Former owner of Holzhauer Motors facing criminal charges
The former owner of Holzhauer Motors has been arrested on numerous fraud related charges. 64-year-old Daniel Winchell was arrested Monday in Cherokee and has been charged with two counts of first degree theft and one count of ongoing criminal conduct.
The alleged thefts took place at Holzhauer’s locations in Cherokee and Storm Lake. According to court documents, Winchell allegedly kept fees customers paid for vehicle titles and registrations, and did not turn them in to county treasurers. Customers would then have to also pay the treasurer to obtain them. He allegedly sold 63 vehicles out of trust, with money collected but not repaid to lenders exceeding $10,000.
Winchell is currently being held at the Cherokee County Jail, with bond set at $50,000. A preliminary hearing for Winchell is scheduled for December 19th at 3:00 pm at the Cherokee County Courthouse.
++++++++++
Sentencing date moved up for Wesley Staten
The sentencing date for a Sioux City man charged in the deaths of two people in a vehicle crash in October of 2023 has been moved up by a week.
32-year-old Wesley Staten pled guilty on October 29th to two counts of vehicular homicide and one count each of leaving the scene of a fatal accident and operating while intoxicated. Originally announced for January 19th, Staten’s sentencing will now take place on Monday, January 12th at 1:30pm, in district court in Sioux City.
Authorities say Staten was driving a Ford Expedition in downtown Sioux City at a high rate of speed and ran a red light on October 13th, 2023, striking a Ford Fusion occupied by the two victims, 51-year-old Terry Frisbie of Sioux City and 50-year-old Judith Jordan of Le Mars. Both were pronounced dead at the scene. Staten fled the scene of the crash, with an arrest warrant issued in February of 2024, before being taken into custody in Alabama by the U.S. Marshals Service.
According to court documents, Staten admitted to drinking alcohol and smoking marijuana prior to the crash. Staten’s bond was revoked and he remains in custody at the Woodbury County Jail.
++++++++++
Plymouth County Historical Museum announces New Year’s Eve Gala
The Plymouth County Historical Museum has announced they’re holding a New Year’s Eve Gala, starting at 7pm inside the Old Central Gym.
The evening will feature live music from local act the CRS Band, a fundraising raffle, and a live screening of the Times Square ball drop. For food and drink options, “fancy hors d’oeuvres” and a complimentary champagne toast will be offered, along with a comfort food spread, a dessert bar, and a cash beer and wine bar.
Tickets for the gala start at $50 in advance, with the cost at the door set at $60 per person. Tickets can be purchased ahead of New Year’s Eve at the Museum from Tuesday to Sunday from 1 to 5pm, or online by clicking here. The gala itself runs from 7pm to 11pm on December 31st.
++++++++++
New Iowa Air National Guard runway in Sioux City included in big budget bill
The project to replace the Sioux City runway that’s being used by the Iowa Air National Guard’s 185th Refueling Wing is included in the defense spending bill the U-S House approved Wednesday. Congressman Randy Feenstra, a Republican from Hull, says it will protect over a thousand jobs at the Sioux Gateway Airport.
The Iowa Air National Guard’s runway in Sioux City was built for lightweight F-16 fighter jets. Twenty years ago the 185th became a Refueling Wing and flies massive KC-135 Stratotankers that weigh 41-and-a-half tons when fully loaded. The Federal Aviation Administration has said it will soon be unsafe for those planes to use that runway.
The Federal Aviation Administration has set aside 20-million dollars for the project, but that funding would be lost if the Pentagon doesn’t start the project by mid-2027. The estimated cost of replacing the runway and other improvements is nearly 150-million dollars.
The language authorizing the project’s start is included in the massive National Defense Authorization Act. The Senate is expected to soon approve the bill and send to President Trump for his signature.
(Story via Radio Iowa)
++++++++++
