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Iowa early News Headlines: Wed., July 15th 2015

News

July 15th, 2015 by Ric Hanson

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press

BURLINGTON, Iowa (AP) — A judge has dismissed harassment charges that were filed against a Burlington woman after she admitted sending cow manure to a neighbor. Des Moines County Attorney Amy Beavers filed a motion to dismiss criminal harassment charges against Kim Capdevilia. The charges were filed after Capdevilia acknowledged to Burlington police that she paid a company to send the manure to her neighbor in December. The action was prompted by a dispute over a barking dog.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A state audit shows an Iowa correctional district linked to improper spending has misspent nearly $1.2 million in additional money. State Auditor Mary Mosiman says the improper disbursements from the Sixth Judicial District Department of Correctional Services had a significant financial impact on the district over the years. The report says the bulk of improper disbursements came from payroll costs. More than $170,000 was spent on excess vacation and sick leave for some employees.

SIBLEY, Iowa (AP) — Investigators have identified the person killed in an apparent fall from a train in northwest Iowa as a 29-year-old man. The Department of Public Safety says a pedestrian found the body of Brandon Joseph Sage Gould on Monday near Sibley, just south of the Minnesota border. Investigators believe Gould fell and then was run over by the train. It’s unclear how or why he fell. Authorities haven’t determined Gould’s hometown.

WAVERLY, Iowa (AP) — A re-trial has begun for the former mayor of Oelwein, who is charged with second-degree sexual abuse of a girl. The trial of Jason Manus got underway Tuesday in Bremer County District Court. In May, a Chickasaw County jury found Manus not guilty of one count of third-degree sexual abuse involving a 14-year-old girl, but the jury deadlocked on a charge involving a younger girl. Judge Richard Stochl declared a mistrial and later agreed to move the trial to Bremer County.