The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office reports the arrests of two people Thursday on unrelated charges.

At about 11:45 AM Thursday, the sheriff’s office arrested 20-year-old Yvonna Inlay of Sioux City for possession of drug paraphernalia following a traffic stop on highway 34 near Stanton. Inlay was cited and released.

At about 1:00 PM Thursday, the sheriff’s office arrested 26-year-old Aaron Lucas Allen of Red Oak for breach of peace following an incident in the 300 block of Hilltop in Stanton. Allen was transported to the Montgomery County Jail and being held on $300 bond.

With less than 24-hours before the deadline to file nomination papers for the Cass County District 2 seat on the Board of Supervisors, a total of five people have taken steps to have their names placed on the ballot for the November 8th Special Election. Cass County Auditor Dale Sunderman said as of 5-p.m. Thursday,those nominated by petition include: Donald W. Lappe, Pat McCurdy, Jeff J. Richter, and Kathy Somers, all of Atlantic.

Each of those individuals, along with Gaylord Schelling, of Atlantic, who was nominated by Republican convention, will be on the ballot in November. Nomination papers to fill the seat on the Board of Supervisors, which was left vacant by the death of Chuck Kinen, must be filed by no later than 5-p.m. Friday, September 23rd.

Iowa Lieutenant Governor Kim Reynolds has announced that she will hold four town hall meetings in Western Iowa on Monday, September 26th,  and Wednesday, September 28th. The events, which are open to the public, will be held in Jefferson, Guthrie Center, Winterset, and Atlantic.

On September 26th, Reynolds will be: in Jefferson, 11:30-a.m., at the Greene County Community Center; in Guthrie Center at 1:30-p.m., in the Public Hearing Room at the Guthrie County Courthouse;  and, the  Lt. Governor along with Iowa Congressman Tom Lathamm will hold a town hall meeting in Madison County, beginning at 3-p.m., in the Winterset High School Auditorium.

On Wednesday, Reynolds will hold a Cass County town hall meeting beginning at 1-p.m., at the Atlantic Area Chamber of Commerce.
For more information please visit www.ltgovernor.iowa.gov.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Gov. Terry Branstad has ordered flags flown at half-staff Friday to honor a volunteer firefighter and state trooper who died in separate accidents this week.

Firefighter Michael Collins of Shelby was struck by a vehicle and killed while directing traffic Sunday around a car accident on Interstate 80 in western Iowa. Trooper Mark Toney was killed when his patrol vehicle crashed while on patrol near Indianola on Tuesday. Collins’ funeral is scheduled for Friday. Toney’s funeral is scheduled for Saturday. Flags flown at all state buildings and facilities across the state will be flown at half-staff from Friday until Monday. Individuals, businesses, schools, cities and counties are encouraged to also lower their flags to half-staff during that time.

An eight-person jury in Atlantic deliberated for less than two-hours Wednesday afternoon before finding an Adair man to be a sexually violent predator. According to Cass County District Court documents, 52-year old David Charles Whetstone was remitted to the custody of the Director of the Department of Human Services, where he will be controlled, receive care and treatment for “His mental abnormality” until he is deemed safe for placement in a transitional release program, or discharged. The court made it clear his was a civil, and NOT a criminal, commitment.

Whetstone was immediately sent to the DHS Civil Commitment Unit for Sexual Offenders on the campus of the Cherokee Mental Health Institute, in Cherokee, where in addition to treatment, he will receive an annual medical examination of his mental state of being. The judge also said Whetstone must register as a sex offender before he is released from confinement, and submit a sample of his DNA to be kept on file. The sentence is subject to appeal.

In May 2008, Whetstone was found guilty of Assault with the Intent to Commit Sexual Abuse, an aggravated serious misdemeanor offense. The incident which led to his arrest and conviction occurred on April 4th, 2008. He was sentenced in August of that year to a two-year prison term. Prior to his release from prison and parole, the Iowa Attorney General’s Office filed a petition to have Whetstone committed, as an “extremely dangerous sexually violent predator.”

A little more than two-years earlier, Whetstone pled guilty to a charge of Disorderly Conduct, and was ordered to pay a $100 fine, following an incident which occurred between Whetstone and Greenfield Republican Representative Clel Baudler. Baulder told KJAN News in February 2006, that Whetstone had been harassing him for nearly a year, and had made veiled threats against his life.

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.

w/ Ric Hanson

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (9.3MB)

Subscribe: RSS

Maintenance and care of the Conklin Fish Farm near Griswold will soon no longer be under the auspices of the Cass County Conservation Service. During Wednesday’s meeting of the Cass County Board of Supervisors, CCCS Director Micah Lee said the Griswold City Council recently accepted a resolution to take control of the maintenance duties at the farm, which is a public attraction and camping site. Lee said the City thinks it can do a better job of making progress at the park, and with the Conservation Services’ budget being as tight as it is, the staff have a hard time moving as fast as people would like, as far as getting major projects finished. The current contract is only for a management agreement, which has a 30-termination clause if either side feels the other is not fulfilling the terms specified in the agreement. 

He says last Thursday, the Conservation Board voted to accept the resolution as presented, and allow the City of Griswold to seize the management agreement, for a number of reasons. He says their reasoning for that is because there’s not enough manpower, money, or time available for his staff to handle all of the county’s parks and recreational areas. Lee says the camping receipts also indicate the farm is not profitable for the Conservation Service to operate. He also said well-intended efforts by a local group to take care of the area actually ended-up costing the CCCS money, that wasn’t budgeted for. 

With the Conservation Boards’ approval of the City-prepared resolution, the City of Griswold will assume full responsibility for the maintenance and upkeep at the Conklin Farm, beginning January 1^st, 2012. The resolution does not need the approval of the Cass County Supervisors, but will need to be reviewed by the Cass County Attorney before it becomes official. Lee said as much as he’d like to keep the farm, there’s just too much for his staff to handle right now, trying to maintain the rest of the County’s parks.