Law And Order

Steve King says time to stop spending (02/08/10)
U.S. Rep. Steve King thinks the biggest problem in government right now is overspending. He also doesn't believe President Barack Obama's $787 billion stimulus plan is working as it was set out to do. Neither does he favor a government-run national health care program...

Sheriff seeks more inmates to help county budget (01/28/10)
The Plymouth County Jail has felt a drop of about $160,000 in revenue due to housing only half the number of federal inmates as in previous years. Currently, seven or eight federal inmates reside in the jail at $75 a day. But the jail was built to house six to eight more...

State to scrutinize question of court reporters (01/21/10)
The decision between court reporters and digital recording devices in Iowa's courtroom isn't black and white -- and it won't be made for some time. That's according to John Goerdt, assistant state court administrator. Earlier this month, Iowa's Judicial Council reviewed a research committee's report about the accuracy and expense of putting digital recording systems in Iowa's 316 courtrooms...

Holst garners deferred judgment in shotgun case (01/20/10)
A man who fired his shotgun in Le Mars after two teenagers allegedly rang his doorbell before driving away won't be serving any jail time. Gary Holst, 69, of Le Mars, was given a deferred judgment at his sentencing Tuesday in Plymouth County District Court...

Jury finds Robinson not guilty in traffic death (11/27/09)
A Merrill man charged with vehicular homicide was found not guilty by a jury Wednesday. Danny Clyde Robinson, 50, faced the felony charge after being in an August 2007 collision on Plymouth County roads just north of Merrill that claimed the life of 78-year-old Fern Nielson, of Lake Norden, S.D...

Jury finds Robinson not guilty (11/26/09)
A Merrill man charged with vehicular homicide was found not guilty by a jury Wednesday. Danny Clyde Robinson, 50, faced the felony charge after being in an August 2007 collision on Plymouth County roads just north of Merrill that claimed the life of 78-year-old Fern Nielson, of Lake Norden, S.D...

Barton pleads guilty in drug delivery, faces prison (11/06/09)
A 39-year-old Akron man was sentenced to up to 10 years in prison after admitting to giving methadone to an 18-year-old in return for marijuana on two occasions. Stuart Barton pleaded guilty Thursday in Plymouth County District Court to two counts of delivery of methadone, a class C felony...

County hikes rates for inmates, work release participants (10/22/09)
Inmates at the Plymouth County Jail will be paying more for their room and board or participating in the work release program. Sheriff Mike Van Otterloo asked the Plymouth County Supervisors Tuesday to raise the rates for both groups. Starting Nov. 1, room and board will cost $40 per day and work release will be $35 per day...

Man charged with shooting gun in town found guilty (10/16/09)
A man who allegedly fired a shotgun near a moving car in Le Mars after the driver and passenger rang his doorbell and ran away was found guilty of two charges Thursday. Gary Holst, 69, of Le Mars, was convicted of criminal mischief in the third degree and reckless use of a firearm with property damage...

Sheriff hopes company can save jail money (10/12/09)
Plymouth County Sheriff Mike Van Otterloo hopes a company that provides jail health care programs can help curb rising inmate medical and prescription costs. Otterloo told county supervisors Tuesday he plans to contract with Advanced Correctional Healthcare, of Illinois, at $2,417 a month for its "cost saving" services...

Kingsley man wins EPA court case (09/24/09)
Sentinel farm editor Lowell Vos believes in playing fair. The rural Kingsley man also believes in standing up for his rights, even when the odds are against him. Vos waged a David versus Goliath battle last year when he refused to pay a fine levied on him by Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)...

Former Kingsley funeral director released from prison on probation (07/16/09)
A former Kingsley funeral director will be out on probation after a judge suspended his prison sentence this week. Mark Rohde, of Kingsley, was sentenced to 10 years in prison for stealing more than $175,000 from the funeral home where he was part-owner...

New library law reads: Sex offenders stay out (07/07/09)
People convicted of a sex offense against a minor will need permission to check out materials at Le Mars Public Library and libraries across the state. A new law, which became effective July 1, states sex offenders convicted of a sex offense against a minor cannot be on public library property without permission of a library administrator...

Court reporters vs. digital recorders: Which will prevail in Iowa courts? (05/28/09)
The court reporter -- almost a fixture in Iowa's courtrooms -- may be replaced by digital recording systems. Facing about $15 million in cuts for the current and next year's budget, officials of Iowa's judicial system are looking at what they can cut...

Supervisors look at new construction near courthouse (05/14/09)
A new chapter in the county's quest to solve the space needs issue at the courthouse has begun. The Plymouth County Supervisors Tuesday decided to pursue hiring an engineer to put together specifications for a proposed building to potentially be constructed at the site of the old jail in the southeast corner of the courthouse property...

