Law Enforcement

Missing woman attended Le Mars schools (03/19/10)
A missing Vermillion S.D. woman has Le Mars ties. Barbara Jean Zenk, 52, whose abandoned vehicle was located March 6 near the Highway 19 bridge south of Vermillion over the Missouri River, attended Le Mars Community Schools. Zenk was last seen at 5 p.m. March 5, according to the Clay County, S.D., Sheriff's Department...

Wisconsin man takes own life near rural Hinton (02/26/10)
Information released today (Friday) by the Plymouth County Sheriff's Department stated the man found on a rural Hinton road this week died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. The name of the deceased, who is a male, 29 years old, from Kenosha, Wis., will be released later, according to a report from the Plymouth County Sheriff's Department...

County construction means less LOST money for grants (02/16/10)
The Plymouth County Supervisors set aside $100,000 in Local Option Sales Tax (LOST) money in their proposed budget to be used for grant requests. That's $80,000 less than last year -- but the county has two new major construction projects to pay for with LOST revenue in the next fiscal year...

Sheriff's bargaining unit employees negotiate 6 percent raise (02/03/10)
The Plymouth County Supervisors signed 2010-2013 contracts with the sheriff and secondary road bargaining units Tuesday. After five months of negotiation and a four-hour mediation session in late December, 30 employees within the sheriff bargaining unit will receive a 6 percent salary increase in 2010 as part of the three-year contract...

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...

County budget cutting begins with conservation, sheriff, fair (01/22/10)
The chopping has begun with the Plymouth County Supervisors starting cuts to make the 2011 budget work. Tuesday, the board agreed to trim back dollars from requests made by county conservation, the sheriff, the county fair, the county libraries and the county museums...

Proposed raises increase county law enforcement budgets (01/14/10)
Projected costs in salaries, insurance and retirement are the majority of increases in the Plymouth County sheriff's, correction's and communication center's proposed 2010-11 budgets. Sheriff Mike Van Otterloo presented those estimated budgets to the Plymouth County Supervisors Tuesday...

Snow emergency?: Powder Players: Thinking outside the car (12/16/09)
A Plymouth County snowmobile club is teaming up with the local authorities, offering help in case of extreme weather. When a sheriff's vehicle can't get to a stranded motorists, the Powder Players might be able to, explained D.J. Kellen, the club's president...

Police to use text messages, e-mails to alert public (11/05/09)
You can now get free alerts from the police on your cell phone and e-mail. The Le Mars Police Department recently signed up for Nixle, a free program that allows community groups like law enforcement agencies to provide up-to-the-minute updates to the general public...

Oh deer! It's that time of year (10/28/09)
With tree leaves turning golden and temperatures cooling, the fall season also brings a greater chance of car-deer accidents on roadways across Plymouth County. "We're starting to see an increase in vehicles hitting deer," said Plymouth County Deputy Paul Betsworth. "Once farmers start getting their crops in, they start chasing the deer out of the fields onto the roadways."...

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...

County employee bargaining talks begin (09/04/09)
Bargaining employees in two county departments have entered into initial 2009 employee negotiations with the Plymouth County supervisors. The Plymouth County sheriff's department and the secondary road department submitted their first proposals Aug. 25...

National Night Out program set for August 4 (07/30/09)
On Tuesday, August 4, Le Mars will be participating in the annual National Night Out. Designed to show criminals that neighborhoods are organized and fighting back against crime, National Night Out encourages streets to hold block parties and have a night of community strengthening...

Two men charged in local burglaries (07/24/09)
During a joint search Thursday, two men were arrested and charged in the recent burglaries of three county businesses including Bob's Drive-In. The Remsen Police Department executed a search warrant on a residence at 121 2nd Ave. N.E., in Le Mars, Wednesday, according to the police report...

Sheriff's evidence building ready for construction (07/08/09)
After three years, plans to construct a county evidence storage building moved from the drawing board into reality Tuesday. The Plymouth County Supervisors Tuesday approved estimates to construct a 40-by-60 pole building next to the Law Enforcement Center for a total cost of $79,200...

Sheriff's office catches copper burglar (06/11/09)
After a string of break-ins around northwest Iowa, the Plymouth County Sheriff's Office caught one suspect in the act of breaking in to steal copper wire. The sheriff's deputies stopped a burglary in progress Monday at the Western Area Power Administration (WAPA) site south of Hinton on Highway 75...

Special law enforcement project set for weekend (06/05/09)
Drive safe this summer. Buckle up and obey traffic laws. That's the message of a special law enforcement project that involves agencies from the three-state area, including the Plymouth County Sheriff's Office. Stepped up traffic enforcement begins tonight, according to Sergeant David Eral of the Iowa State Patrol...

Stimulus package could help pay for local law enforcement (03/10/09)
The Le Mars Police Department and the Plymouth County Sheriff's Office could be eligible receive a total of more than $30,000 in economic stimulus dollars, according to a release from U.S. Sen. Tom Harkin's office last week. The Le Mars Police Department is set to receive $20,390 and the Plymouth County Sheriff's Office is set to receive $11,069...

