Police Chief Vande Vegte on retirement, transition plans
Le Mars Police Chief Kevin Vande Vegte formally notified the city of his plan to retire next month after 34 years of police work last Thursday. In an interview with KLEM, Vande Vegte says the decision was made jointly with his wife, a registered nurse at Floyd Valley Hospital.
The couple will move to a residence in Spirit Lake sometime next month. In the meantime, he says he will work with the city to ensure a smooth transition in the department.
Vande Vegte has served as police chief since 2017, and he says that introducing new technologies to the department was a highlight of his tenure.
Vande Vegte says he believes he’s leaving the department in a good position.
Assistant Police Chief Justin Daale will take over as interim Police Chief on May 5th while the department begins the search for Vande Vegte’s replacement.
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Floyd Valley Healthcare announces new Foundation Manager
Floyd Valley Healthcare has announced the hiring of a new Foundation Manager in Brianne Mitchell, who began her position last week. Mitchell will assist with all donations to Floyd Valley Foundation including planned giving and estate planning in addition to fundraising events, Auxiliary and volunteers.
Brianne grew up in Le Mars, attending Gehlen Catholic School and graduating from Le Mars Community High School, and currently lives in Oyens. She has held various positions in and around Le Mars, most recently at Schuster Company. Mitchell received her Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education from Wayne State College in Wayne, NE, and has volunteered with multiple non-profits including Sleep Heavenly Peace, Pheasants Forever and the Gehlen Ball.
Floyd Valley CEO Dustin Wright said in a press release that he and the foundation board were “excited to have Brianne join the Floyd Valley family,” and that thanks to her background in Le Mars, she has a vast network of resources and she looks forward to getting out and meeting members in our communities.”
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Le Mars murder trial moved to August
The trial of a Le Mars man accused of murder that was originally set to start next week has been moved to August.
This is the second time the trial of 22-year-old Omar Cruz has been moved, having first been scheduled for October 28th of last year. Plymouth County Attorney Darin Raymond requested the continuance due to a key witness in the case being unavailable for the entirety of the scheduled trial due to an unspecified medical issue. The request was granted, with the trial now scheduled to start on August 18th.
Cruz is charged with first-degree murder in the shooting death of 21-year-old Miguel Martinez-Luna, which occurred at Martinez-Luna’s home in Le Mars on September 30th, 2024. Cruz was arrested in Sioux City a week after the shooting, and has been in the Plymouth County Jail since then on $1 million bond. He has pled not guilty to the charges.
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