Rural Remsen man pleads guilty to animal neglect (03/31/09)
Andrew Vaske, 28, pleaded guilty Monday to animal neglect and six other animal-related charges. The judge sentenced Vaske to seven days in jail plus $750 in fines at the plea taking Monday in Plymouth County District Court. The animal neglect charge, a simple misdemeanor, stems from mid-March when the Plymouth County Sheriff's Office seized 28 head of Vaske's cattle from two locations...

Rohde headed to prison after probation revoked (03/27/09)
A former Kingsley funeral director is headed to prison after a judge revoked his probation for financial crimes this week. Mark Francis Rohde, 50, of Kingsley, was convicted last August of two financial felonies including stealing $179,000 from Mauer-Johnson Funeral Home where he had been part-owner. The judge at the time, Judge Duane Hoffmeyer, suspended a ten-year prison sentence and put Rohde on probation instead...

Rock and roll: Don't mess with the Roller Dames (03/09/09)
Someone's been skating in the basement of the jail. Stephanie Hoppe, married and the mother of two, works as a Plymouth County jailer. But in her off time, the Le Mars woman laces up her rollerskates and becomes one bad dude. Hoppe skates with the Sioux City Roller Dames, a full-contact roller derby team. Her skating name: Felony Convixen...

Le Mars man awaits sentencing on firearms charges (02/24/09)
A 79-year-old Le Mars man faces up to 35 years in prison after reportedly selling more than 500 firearms without a license. Chester Douglas Pullen pleaded guilty last week to three charges: dealing firearms without a license, traveling interstate with the intent to engage in conduct that constitutes as dealing firearms without a license, and investing, spending and using proceeds of his illegal interstate firearms dealing to promote and carry on those crimes...

Man arrested at meth lab near Hinton (01/12/09)
Investigators shut down an active meth lab on an abandoned farm site near Hinton and arrested the suspected meth cook last Thursday. Marlo Arthur Petersen, 34, of Onawa, was discovered upstairs in the house on the property at 30894 Kestrel Avenue -- the same house where Plymouth County Sheriff Deputies found a clandestine methamphetamine lab, according to a report from the sheriff's office...

Huitink not ready to hang up his robe yet (01/09/09)
He doesn't change in phone booths or have a sidekick in spandex, but northwest Iowa judge Terry Huitink has created a legacy of justice. Huitink, of Ireton, retired from the Iowa Court of Appeals last month and was honored Thursday at a celebration in the Sioux County Courthouse...

Huitink retires from Iowa appeals court (12/29/08)
Iowa Court of Appeals Judge Terry Huitink has announced that he will retire effective December 31, 2008. Huitink was appointed to the Iowa Court of Appeals in 1994. Prior to joining the court, Huitink served as a district court judge from 1988 to 1994. He also served as a part-time juvenile court referee from 1981 to 1987...

Velarde gets light sentence in stabbing trial (12/11/08)
Guilty... but not much. A Le Mars man on trial for stabbing another local man in a fight got a light conviction Wednesday in court. Christopher Velarde, 24, was found guilty of simple assault by a jury. That's a much lighter conviction than he originally faced...

Stabbing trial begins for Velarde (12/10/08)
When Josh Thompson first saw Christopher Velarde at a bar on April 27, 2008, Velarde complimented Thompson on his New York Yankees baseball cap. The next date the two men would see the hat was in court as a piece of crime scene evidence that would link them together...

County sees more identity theft cases (11/10/08)
More identity theft cases are coming before a judge in Plymouth County. County Attorney Darin Raymond shared this news with the county supervisors Tuesday. "Identity theft and that business of working somewhere and not having proper identification and being an illegal worker in this country is creeping in," Raymond told the supervisors...

Third suspect arrested in grocery store theft (10/01/08)
A 20-year-old Sergeant Bluff man turned himself in to the Le Mars Police after a warrant for his arrest was issued regarding a Merrill auto theft and a burglary at Rincon Tapatio grocery store in Le Mars. Tyler Hickson is charged with burglary in the third degree in regards to a Sept. 17 break-in at the store on Central Avenue in Le Mars, where thieves broke the front door window and stole the cash register with an unreleased amount of cash, plus some candy, the police said...

O'Keefe gets maximum sentence for stabbing death (09/10/08)
The man who pleaded guilty to stabbing another man with a butcher knife in a Le Mars downtown apartment will spend up to 40 years in prison. Jody Brent O'Keefe, 35, was sentenced Tuesday in Plymouth County District court for the death of Samuel Ray Toliver, 32...

O'Keefe pleads guilty to stabbing (09/05/08)
The man charged with stabbing another man with a butcher knife in a Le Mars downtown apartment in January pleaded guilty to four felony charges Thursday. Jody Brent O'Keefe, 35, signed a plea agreement that could land him in prison for up to 40 years for the death of Samuel Ray Toliver, 32...

