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State Auditor finds problems with former Keokuk County sheriff

September 25, 2009 By

An audit has found a former sheriff in southeast Iowa failed to maintain a secure evidence room. Deputy State Auditor Warren Jenkins says the problems were reported by current Keokuk County Sheriff Jeff Shipley shortly after he was elected to the office. Shipley found several items were missing.

“There were concerns about the adequacy of controls over various items that had been collected as evidence or seized,” Jenkins said. “The new sheriff asked us to come in and take a look.” The auditor’s report says former Keokuk County Sheriff Ron George kept evidence and seized property in unsecure areas.

Jenkins says it’s difficult to determine everything that’s missing because evidence logs weren’t kept up to date. Shipley reported the missing items include a thermal-imaging camera valued at $8,400. The audit says George was seen destroying records before he left office in December.

“Obviously we weren’t there at the time, so we can not independently verify it, but some of the deputies say they did observe (George) destroying documents,” Jenkins said. The report has been delivered to the Iowa Department of Criminal Investigation and the Keokuk County Attorney.

Filed Under: Crime & Courts

Some large tire piles remain in the state

September 25, 2009 By

While a state environmental program eliminated millions of used tires in recent years, some two-dozen large tire stockpiles remain scattered across Iowa. Brian Tormey, chief of the Land Quality Bureau of the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, says they’ve repeatedly asked state legislators to restore funding to the tire abatement program, which ended short of its goal a few years ago.

“We still have some stockpiles out there, roughly 25 to 30 of them with over a thousand tires in each and a total of an estimated 300,000 tires that still need to be addressed,” Tormey says. “These are historical sites. We’re not aware of any new stockpiles that have been created.”

Those stockpiles are a concern as they present several potential hazards, including becoming breeding grounds for mosquitoes and rats, or being set on fire. Pollution from tire fires can be very toxic, plus, such fires can be difficult to extinguish. Tormey says the state’s remaining tire stockpiles are only a fraction of what they were a decade and a half ago.

“We cleaned up over ten-million, almost 11-million tires from about 1996 through mid-2005,” Tormey says. “The funding for that program was discontinued.” Tires have been banned from Iowa landfills since 1991. Tormey says some landfills will still accept whole tires, but only to ship them off to be processed.

Other uses are found for virtually all used tires generated in Iowa, Tormey says, from being burned as fuel for factories or power plants to being ground into bits to become playground surfaces or landscaping mulch. He says close tabs are kept on tires across Iowa.

“We have a list of registered waste tire haulers that operate in the state,” Tormey says. “We want to know where the tires are being picked up and where they end up. We have quite an infrastructure, a network out there.” Tormey has been involved in the state’s tire program since 1992.

Filed Under: Environment & Conservation Tagged With:

Polk County deputy to return to work after shooting

September 25, 2009 By

A Polk County sheriff’s deputy will return to patrol duties Saturday, just over three months after shooting and killing a suicidal man. A grand jury on Thursday declined to indict deputy Dale Petersen, who fired the wrong type of ammunition in a standoff with an Urbandale man on June 8.

Petersen believed he was using a beanbag round which is designed to stun rather than kill. But, investigators say Petersen actually grabbed a lethal, hard plastic round of ammo designed to pierce barricades.

The standoff began after 21-year-old Justin Schleuning called 9-1-1 and was threatening to kill himself in a rural area south of Ankeny. After three hours in darkness and pouring rain, Schleuning agreed to exit his car. Petersen thought Schleuning might be holding a handgun and fired what he thought was beanbag rounds in an effort to subdue Schleuning.

Investigators have not said why Petersen had the hard plastic ammunition in his possession. The Polk County sheriff’s office does not stock or issue that style of ammo. Peterson had been on paid leave before returning to administrative work earlier this month.

Filed Under: Crime & Courts

IDP chair: Grassley to get “race of his life” in 2010

September 25, 2009 By

The chairman of the Iowa Democratic Party says a candidate will soon emerge to give Republican Senator Chuck Grassley the “race of his life” in 2010.

Grassley will be seeking a sixth term in 2010. So far two Democrats from eastern Iowa have announced their intentions to run for the U.S. Senate.  But Iowa Democratic Party chairman Michael Kiernan suggests a well-known Iowa Democrat will join the competition. 

“Doug Gross has gone and pulled out of retirement Terry Branstad to run for governor so it got a lot of Democrats thinking, including myself, ‘Maybe it’s time,’ — and I’ll put this in a football analogy since my counterpart (the chairman of the Republican Party of Iowa) owns a football team, that ‘Maybe it’s time to get a first-round draft pick,” Kiernan says.  “I’m going to tell you here today that Chuck Grassley is going to be in for the race of his life.” 

Des Moines attorney Doug Gross, the former chief of staff to former Governor Branstad who himself ran unsuccessfully for governor in 2002, has touted Branstad as the best candidate to run against Democratic Governor Chet Culver in 2010, but Branstad has held off making a decision until October.  Kiernan isn’t saying who his “first-round draft pick” is for the U.S. Senate race. 

“You’re just going to have to wait to find out,” Kiernan said this morning during taping of this weekend’s “Iowa Press” program.  “We want to wait ’til, obviously, after Terry Branstad announced his candidacy for governor.” 

Kiernan isn’t revealing the characteristics this phantom candidate may have either. ”I’ll just wait for the announcement,” Kiernan said.  “You will be impressed.” 

