Two Vehicles Collide At City Intersection
(Le Mars) — Two cars collided this morning at the intersection located at 3rd Avenue Southwest and 1st Street Southwest sending one person to the hospital. The Le Mars Fire and Rescue Department, Le Mars Ambulance and Le Mars Police Department all responded to the accident scene that occurred at about 8:19 a.m. Firefighters needed to use their “Jaws of Life” to extract
the one driver from her vehicle. One vehicle was heading north on 3rd Avenue southwest, while the second vehicle was heading east on 1st Street Southwest.
The eastbound vehicle t-boned the northbound vehicle sending the northbound vehicle to spin around and ended up on the lawn at the northeast corner.
Both vehicles sustained some major damage. The victim transported to the Floyd Valley Healthcare is thought to have suffered only minor injuries. The Le Mars Police Department is investigating the accident.
Chamber Agriculture Committee To Host Agriculture Dinner
(Le Mars) — The region’s agriculture industry will be honored Thursday evening as the Le Mars Area Chamber of Commerce Agriculture Committee will hold its annual Ag Business Dinner. The event is scheduled to begin with a social hour featuring hors d’ oeuvres at 5:30 p.m. provided by the Plymouth County
Farm Bureau organization. Dinner and the program will begin at 6:30 p.m.
The Chamber Ag Committee will announce the recipient of the “Outstanding Service to Agriculture” award, as well as announce the local FFA scholarship winner. The evening’s featured speaker is Scott Siepker who is perhaps known as the “Iowa Nice” guy. Siepker grew up in the Iowa rural community of Mount Carmel near Carroll, Iowa. Siepker is an actor, known primarily through his work on the internet.
Siepker says his message on Thursday evening will focus on the importance of agriculture.
Siepker refers to himself as a sarcastic humorist, often comparing his style with that of the writings from Mark Twain. However, Siepker says too many people have a wrong idea of agriculture, especially those living on the coast, and see Iowa as nothing more than a “fly-over” state.
Tickets are $15 and can be acquired at the Le Mars Chamber of Commerce office.
Iowa Attorney General Office Going After Fraudulent Puppy Mills
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – The Iowa Attorney General’s Office is suing to shut down an alleged “puppy laundering” ring in the state that masquerades puppy mill puppies as rescue animals and sells them for as much as $3,600 each.
The office filed a lawsuit Wednesday against for-profit breeder J.A.K.’s Puppies and nonprofits Hobo K9 Rescue and Rescue Pets Iowa Corp.
The lawsuit alleges the nonprofits sells animals purchased from puppy mills as rescue animals in an attempt to circumvent puppy mill bans. The state says the operation sold almost 1,300 animals to California, Illinois, Florida and New Jersey from 2016 to 2018. The lawsuit also named four leaders of the operation, alleging they violated the state’s consumer fraud act. The state is seeking $40,000 in fines for each violation.
None of the defendants could be immediately reached for comment.
Dentist Confronts Burglar
MAQUOKETA, Iowa (AP) – Authorities say a man suspected of attempting to steal items from a dentist’s office in eastern Iowa died after scuffling with the dentist.
The Telegraph Herald reports that police were called to the Maquoketa (muh’-KOH’-keh-tuh) office a little after 2 a.m. Monday. The dentist told officers that he’d been staying overnight in an apartment at the office and
heard a noise. He says he found the man in the office’s garage and tackled him. Maquoketa Police Chief Brad Koranda says officers found the dentist on top of the man.
Koranda says the man apparently had a “medical episode” during the struggle and died. An autopsy has been ordered.
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Dubuque Teacher Pleads Guilty To Public Intoxication While At School
DUBUQUE, Iowa (AP) – A teacher accused of being drunk at her school in Dubuque has pleaded guilty.
Dubuque County court records say 38-year-old Erin Ellerbach, of Asbury, entered the plea last week to a charge of public intoxication. She was ordered to pay $135 in fines and $60 in court costs.
She was taken into custody Dec. 17 at Jefferson Middle School. A Dubuque officer sent to the school reported that she had slurred speech, red and watery eyes and smelled of alcohol. A subsequent test showed she had a blood alcohol level of nearly three times the legal limit for driving. The court records also say school officials found cans of flavored alcoholic beverages
in her office.
The district says Ellerbach has resigned her position.
Supreme Court Refuses To Listen To Case Involving Presidential Candidate’s Aids Charged With Fraud
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – The U.S. Supreme Court has declined to hear an appeal of the felony convictions of three top staffers on Ron Paul’s 2012 presidential campaign.
Campaign chairman Jesse Benton, campaign manager John Tate and deputy campaign manager Dimitri Kesari were convicted in 2016 of causing false records and campaign expenditure reports to be filed to the Federal Election Commission.
Prosecutors say the trio tried to hide $73,000 in payments to former Iowa Sen. Kent Sorenson for his endorsement of Paul.
They argue that they broke no laws when they concealed the payments through a third-party campaign vendor.
They have served their sentences but sought to clear their names of felony convictions.
The 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in St. Louis upheld the convictions in May 2018.
The Supreme Court on Monday denied their request to hear the case with no comment.
Ankeny Police Involved With Shooting Of Burglar
ANKENY, Iowa (AP) – Police in the Des Moines suburb of Ankeny say an officer has shot a burglary suspect who advanced on officers.
Police say the incident happened around 4 a.m. Tuesday when Ankeny officers were called to a car wash for a burglary in progress. Police say arriving officers found a door to the business that had been forced opened and a masked man inside the business. Police say the man did not comply with police commands and was shot by Officer Tony Higgins when he advanced on Higgins and other officers.
Police have identified the suspect as 27-year-old Myles Matthew Regenold, of Des Moines. He is expected to recover.
Higgins, an eight-year veteran of the department, has been placed on paid administrative leave, as is policy in any police-involved shooting.
