(Atlantic, Iowa) – The Cass County Sheriff’s Office recently recognized tenured employees of the Sheriff’s Office, the Cass County Jail and the Cass County Communication’s Center. The Sheriff’s Office recognized employees from these departments that hold 10 or more years of continued service.

Sheriff Darby McLaren says these employees have been and continue to be vital assets for our County. The dedication and true value of these employees was exemplified during recent difficult times of Covid-19 and widespread employee shortages.

All agencies within the State are going through hardships in an attempt to recruit and retain employees to provide 24/7/365 coverage. Cass County, Sheriff McLaren says, is fortunate to have this number of quality employees who have given more than 10 years of service to our County.

Pictured (In no particular order), are: Steph Witzman (24 years), Joni Knudsen (22 years), John Westering (20 years), Kyle Quist (18 years), Stacey Misner (18 years), Ben Bartholomew (16 years), Bobbi Jo Steffensmeier (15 years), Sue Meier (15 years), Josh McLaren (14 years) and Dorothy Cable (10 years)

The Sheriff and Deputies extend their sincerest thanks to each and every one! (Click on the images to enlarge)

Not pictured are: Chris Droll (26 years), Jennifer Holaday (25 years)

Bobbi Jo Steffensmeier

Jailers

(Radio Iowa) – Senator Joni Ernst says since former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton didn’t face federal charges for using a private email server for official communications, then former President Trump shouldn’t face charges for taking classified documents when he left the White House. “Of course the former president did have classified information. We know that,” Ernst says. “However, we know that’s true of a number of other players on the other side of the aisle.”

Ernst says Trump’s indictment sows more doubt in American institutions and goes against the concept of equal application of the law. “What I hear from Iowans and what I personally feel is that there have been two systems of justice here,” Ernst says. Trump has been charged with the willful retention of national defense information after resisting the government’s attempts to retrieve classified materials. Ernst says Trump was careless.

“As a senator and as someone who served in our nation’s military, I cannot imagine leaving a SCIF or taking unclassified documents out of a secure location,” Ernst says. “That should never happen, but we have seen it over and over and over again the last number of decades and yet we have one form of justice for this previous president than we have seen with other players across the political spectrum.”

Ernst made her comments during a debate series sponsored by the Edward Kennedy Institute for the United States Senate that will be broadcast Sunday night on the Fox News Channel. Bill Barr, who served as Trump’s attorney general, said on Fox yesterday (Sunday) that Trump had been the victim of witch hunts in the past, but he’s not a victim in this case and he had no right to take the documents with him when he left the White House.

(Glenwood, Iowa) – Officials with the Glenwood Police Department report one person complained of pain and possible injury, following an accident Saturday morning. Authorities say a 2020 RAM pickup driven by 59-year-old Steven L. Stanley, of Plattsmouth, NE, was turning north from Sharp Street at around 10:15-a.m., and had completed the turn, when a 2021 Ssubaru Ascent driven by 64-year-old Gary F. Smith, of Glenwood, began backing out of a center parking stall.

His car struck the pickup on the left front bumper, causing damage to both vehicles amounting to $5,500 altogether. Smith said he didn’t see the pickup, possibly because of other vehicles parked at that location.

Stanley complained of pain, but was not transported to the hospital. No citations were issued.

(Glenwood, Iowa) – The Glenwood Police Department reports four recent arrests:

On Sunday (June 11), 23-year-old Trevor Sladovnik, of Glenwood, was arrested for OWI/1st offense. He later posted a $1,000 (cash/surety) bond, and was released.

There were two arrests Saturday, in Glenwood: 38-year old Bree Crotty, of Omaha, was arrested for a Controlled Substance violation, failure to affix a drug tax stamp, possession of marijuana/3rd offense, and poss. of drug paraphernalia. Her (cash/surety) bond was set at $25, 300; and, 29-year-old Alex Buckner, of Glenwood, was arrested Saturday, for Criminal Mischief in the 5th Degree, and Domestic Abuse Assault. Buckner posted a $2,300 (c/s) bond, and was released.

Last Thursday, Glenwood Police arrested 33-year-old Tyler Buckner,of Emerson, on a Mills County warrant. Bond (c/s) was set at $10,000.

(Greenfield, Iowa) – The Adair County Sheriff’s Office reports six arrests took place over the past week. on June 7th, 41-year-old Amanda Marie Guzinskl, of Stuart, was arrested by Stuart Police on a Des Moines Police Department warrant. She was released the same day for medical reasons.

On June 8th, 36-year-old Joshua Eric Gordon, of Casey, was arrested by deputies in Adair County, on charges that include: Domestic Assault/with Bodily Injury or mental illness, and two counts of Child Endangerment. Gordon was released that same day on a $3,000 bond.

On the 9th, 27-year-old Matthew Henry Paulsen, of Adair, was arrested by deputies on Adair County District Court orders with regard to his felony conviction on May 26th, on a count of Possession of a Controlled Substance/3rd offense, and probation revocation proceedings. Paulsen was ordered to serve a term not to exceed five-years at the Iowa Medical and Classification Center in Coralville, with credit for time served. The order went into effect June 9th. He was being held in the Adair County Jail pending transport to the DOC intake facility at Oakdale, near Iowa City.

Also arrested May 9th, was 55-year-old John Anthony Jackson, of Sioux Falls, SD. He was pulled over at around 7:15-p.m. by the Iowa State Patrol on I-80 eastbound in Adair County, near mile marker 88, and subsequently charged with OWI/1st offense. Jackson was released from custody June 10th, on a $1,000 bond. On June 10th, the Iowa State Patrol arrested 54-year-old Craig Bruce Woodard, of Atlantic, following a traffic stop on I-80 in Adair County. Woodward was charged with OWI/1st offense and later released on a $1,000 bond.

And, 33-year-old Jason Edward Sparks, of Greenfield, was arrested by Adair County Deputies at around 10:45-p.m. on June 10th, for OWI/1st offense. Sparks was released a short time later on a citation.

(Des Moines, Iowa) – This (Monday) morning the ACLU of Iowa sent a letter to the Atlantic Public School Board advising it to not adopt any policy that would unconstitutionally restrict students’ rights to protest. As KJAN News previously reported, during the May 10th Atlantic School Board meeting, Atlantic resident LeAnne Pellett, of Atlantic, spoke with regard to a student walk-out held March 1, 2023. The event was to protest what was termed in the online school newspaper, “anti-LGBTQIA+ bills being debated at the time in the Iowa legislature.

Pellett said was she speaking “On behalf of the citizen taxpayers” who were in attendance at the meeting, and “Many more citizens who were upset” about the event held on school property.

Pellett asked rhetorically, “Were opposing views on this protest ever presented to all persons?”

The ACLU letter says any policy the district might enact restricting student protest rights, would be an infringement on students’ First Amendment free speech rights.
You can read the letter here.

Atlantic School District Superintendent Steve Barber told KJAN he was out of the district, Monday, and had not seen the letter in question, and therefore could not comment. He did say he will speak on the matter Tuesday, once he’s had time to review the ACLU’s comments.