No jail time required for Kingsley funeral director (09/03/08)
A Kingsley funeral director will have to pay nearly $180,000 in restitution to a former business partner for money he admitted to stealing, but he faces no prison time. Mark Francis Rohde, 49, who pleaded guilty in August to stealing about $179,000 and to tax evasion, both felonies, was sentenced Tuesday in Plymouth County District Court...

Kingsley funeral director pleads guilty to theft (08/19/08)
A Kingsley funeral director pleaded guilty to stealing about $175,000 and avoiding paying taxes Monday in Plymouth County District Court. Mark Francis Rohde, 49, pleaded guilty to theft in the first degree and tax evasion as part of a plea agreement...

New charges filed against Holst regarding shotgun incident (08/14/08)
The man who allegedly shot at a car after reportedly being bothered by someone ringing his doorbell now faces two felony charges. Gary Holst, 68, of southern Le Mars, was originally arrested Saturday night after two people complained to the Le Mars Police about gunshots that evening. Holst was charged with reckless use of a firearm causing damage, jailed, and released after posting his $2,000 bond...

O'Keefe stabbing trial delayed (08/04/08)
The jury trial for a man charged with stabbing another man with a butcher knife in a Le Mars apartment has been pushed again. Jody Brent O'Keefe, 35, of Le Mars now faces a 9:30 a.m. Sept. 9 trial. O'Keefe's first degree murder charges stem from a stabbing incident Jan. 24 in a Le Mars apartment that left Samuel Ray Toliver, 32, dead...

Sign theft could mean jail time (07/29/08)
When Mark Sturgeon looked out his window Sunday morning, his lawn looked a little emptier. The sign he put up two days earlier, supporting a candidate running for office this fall, was missing. He was not alone. "We have had some energetic people taking signs from all over the place," said Le Mars Police Chief Stu Dekkenga. "We had a call this morning on missing real estate signs, too."...

Robinson pleads not guilty in vehicular homicide (07/22/08)
A Merrill man pleaded not guilty to a charge of homicide by motor vehicle Monday in Plymouth County District Court. Danny Clyde Robinson, 49, is accused of that felony and operating while intoxicated, a second offense, regarding an Aug. 11, 2007 accident which claimed the life of a 78-year-old woman...

Couple hopes musical notes carry in dollars for prison church (07/07/08)
Foot stompin' country and gospel music will be featured in concert this Sunday in rural Remsen to help raise money for The Church of the Damascus Road. The congregation of The Church of the Damascus Road Evangelical Lutheran Church of America ministers to inmates of any denomination within the prisons in Fort Dodge and Rockwell City...

Kingsley man arrested after threatening deputy (06/16/08)
A 52-year-old Kingsley man is in jail after lying to and threatening a deputy then trying to evade authorities while carrying a gun Friday morning. Christopher Steven Mills was arrested after Plymouth County Sheriff Deputy Aaron Leusink came to Mills' home, 220 Rutland Street, at about 9:30 a.m. and attempted to serve him civil papers on a small claims issue...

Our Dreams: Class of 2008 (06/12/08)
This is the fourth story in a series looking at what plans and dreams local members of the graduating class of 2008 hope to pursue. For Shahryar Naqvi, the desire become a lawyer isn't motivated by fame, fancy things, or even the money that is commonly associated with the practice. For this 2008 Gehlen Catholic High School graduate, the aspiration to become a lawyer lies in one, pure motive: To achieve equality for the little guy...

Trial pushed back in stabbing case (06/03/08)
The jury trial for a man charged with stabbing another man with a butcher knife in a Le Mars apartment has been pushed again. Jody Brent O'Keefe, 35, of Le Mars won't go to trial for first-degree murder charges until August 26 at 9:30 a.m. O'Keefe's charges stem from an stabbing incident Jan. 24 in a Le Mars apartment that left Samuel Ray Toliver, 32, dead...

Velarde pleads not guilty in stabbing (05/28/08)
The man charged with stabbing one person and injuring another downtown Le Mars in April pleaded not guilty last week. Christopher Velarde, 23, of Maurice, now face a July 22 trial for willfully causing serious injury, a class C felony, and assaulting someone, causing injury, an aggravated misdemeanor...

Police tie two to longer string of burglaries (05/01/08)
Police are pinning 11 more burglaries on an 18-year-old already accused of being part of five other break-ins. A new suspect, a 16-year-old, was also tied to five of the burglaries after police interviews. The 18-year-old, Alexx Leo Conyers of Le Mars, faces 12 more felony charges for allegedly breaking in, stealing cash and vandalizing property. Conyers was already booked in the Plymouth County Jail...

Vandals strike museum again (03/26/08)
Fire extinguisher spray was just the beginning of the damages discovered at the Plymouth County Historical Museum this week after an unknown person or group broke in. Museum administrator Judy Bowman said staff found a trail broken lightbulbs and a few smashed artifacts on Monday and Tuesday, including a model of the Plymouth County Fairgrounds, which had been made by a student out of popsicle sticks and later donated to the museum...

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