Search For New Police Chief Narrowed To Five Finalists
(Le Mars) — The search for a new Le Mars Police Chief has been narrowed to five finalists, two of the finalists are officers of the Le Mars Police Department.
The city received a total of 40 applications from 20 different states for the position of police chief. Stuart Dekkenga has announced he plans to retire from the Le Mars Police Department on June 30th. Le Mars mayor Dick Kirchoff explains the process used to narrow the field.
The five finalist include: Robert Bendlin of the Le Mars Police Department, Shane Brevik with the Spirit Lake Police Department, Ray Eickholt with the Storm Lake Police Department, Deric Gress is with the Ypilanti, Michigan Police
Department, and the fifth finalist is Kevin Vande Vegte with the Le Mars Police Department. Mayor Kirchoff talks about the qualifications of the candidates.
Le Mars chose to utilize the services of a consultant for the search for a new police chief. Kirchoff explains how the Cayler Consulting of Carroll, Iowa, helped with the police chief selection process.
All candidates will attend a public reception scheduled for July 6th at 6:30
p.m. at the Le Mars city council chambers. The public is invited to attend to
meet with the police chief candidates. Candidates will have an opportunity to
interact with members of the public and answer any questions they might have.
BPI and ABC News Reach Settlement
(Elk Point) — The $1.9 Billion dollar lawsuit between meat company B-P-I and ABC News is now over. Both sides agreed to a settlement that was announced Wednesday morning. B-P-I had filed the lawsuit against the television news network and the reporter, Jim Avila, for defamation. B-P-I claimed the term
“pink slime” as used by the news network to describe the Lean Finely Textured Beef product was so damaging that it caused several grocery chains to stop receiving the product, which led to the shut down of three plants, and the layoffs of hundreds of employees. B-P-I claimed the news reports by ABC news
asserted the Lean Finely Textured Beef product was given a negative perception by the public. ABC News say they stand behind their original news reports. The terms and the amount of the settlement will remain confidential.
ACLU Wants Changes Made For Schools That Use Padded Isolation Rooms
IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) – The American Civil Liberties Union of Iowa and six other attorneys want state rules changed regarding public schools’ use of padded seclusion rooms and physical restraints.
The ACLU and the attorneys last week filed a petition for rulemaking with the Iowa Education Department. The petition asks the department to change Iowa Administrative Code to ensure seclusion and physical restraints are used only
for emergencies and as a last resort and are never used to punish children.
The petition was filed less than a month after an Education Department review found that the Iowa City Community School District on occasion sent students to seclusion rooms for minor infractions: stepping out of line, having an attitude, being out of instructional control or using foul language.
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Authorities Investigate Fatal ATV Accident
FORT DODGE, Iowa (AP) – Authorities are investigating the death of a man who was riding his all-terrain vehicle at an off-road park in north-central Iowa.
The Iowa Natural Resources Department says it received a report around 4:30 p.m. Tuesday about an unresponsive male at the Gypsum City Off-Highway Vehicle Park. The park sits between Fort Dodge and Coalville.
The man’s body was found pinned under the ATV in a small ravine. It’s believed he lost control of the machine and ran off a trail into the ravine.
The department has identified the man as 55-year-old Joseph Rouse, who lived in Boone. An autopsy has been ordered.
Algona Fire Results In Second Death
ALGONA, Iowa (AP) – Authorities say a second woman has died after a house fire in northern Iowa.
The fire started in the bedroom of an Algona home on June 20. Authorities say a woman who lived there, 69-year-old Karen Lierley, died at a hospital Friday.
Her niece, 29-year-old Jessica Lierley Southard, of Des Moines, was pronounced dead at the scene. Southard’s mother, 63-year-old Patrice Lierley, also of Des Moines, was treated and released.
The fire cause is still being investigated.
Man Charged With Having Explosions And Kidnapping
MESERVEY, Iowa (AP) – A northern Iowa man accused of kidnapping and torturing his girlfriend is facing an explosives charge.
The Mason City Globe Gazette reports (https://bit.ly/2t0csnJ ) that 41- year-old Charles Albright is charged with unauthorized possession of offensive weapons, a felony. A court filing says Albright broke Iowa law in Cerro Gordo County by possessing “a bomb, explosive or combination of such parts comprising
an offensive weapon.”
Albright is scheduled to go on trial July 11 on kidnapping and willful injury charges in Franklin County. Court records say he held his girlfriend for 12 to 14 hours on Oct. 7 in Meservey (meh-ZUR’-vee), where she was punched, slammed against a floor, shocked with a stun gun and bitten by a dog.
She told officers Albright then took her to Sheffield and continued attacking her.
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Ames Woman Had 20 Animals In Home
AMES, Iowa (AP) – Police say 20 animals were seized from the home of an Ames woman accused of trying to perform surgery a puppy in her living room, which resulted in the dog’s death.
The Des Moines Register reports (https://dmreg.co/2sXS06E ) that following a search Friday of 26-year-old McMenanim’s home, officials seized three dogs, two cats, six guinea pigs, five rabbits, two salamanders and two geckos.
Officials say the animals’ cages and aquariums were covered in feces and urine. All the animals were all taken to a local animal shelter for care.
McMenanim was charged last week with animal neglect causing death after using a paring knife and tongs to try to remove a blockage from the dog’s abdomen herself. Officials say the dog died within seconds of the surgery.
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