Grassley, who turned 76 last week, was first elected to office in 1958 when he won a seat in the Iowa House.  He was elected to the U.S. House in 1974.  In 1980, Grassley ran for the U.S. Senate, challenging first-term Democrat John Culver, the father of Iowa Governor Chet Culver.  In 2004, Grassley was reelected with 70 percent of the vote.  Kiernan suggests the outcome in 2010 will be much closer.

“I’m here to tell you today that it will be the toughest race that Chuck Grassley has faced since John Culver,” Kiernan said. 

John Culver finished that race with 45.5 percent of the vote compared to Grassley’s 53.5 percent — a margin of eight percent.  Grassley’s first congressional victory in 1974 was his closest contest.  He beat incumbent Democrat Stephen Rapp by less than two percent of the vote. 

“Senator Grassley doesn’t take any election for granted,” said Jill Kozeny, a spokeswoman for Grassley.  “He’s on the job for Iowans, safeguarding tax dollars, holding government accountable, protecting take-home pay from tax increases, looking out for consumers and fighting for seniors.  He’s in touch, he takes on the big issues, and he works every day for what’s best for Iowa.”

Kiernan, the Iowa Democratic Party chairman, made his comments during taping of the “Iowa Press” program which airs tonight on Iowa Public Television.  After the taping, Kiernan told reporters the as-yet-to-be-revealed candidate is “100 percent committed” to running against Grassley.

(This story was updated at 1:51 p.m.)

Filed Under: Politics & Government Tagged With: , , , ,

Deep River man charged with sexual abuse

September 25, 2009 By

The Poweshiek County Sheriff’s office has released details on the arrest of a Deep River man for sexual abuse. Chris Johnson reports that 33-year old James Timothy Tyler was taken into custody Tuesday evening at his Deep River home.

The arrest comes after a month long investigation. The original complaint of a possible sexual abuse was made in early August –and alleged that Tyler had sexual intercourse and threatened to use force against a 14-year-old victim over a five month span in 2007 and 2008. Tyler has been charged with one count Sexual Abuse 2nd degree, 9 counts Sexual Abuse 3rd degree and 9 counts of Child Endangerment.

The investigation is on-going and additional charges against Tyler are pending. Tyler is being held at the Poweshiek County Jail on $25,000 bond.

Contributed by Chris Johnson, KGRN Radio, Grinnell

Filed Under: Crime & Courts

Backyard chicken flocks shine spotlight on Webster City Hatchery

September 25, 2009 By

A Webster City hatchery is getting some national publicity over the chicks it ships all over the country. The New Yorker magazine features the McMurray Hatchery in its September 28th edition. Hatchery spokesman Bud Wood says the article focuses on the increasing number of flocks of birds people are keeping in their back yards. Wood says backyard flocks are hot right now.

Wood says across the country, and especially on the east and west coasts, people are getting a few hens for their backyard for fresh eggs. “Hopefully it’s not a fad, I think it’s a way of life,” Wood says, “I think people like to know where their food comes from, getting closer to nature, the organic movement, the green movement, all those things have kind of rolled into one and produced a real demand for backyard poultry.”

Wood says he’s amazed at how the demand for chickens has changed. He says it’s been popular for many years to have a flock in the midwest and other rural areas, but he says it has been moving more and more from rural settings into urban areas. Wood says just the other day on “Good Morning America” a man who lives in Brooklyn, New York brought in his chickens and showed them. Wood says the movement has kept the orders coming into the McMurray Hatchery despite the down economy.

Wood says he feels bad that the economy is the way it is and people are struggling, but he says they’ve had good years recently and have been very busy. The article in the New Yorker is called “The ‘It’ Bird”. You can see a video showing writer Susan Orlean at her Hudson Valley home with her chickens from McMurray Hatchery on-line at: www.newyorker.com.

Contributed by Pat Powers, KQWC, Webster City

Filed Under: Agriculture, Business

Leachman to introduce Young Frankenstein in Omaha

September 25, 2009 By

Thirty-five years after “Young Frankenstein” was unleashed on movie goers, the comedy-horror classic that starred an Iowan is returning to the big screen next month. The Joslyn Museum in Omaha will show the black-and-white production, featuring a personal introduction from actress Cloris Leachman. Organizer Bruce Crawford says getting Leachman, a Des Moines native, to introduce the film will be a real treat.

Leachman played the role of Frau Blucher in the film and Crawford calls her, “one of the biggest film and TV stars alive.” Mel Brooks produced the 1974 film, which also starred Gene Wilder, Terri Garr, Marty Feldman and Peter Boyle. The event on the evening of October 16th will be a benefit for the Omaha Hearing School for Children. Crawford says it only took a few calls to get the 83-year-old Leachman to agree to appear at the event.

He says, “Cloris will come out and she’ll regale the audience for a good five or ten minutes at least of stories, reminiscences, anecdotes and funny stuff about making the movie.” Crawford says it will be a night of fun for charity — and it’s very affordable. Tickets are on sale for $20 each at all 11 Omaha-area Hy-Vee stores.

Leachman will also be one of the judges at a dance contest that same weekend at the University of Nebraska/Omaha. Leachman was a contestant on TV’s “Dancing with the Stars” two seasons ago.

Filed Under: Recreation & Entertainment
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