Three Le Mars Residents Arrested For Passing Counterfeit Bills
SIOUX CITY, Iowa — Three Le Mars residents are each charged with forgery and theft following a counterfeiting investigation by the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation with assistance from the Le Mars Police Department, Plymouth County Sheriff’s Office, and Sioux City Police Department.
Brittany Anne Derby, age 29, and Jackelen Danielle Hartsock, age 27, were arrested on Tuesday, August 9th, 2017. Kurt Walter Jones, age 26, was arrested on Friday August 11th, 2017. Each was charged with felony forgery and misdemeanor theft in Woodbury County.
According to the criminal complaints filed:
The investigation stemmed after the defendants were observed making or attempting several cash transactions (purchases and cash change outs) at the Hard Rock Casino located in Sioux City on Saturday, August 5th, 2017. The paper cash used was found to be falsified counterfeit bills resembling US currency.
The investigation is still on-going.
Woodbury County Authorities Involved With A Pursuit
(Sioux City) — Woodbury County authorities were involved with a pursuit on Friday morning. The incident occurred at about 10:10 a.m. A deputy sheriff attempted to conduct a traffic stop on the northbound lanes of Interstate 29, just south of Salix. The suspect vehicle fled and continued northbound until it took the Port Neal exit, where it traveled eastbound for a short distance, and then drove into a cornfield on the north side of 260th street. The suspect vehicle continued north through the cornfield an into a soybean field where it became disabled. Two occupants from the suspect vehicle were later located in the area of County road K-45 and 250th Street. The suspect driver has been identified as 44 year old Daniel Frye of Sioux City. Frye was booked into the
Woodbury County Jail for possession with intent to deliver, possession of drug paraphernalia, criminal mischief in the second degree, reckless driving, speeding, and a stop sign violation. Frye’s bond has been set at $20,000.
Hinton Fire Responds To One Vehicle Roll-over Accident
(Hinton) — The Hinton Fire Department along with the Hinton ambulance responded to a one vehicle accident that happened at about 7:00 a.m. Saturday morning. A pick-up truck was heading northbound on Highway 75 near Harness Avenue, about a
mile and a half south of Hinton, when the vehicle left the roadway and rolled over. Hinton Fire Chief Chad Beck reports there were no injuries with the roll over accident.
Le Mars Fire Department Called To Accidental Fire
(Le Mars) — The Le Mars Fire and Rescue Department were called to 28279 130th Street after the owner contacted the fire department after a spark had ignited an old building that had been torn down. The incident happened late Friday afternoon at about 5:45 p.m. According to Le Mars Fire Chief Dave Schipper, the owner was tearing down an abandoned barn when apparently a spark had occurred that ignited the razed structure. Schipper says the fire department used water and a fire retardant foam to smother the blaze. The owner assisted the fire department with extinguishing the fire with a payloader tractor and a tank of water. Schipper says the county-wide burn ban is still in effect.
Marcus Community Fair Happening Now
(Marcus) — The Marcus Community Fair is happening this weekend. This year marks the 81st edition of the Marcus Fair, and fair board director Nicole Busch says the fair offers free admission to attendees.
Busch says the Marcus Fair generally attracts exhibitors from a six county region.
The Marcus fair board director says the number of exhibits are higher this year.
What started as a horse show has evolved into a nice community fair, and one of the last remaining community fairs to still be active. Busch highlights some of the events and entertainment scheduled for Saturday and Sunday.
Other activities scheduled for Saturday include the antique farm equipment display, as well as, the open car and motorcycle show, a wood carver will be featuring his craft, and a street dance is scheduled for Saturday evening on the
main street of Marcus. Sunday’s events include: sand volleyball, cooking school, pedal power pull, a dunking booth, and the Lion’s club beef feed.
Federal Agents Raid Catholic Home
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – The FBI has raided a Catholic Worker House in Des Moines looking for property of two women accused of damaging an oil pipeline that crosses Iowa and three other states.
The Des Moines Register reports that about 30 armed agents and other officers entered the Catholic Workers’ Berrigan House around 6 a.m. Friday and left hours later with about 20 bags and boxes.
