The Page County Sheriff’s Office reports 32-year-old Michael Dean Wilson, of Council Bluffs, was arrested Tuesday on Montgomery County Warrants for Parole Violation (No Bond) and Controlled Substance Violation (bond $50,000.00). Wilson was arrested in Shenandoah. During his arrest, Wilson was also charged with Possession of a controlled Substance (bond $2,000.00). He was being held in the Page County Jail.

Michael Dean Wilson

(*Clarification) – A central Iowa man who stole an Iowa State Patrol cruiser in April, has failed to return to Zion Recovery Services facility, in Clarinda. According to reports, 31-year old Brandon Eugene Doerring, of Des Moines left the facility on Sunday. *ZION is not a locked down facility and cannot hold anyone. Persons are basically they are free to leave anytime, even under a court order. Laurie Cooley, Director of ZION Integrated Behavioral Health Services, based in Atlantic, said in an e-mail Zion does however, “…follow protocol and inform law enforcement immediately they [in this case, Doerring] have walked out of the facility.”

He had been arrested April 20th on charges that included: of possession of drug paraphernalia, first-degree theft; reckless driving; eluding; assault with intent of injury-to peace officer and others; driving while license denied, suspended, cancelled or revoked; first-offense OWI; speeding; possession of a controlled substance, and second-degree theft/motor vehicle valued at under $10,000/over $1,000.

Brandon Doering

On June 3rd, Doerring was transported from the Dallas County Jail to the Zion Recovery facility for “inpatient treatment.” A warrant for his arrest was ordered Tuesday in the Dallas County District Court.

The incident that initially led to his arrest in April, began on Interstate 80 near Earlham, after an Iowa State Patrol Trooper responded to an accident on the interstate. The vehicle that Doerring was driving, a Monte Carlo stolen out of Dexter, was hung up in the cable barriers. The Trooper saw Doerring walking along the roadway. He found drug paraphernalia on Doerring and took him into custody, but the handcuffed man was somehow able to steal the trooper’s vehicle and lead law enforcement on a high-speed pursuit across southern Dallas County and northern Madison County.

He eventually abandoned the cruiser and was taken into custody at gunpoint.

(Radio Iowa) – One of the inmates accused of murdering two Anamosa prison employees is scheduled to go on trial later this month.  Thomas Woodard’s trial will be held in Linn County and is scheduled to start June 22nd. Michael Dutcher, the other Anamosa inmate charged in the case, is currently scheduled to go on trial in Jones County, where the prison is located, but a starting date for his trial has not been set. Prosecutors say the two men were trying to escape when they killed 59-year-old Lorena Schulte, a registered nurse, and 46-year-old correctional officer Robert McFarland.

(Radio Iowa) – The governor has signed legislation that makes it legal for Iowa casinos to take bets on horse and dog races that are being run in foreign countries as well as in the United States. Iowa casinos have featured live broadcasts of races outside the U-S for years, but in December state regulators suspended the practice and asked legislators to make it clear it’s legal under Iowa law. Senator Roby Smith of Davenport says state regulators have used safeguards in the past to exclude simulcasts from some foreign tracks and will do so in the future.

“In the research of this bill, I called the Racing and Gaming Commission’s Brian Ohorilko, who is in charge of that,” Smith says. “He has assured me that over the past number of years they have taken into account the corruption — if there is — at the track, condition of the track, condition of the workers and the condition of the animals, so they can choose not to use that track if they think there’s a problem in any one of those things.”

It’s been legal since 1989 to simulcast horse and dog races at Iowa casinos and take bets on the races. In addition to the so-called “triple crown” in America, the world’s most-watched horse races are staged in places like Paris, Tokoyo, England, Australia, Dubai and the United Arab Emirates. Greyhound racing is only legal in eight countries and the number of tracks in the U-S continues to decline. (Editors, those countries are the US, Great Britian, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, Mexico, Vietnam and China.)

Adair County Attorney Melissa Larson was asked during Wednesday mornings’ Adair County Board of Supervisor’s meeting, about the legality of back-dated lease contracts for solar energy farms, after the County received a letter to that effect from a concerned citizen.

Supervisor Matt Wedemeyer…

Larson said didn’t know the answer to that question. She asked if there was any proof anyone had taken such action.

She said she hasn’t spoken with the concerned citizen who wrote the letter, and would look into the authority to request that information, outside of a criminal investigation. The question is, how many acres were signed-up in Adair County prior to May 5th. Larson said it is never okay to back-date a contract, if you are doing it with the intent to obfuscate the law.

In other business, the Adair County Supervisors approved an American Rescue Plan Act award contract with the Department of Treasury. Auditor Mandy Berg said the County is eligible to receive $1.34-million from the COVID relief act. The contract simply acknowledges the County wants whatever money is received, based on per capita. She said they will be setting up a new account specifically for any such funds that are received. The Board also approved Sheriff Jeff Vandewater’s request for him to pay for his own expenses, if any, with regard to a Firearms Instructor Training course set for June 14th through 18th, and for him to submit a claim for reimbursement.

And, Adair County Engineer Nick Kauffman reported to the Board, that on Monday they had the bid letting on the G-61 County line grading project, with Cass County picking a portion of the costs. Leroy and Son, Inc., out of Carroll, was the low bidder, at $798,551.80. The engineer’s estimate had been about $973,000, so the bid came about 20% under. The same company handled the Adair County Landfill closing and other projects.

The Cass County Board of Supervisors approved the contract during their meeting Tuesday morning. Adair County will serve as the contracting authority. Cass County will pay $490,996.93, while Adair County will pay $307, 553.88.

The Adams County Sheriff’s Office reports two arrests. On June 1st, Deputies arrested Robert Surrell, on active warrant for Violation of a No Contact Order. And, on or about June 8th, at around 9:36-a.m., an Adams County Deputy stopped a car for a taillight violation. The driver, 29-year-old Tarra Jones, of Winterset, was subsequently arrested for Driving While Revoked, Failure to File SR-22 Insurance, and Failure to have an Interlock Device. She was being held in the Adams County Jail on a $1,000 cash-only bond.