Cass County Assessor Brenda Nelson has announced the Assessor’s Office will be closed next Tuesday and Wednesday (Nov. 15th and 16th), for continuing education. If you have any business to conduct at the Assessor’s Office next week, you may do so on Monday, Thursday or Friday.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) – Another judge has recused himself from handling the case of a Missouri State Highway Patrol trooper who is charged in the drowning of a handcuffed Iowa man. The Kansas City Star reports Morgan County Circuit Judge Stan Moore announced the decision Monday without explanation during a hearing for Anthony Piercy. Moore is the third judge to recuse himself, an action that will delay the case.

Piercy was charged last year with involuntary manslaughter in the death of Brandon Ellingson, an Arizona State University student from suburban Des Moines. The 20-year-old went into the water in 2014 as Piercy was transporting him from the Lake of the Ozarks on suspicion of boating while intoxicated. Witnesses have said that Ellingson was wearing an improperly secured life jacket that slipped off.

PERRY, Iowa (AP) – Court documents show a Perry woman and her teenage daughter died from repeated blows with a machete. The Des Moines Register reports criminal complaints filed against 25-year old Carlos Marlo Hernandez-Ventura, who is suspected in the killings, show his 34-year-old girlfriend, Lourdes Flor De Leake, and her 14-year-old daughter, Melany Elizabeth Barraza, died after suffering numerous cuts with a machete. A 78-year-old man injured in the Oct. 29 attack, Juan Jimenez Tejeda, also suffered machete cuts.

Police charged Hernandez-Ventura with two counts of first-degree murder and one count of attempted murder after he knocked on the door of the police station in Morrison, Illinois, and sought help for a hand injury. A hearing for Hernandez-Ventura is set for Nov. 10.

The Pottawattamie County Sheriff’s Office is reporting several, recent arrests. On Monday, 39-year old John James Ring, of Underwood, was arrested on a warrant out of Council Bluffs, for Probation Violation. Sunday night, a Pott. County deputy arrested 32-year old Edwin Caceres, Jr., of Fremont, NE., for OWI/1st offense. Caceres was also cited for failure to dim his headlights.

Sunday afternoon, 22-year old Raistlin Scott Rodenburg, and 23-year old Colton John Hildredth, both of Council Bluffs, were arrested for Possession of Drug Paraphernalia, following a traffic stop for speeding. Hildreth was given a citation, and released, while Rodenburg was arrested for Driving While Revoked.

Early Sunday morning, 30-year old Joseph James Ausdemore, of Minden, was arrested following a traffic stop in Underwood. Ausdemore was charged with OWI/2nd offense. 44-year old Patrick C. Endriss, of Missouri Valley, was arrested Nov. 4th following a traffic stop, and charged with OWI/2nd offense. A Preliminary Breath Test (PBT) put his Blood Alcohol Content (BAC) at .241, or three times the legal limit for intoxication. Endriss was also cited for Improper Use of Lanes.

Also arrested Nov. 4th, was 31-year old Lori Ann Morgan, of Council Bluffs. She was taken into custody on a Council Bluffs P-D warrant for Failure to Appear on an original charge of Criminal Mischief in the 3rd Degree. And, 66-year old Franklin Dean Jensen, of Neola, was arrested for OWI/2nd Offense, and Driving While Revoked. His arrest followed a traffic stop at Noon on Nov. 4th, along Interstate 80 in Pottawattamie County.

The Cass County Board of Supervisors will act on two funding requests during their regular meeting Wednesday morning, in Atlantic. The Board will hear a request for $500 for the 10th Annual National Crime Victims’ Rights week gala set for April 11th, 2017. The County is one of nine counties in 4th Judicial District expected to participate in the event and related funding. The Board will also hear an annual report from the County Library Association, and request for Fiscal Year 2018 funding. In January, the Board granted the Library Association $600 more per year, per library, beginning with the 2017 Fiscal Year that began in July.

The Board will also discuss amending the Amaizing Energy Urban Renewal Area Ordinance. Their meeting begins at 8:30-a.m. in the boardroom at the Cass County Courthouse.

More area and State news from KJAN News Director Ric Hanson.

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The second funeral for the central Iowa police officers killed last week will take place today (Tuesday) in a small town in Calhoun County. The service to honor 24-year-old Urbandale officer Justin Martin is at the South Calhoun Middle School in his hometown of Rockwell City. It will start at 11:40, which was the officer’s badge number.

Officer Justin Martin

Martin was shot to death early last Wednesday while on patrol in Urbandale. Martin had just finished his probationary period with the department in August. He became the first ever Urbandale officer to be killed in the line of duty when he was shot while stopped at an intersection last Wednesday morning.

Des Moines officer Tony Beminio was shot to death after responding to the call about Martin’s shooting. Beminio was laid to rest Monday and Pastor Mike Householder summed up the feelings of those at his funeral. “It isn’t right it isn’t fair,” he said. Some 15-hundred law officers from around the country attended Beminio’s funeral and most are also expected to be there for Martin’s as well. Martin will be laid to rest at the Rosehill Cemetery on the edge of Rockwell City.

The entire Urbandale Police Department plans to attend the funeral. The Urbandale Police Department spokesman says with the large amount of police cars in the funeral procession they will have to loop outside the tiny town on the way to the cemetery in order to get all the cars into the procession.

(Radio Iowa)

The Adair County Sheriff’s Department reports a Des Moines woman who formerly resided in Bridgewater, was arrested Saturday afternoon after she turned herself-in on a warrant charging her with numerous offenses. The felony warrant for 34-year old Julie Ann Holmes, charged her with: Ongoing Criminal Conduct; 1st Degree Theft; Two counts of Possession of a Controlled Substance/3rd or subsequent offense; Gathering where controlled substances are used; and two counts of unlawful possession of prescription drugs. Holmes was released from custody a short time later, on $25,000 bond.

The Sheriff’s Office says a man from Stuart was arrested last Tuesday (Nov. 1st), on an assault charge. 46-year old Donald J. Noggle, was arrested by Stuart Police on a felony charge of Assault causing serious injury, after he allegedly struck his victim on the arm with a crow bar. Noggle was later released from the Adair County Jail on a $5,000 cash bond.

Two other Stuart residents were arrested on Oct. 31st on Adair County warrants. The pair live together in the same apartment. 34-year old Justin Patrick Beaman was arrested by Stuart Police on a warrant for Probation Violation. He was released the following day on $2,000 bond. And, 25-year old Heather Linn Armstrong was arrested by Stuart Police on a felony warrant for a Controlled Substance Violation, and Child Endangerment. She remains in the Adair County Jail, held on $20,000 bond.

Iowans should not encounter any weather-related obstacles on their way to the polls this Election Day. National Weather Service Meteorologist Brad Small says plenty of sunshine is expected, along with typical temperatures for early November. “Highs will be just above normal, not as warm as we’ve seen recently, but still in the 50s…so it should be a great day to get out,” Small said.

Throughout history, there have been some unusual weather events in Iowa during a federal election. For instance, in 1938, eight inches of snow fell in parts of eastern Iowa on Election Day. Small notes, while significant snowfall in early November is rare, all kinds of severe weather can strike this time of year.

“Last year, we even had a tornado outbreak in the middle part of November,” Small said. “We can get a wide range of weather in Iowa in November, but snow is not really too common this early.” Ten tornadoes touched-down across Iowa on Veterans Day last November.

(Radio Iowa)