Former Catholic priest Frank Cordaro, who lives at the house, says the agents had a search warrant seeking property of Jessica Reznicek and Ruby Montoya, who also live at the house. The warrant said items sought included financial records, clothing, computers, and tools capable of cutting metal.
The women have a history of arrests for protesting the $3.8 billion Dakota Access pipeline that crosses North Dakota, South Dakota, Iowa and Illinois. Last month, they announced they had burned construction machinery, cut through pipe valves and set fires along the pipeline route.
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Disbarred Attorney Sentenced For Mail Fraud
DAVENPORT, Iowa (AP) – A disbarred Iowa attorney has been sentenced to prison for mail fraud.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa says 52-year-old Dennis Bjorklund, of Coralville, was sentenced Friday to 30 months in federal prison. He had pleaded guilty in March to 11 counts of mail fraud.
Prosecutors say Bjorklund was an attorney in Coralville in 2005 and 2006 when he carried out a scheme while representing people charged with driving drunk. Bjorklund instructed his clients to donate to a substance abuse charity
to try to garner leniency from the court. But the charity was a fake he had set up himself to collect the donations for his own use.
He was disbarred in 2006.
Bjorklund fled after he was indicted in 2010, and wasn’t found until 2015, when he was arrested in a Pueblo, Colorado, traffic stop.
Bank Employee Sentenced For Embezzelment
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – A Des Moines woman has been sentenced to prison for embezzling thousands of dollars while working for Bankers Trust.
34-year-old Lacey Nicolino was sentenced Thursday in federal court to five months in prison for embezzlement. She also was ordered to pay nearly $70,000 in restitution to Bankers Trust.
Nicolino pleaded guilty in March.
Prosecutors say she was responsible for cash deposits to the Des Moines Area Regional Transit Authority account while serving as a cash vault teller at Banker’s Trust. She admitted during her plea hearing to underreporting cash in DART deposits, removing the excess funds and using them for personal use from
late 2015 to around June 2016.
She also admitted to taking other funds belonging to Bankers Trust from the vault.
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Three Revenue Employees File Suit For Sexual Harassment
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – Three Iowa Revenue Department employees have sued the state, saying managers did nothing to stop another employee from harassing and stalking them. The Des Moines Register reports that the lawsuit filed last month seeks unspecified damages from the state for allowing the workplace incidents to occur. A department spokeswoman woman said the department took appropriate action after learning of the employees’ allegations. The lawsuit names Kenneth Kerr as the man who used a cellphone to
surreptitiously record video of the complainants – Daniel Wagner, Lloyd Lofton and Joshua Bates – as they used the office restroom. Kerr was fired in August 2015 and pleaded guilty in 2016 to invasion of private and sexually motivated
stalking. Court records say Kerr is on probation but faces a revocation hearing Aug. 23.
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Democrat Bus Tour Targets Vulnerable Iowa Districts
RED OAK, Iowa (AP) – The Democrats’ national bus tour is motoring through Iowa, targeting vulnerable House Republicans who voted to repeal Obamacare. The ultimate goal for the party is upending the GOP majority in next year’s midterm elections. The vote against the Obama health care law looms large for 21 GOP lawmakers, including Iowa congressmen David Young and Rod Blum, who represent competitive congressional districts where Democrat Hillary Clinton won or came close in last year’s presidential election. It was politically tough vote with no payoff, as health care collapsed in the Senate. The bus stopped in Cedar Rapids, the biggest city in Blum’s eastern Iowa district. Emblazoned with “Drive for our Lives,” the black-and-gray motor coach was parked in downtown Cedar Rapids for a rally with about a dozen people.
Mosquitoes In Iowa Test Positive For West Nile Virus
AMES, Iowa (AP) – Mosquitoes from traps at central Iowa parks have tested positive for the West Nile virus.
The testing was recently conducted at parks in Ames by Iowa State University and the University Hygienic Lab.
While there is a lag time between collecting the samples and the testing, the results suggest mosquitoes with the potential to carry the virus are likely still present in the community. ISU entomologist Ryan Smith says late summer is the peak season for transmission of the virus.
Experts say most people who are infected have no symptoms or experience only mild, flu-like symptoms. The most vulnerable people are those who are at least 50 or have weakened immune systems.
The virus is transmitted to humans through mosquitoes, which acquire the virus by feeding on infected birds.