Former Le Mars man beats cancer, gets back on the beat (02/19/09)
Many Mapleton residents are starting to recognize that a familiar face is back among them. Mapleton Police Chief John Holton -- formerly of Le Mars -- has returned back to work after a five and a half month bout with cancer. The chief is glad to be back on his feet and serving the citizens of Mapleton once again...

Burglars scared off, left-empty handed (01/22/09)
Sunday night's attempted burglary at a home northeast of Le Mars didn't pan out well for the alleged burglars. Five Sioux City men were arrested Sunday night in connection to a reported armed burglary at Frank Tritz's home about a mile northeast of Le Mars...

LOST money set for smaller grant pool, ECO Center (01/14/09)
A smaller amount of the county's Local Option Sales Tax (LOST) revenue will be available for grants but $150,000 has been set aside to build a learning center at Hillview Park. The Plymouth County Supervisors spent part of Tuesday's meeting to decide how to use about $1 million in LOST revenue collected this year...

Two Sioux City teens linked to Le Mars graffiti (12/30/08)
At least seven spray paint vandalism acts in Le Mars have been linked to two Sioux City teens thanks to a local business' surveillance video. Minh Nguyen, 17, and Timothy Nawanna, 18, both of Sioux City, were recently charged with criminal mischief in the second degree, a felony, in regards to Le Mars graffiti...

Trail of blood connects multiple burglaries (12/29/08)
A Sioux City 19-year-old was arrested Sunday and charged with committing four burglaries in Le Mars after leaving a trail of blood behind. Marcus Allen Curiel was arrested at about 9:20 a.m. at 415 1st Ave. S.E. in relation to four burglaries, including one where he cut his arm, according to the Le Mars Police Department...

Is Le Mars seeing the first signs of gangs? (11/24/08)

Train officials: Don't risk your life to cross the rails (11/17/08)

Watch the train crossings (11/13/08)
Law enforcement and the Union Pacific railroad are going to team up this weekend to crack down on drivers disobeying safety laws near railroad crossings in Le Mars. Beginning at 11 a.m. Saturday, the U.P. Railroad is bringing several of their locomotives and crew to Le Mars and will be traveling through crossings while law enforcement officers watch for drivers disobeying crossing signals and rules...

Proposed evidence building back on the table (09/24/08)
Storage space is tight for the Plymouth County Sheriff's Department. Sheriff Mike Van Otterloo asked the Plymouth County Supervisors Tuesday whether he should continue to pursue options to construct a new evidence storage building. "Is this something I should still be looking to budget?" Van Otterloo asked. "I'm just looking for some direction."...

Police officers try to slow down drivers on bypass (08/26/08)
Law enforcement officers issued 131 tickets and warnings for traffic violations at the 24th Street exit of the Highway 75 bypass in two hours last Thursday. From 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m., police issued 30 tickets including 16 for speeding, five for insurance violations and three for not using seat belts...

When mommy is arrested: Police plan for children on the scene (08/18/08)
Patrol cars pull up to a house, looking for an adult suspect. They enter the house to make an arrest. There, on the couch, an eight year old is reading a book. Suddenly, the plan changes. "Kids are so impressionable," said Le Mars Police Chief Stu Dekkenga. "It's a big deal, removing a parent. You don't want to traumatize the child."...

Gas station falls victim to burglars (06/17/08)
CarGo Express Convenience Store No. 1 was damaged and robbed sometime after 11 p.m. Friday. Police estimated the value of items stolen and the damage done to the business at $7,000. Le Mars Police Department officers were called to the store, at 327 Plymouth St. N.E., at about 6:45 a.m. Saturday, June 14...

Two caught after scam at truck stop (06/02/08)
Two Minnesota men were caught for scamming a Le Mars business just hours after pulling a similar scam on a Sheldon store Thursday, May 29. Scott Richard Coxworth, 30, of Houston, Minn. and Christopher Wayne Swinger, 24, of Minneapolis, Minn. pulled a scam at the Le Mars Truck Stop, stealing $90, before heading out of Le Mars...

Two men caught after scamming Le Mars Truck Stop (05/30/08)
Two Minnesota men were caught for scamming a Le Mars business just hours after pulling a similar scam on a Sheldon store Thursday, May 29...

Six county residents on the ballot June 3 (05/30/08)
Voters will go to the polls for the primary election Tuesday, June 3, to pick candidates from their party to face off in the November general election. Six Plymouth County residents are running for county offices. On the Republican side, Mark Loutsch and incumbent John Schneider are competing for the District 2 seat on the county board of supervisors. ...

Officers hand out 84 tickets and warnings in two hours (05/27/08)
Area law enforcement officers wrote up 29 tickets and 55 warnings Thursday in the first of several special traffic enforcement projects (STEP) planned for the summer season. The 84 citations and warnings were handed out by the Plymouth County Sheriff's Office, the Le Mars Police Department and the Hinton Police Department in a two-hour period near the 24th Street exit of the Highway 75 Bypass...

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...

Second LCS bomb threat determined to be hoax (04/24/08)
A bomb threat note found in a girls' bathroom at Le Mars Community Middle School Wednesday was a fake, authorities decided. The school was not evacuated. According to a report from the Le Mars Police Department, the note was found on the floor of a middle school girls' bathroom at 12:20 p.m. Wednesday...

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