E-9-1-1 Communications equipment. He says Adair County is one of seven counties in the area that’s set to receive new E-9-1-1 equipment. Newton said if they were to move the existing communications equipment into the new facility, it would cost about $10,000. But if they wait, the new equipment is included in the contract price of the facility. Voters in Adair County approved a 3-million dollar bond referendum for the combination jail/Public Safety Center, in May, 2010. The facility is in a lot adjacent to the current, 110-year old jail. The new facility will serve as the jail, house the offices of the Greenfield Police and Sheriff’s Departments, dispatch, evidence room, and a file room. Officers with the Greenfield P.D. will be in an open area, called the “Squad Room,” with Sheriff’s deputies.  The Sheriff says persons who attend the open house on Saturday, from 1-to 3-pm, will be impressed by what their tax dollars have purchased.

He says it’s a modern facility, built to serve the needs of the County for years to come. Newton says it doesn’t have any extravagant features, but is much more secure than the old facility, from which at least three escapes have occurred over the past few years. He said they held the costs down as much as possible, and are currently under budget. Bids for the project came in at around $2.8-million dollars. The 3-million dollar bond covers other, non-construction related costs. Newton says they have enough in reserve to tear down the old jail, a plan that wasn’t included in the original project. He says the land on which the 110-year old jail sits, will be used in-part, for parking.

Escapes from the old jail often took place in an outdoor exercise area for inmates. Sheriff Newton says that won’t happen with the new jail. That’s because it’s totally indoors. No one can see in, and no one can see out. Newton said the old exercise area “Has been a pain in our side since it was built.”

w/ Ric Hanson

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Atlantic City Administrator Doug Harris says the City isn’t receiving its fair share of funds from the County for the Public Library. Harris said he’s been looking at how services the City pays for are used by Cass County residents and vice-versa. He says looking at the circulation numbers at the library, and the population numbers in comparing what Atlantic gets from the County in support of the library, as compare to the other cities in the County, the “Fair Share” from the rural customers would be almost $72,000. Harris says since the residents of Atlantic contribute to 30% of the County tax bill, the County would have to contribute almost $103,000 for the rural customers to pay their $72,000. The City receives just $13,000 from the County. He says looking at other cities in the County, based on circulation at their libraries, the County funds an average of $4.42 per capita, whereas in Atlantic, the County is only funding 73-cents.

Harris says if the county funded the City of Atlantic at $4.42, then the County would be contributing $78,526 to the City. Based on population, he says, the County has been funding at $15.57 per capita, but the City only gets $1.83. If Atlantic were to be funded on a per capita basis, that would amount to $110,703.  Doug Harris says it appears the County is funding what would be our fair share for the other cities in the County, but the Atlantic Public Library is being “Underfunded.” Harris says he’s not sure how that happened, or why, but the City provides a lot of services to rural residents, such as a subsidy for the Nishna Valley YMCA, which the County residents can use at the same price as City residents. Harris says “We’re getting to the point where the City residents really can’t shoulder all that burden. The costs need to be more fairly allocated between County and City residents.”

He says the issue will have to be discussed between the City Council and the County Commissioners and/or Board of Supervisors. Harris said the Supervisors may not even be aware of the disparity.