Legal

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

Raymond elected president of county attorney group (11/18/08)
Plymouth County Attorney Darin Raymond is the new President of the Iowa County Attorneys Association (ICAA). Raymond was elected to the one year term by his fellow County Attorneys at the Fall Conference of the ICAA held in West Des Moines, Iowa, November 9-12, 2008...

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...

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...

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