w/ Chris Parks

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22-year-old Michah David Meloccaro of Woodbine was sentenced on Friday (Feb. 15, 2013) on the charge of unlawful user of a controlled substance in possession of a firearm.  US District Court Judge Stephanie M. Rose sentenced Meloccaro to 30 months imprisonment followed by 3 years of supervised release.  Meloccaro also had to forfeit two shotguns and ammunition he possessed and was ordered to pay $100 the the Crime Victim Fund.  Meloccaro is currently on release pending his serving location designation.

Meloccaro had plead guilty to the charge which arose out of an emergency medical call to his residence in Woodbine.  Meloccaro had accidently shot a friend at close range with a 12-guage shotgun.  The victim is currently recovering.  During response to that incident Harrison County Sheriff’s Deputies observed a marijuana growing operation at Meloccaro’s residence.  As part of his federal plea agreement Melocarro must also plead guilty in District Court to manufacturing marijuana.

The investigation was conducted by the Harrison County Sheriff’s Department, the Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement, and the Federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. The Harrison County Attorney’s Office also aided in this case, which was prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa.

A Council Bluffs man was sentenced on Friday (February 15, 2013) in US District Court in Council Bluffs on charges of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and possession of a firearm in relation to drug trafficking.  28-year-old Clifford Arthur Ellis of Council Bluffs was sentenced to 235 months imprisonment and 5 years of supervised release following his release by District Court Judge Stephanie M. Rose.  Ellis was sentenced to 60 months on the firearm charge and 175 months on the drug conspiracy charge.   The Court also ordered Ellis to forfeit the firearm and ammunition which he had possessed, and to pay a $200.00 special assessment for the Crime Victim Fund. Ellis remains in the custody of the United States Marshal pending designation of the Federal Bureau of Prisons facility at which he will serve his sentence.

Ellis had earlier plead guilty to the charges that arose out of an investigation by the SouthWest Iowa Narcotics Task Force which began in mid-2011.  Ellis admitted responsibility for approximately 1.36 kilograms of methamphetamine. Ellis also regularly carried a loaded .45 caliber pistol, and then, later, a loaded 9mm pistol.

On January 4, 2012, Ellis and two other persons were arrested by Council Bluffs Police Officers in the course of the burglary of a truck parked in an apartment parking lot in Council Bluffs. The 9mm pistol was recovered from Ellis at that time.

On April 1, 2012, an Iowa State Patrol Trooper and Mills County Sheriff Deputies arrested Ellis and another person in Mills County carrying approximately one ounce of methamphetamine for distribution.

The investigation was conducted by the SouthWest Iowa Narcotics Task Force, the Council Bluffs, Iowa, Police Department, the Mills County Sheriff’s Department, and the Iowa State Patrol. The Pottawattamie County Attorney’s Office and the Mills County Attorney’s Office also aided in this case, which was prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa.

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) – The Iowa Supreme Court says farmers who host educational tours are not shielded from personal injury lawsuits under Iowa’s recreational use law. The court ruled 5-2 on Friday that the owners of a dairy farm can be sued by a chaperone injured when she fell through a hole in a hayloft during a kindergarten class field trip.

The Iowa Farm Bureau had warned that allowing farmers to face liability would jeopardize tours that teach children about animals and farming. The group says farmers may no longer host such events if they’re worried about lawsuits.

At issue is a law that bars injury lawsuits against landowners who open their land for public recreational uses such as snowmobiling and hunting. The court says playing on a hayloft in a barn doesn’t qualify.

A spokesman for the union that represents Iowa’s rural mail carriers is calling for the removal of Patrick Donahoe as U-S postmaster general. David Heather of Kansas City is executive committeeman for the National Rural Letter Carriers Association. Heather says the recent announcement by Donahoe to end Saturday mail delivery in August is an example of his poor leadership.
It wasn’t just based on this decision,” Heather says. “It was based on a lot of things he’s been doing the last couple of years that we feel are irresponsible in his running of the business. The main infraction though was the unilateral move without congressional approval to eliminate the delivery of mail on Saturday.”

Heather says his association believes the lack of Saturday delivery would have an extremely negative impact on rural America. “The elimination of the delivery of mail on Saturdays would have a devastating effect to the postal service, especially in the rural areas where the carriers that we represent live and work,” Heather says. “We feel the $2 billion in savings Postmaster Donahoe has touted can’t be substantiated and we feel that’s a very high estimate of the savings that would actually occur.”

The Postal Service reported nearly $16-billion in losses for its last budget year and expects even larger losses in 2013. The losses last year were triple the losses from the previous year. Heather says eliminating Saturday deliveries will have a negative effect on the ability of the postal service to remain viable. “We believe that cutting out service will lose business for the postal service,” he says. “When you’re a business that all you have to sell is the service you provide and you cut down on that service, we don’t feel like that’s a wise way to run a business.”

Heather says the biggest obstacle for the post office to maintain a positive cash flow is a congressional requirement passed in 2006. “This legislation requires the postal service to pre-fund health care benefits for future retirees 75 years into the future. And it requires the postal service to pay for all those benefits 75 years into the future in just a 10-year period. The result is a charge of a little over $5 billion a year to the bottom line of the postal service.” Heather says it’s extremely unfair and not fully understood by the general public. “This is a requirement that’s not placed on any other government agency,” he says. “This is a requirement that’s certainly not placed on any private company.” While it will stop regular deliver of mail on Saturdays, the Postal Service will continue to deliver packages six days a week, post office boxes will still get mail on Saturdays and post offices that are now open Saturdays will remain open on Saturdays.

(Radio Iowa)

An accident in Harlan last Sunday caused a sort of “domino effect” that resulted in damage to another vehicle. According to the Harlan Police Department, 19-year old Dylan Hansen, of Harlan, was traveling too fast southbound on 8th Street, and lost control of the 1995 Ford he was driving as he attempted to turn left onto Farnam Street. The vehicle entered a yard and hit a tree. A limb from the tree then broke off and fell on a 2012 Honda registered to Elisabeth Austin, of Overland Park, KS,  which was legally parked on the south side of Farnam Street.

Damage from the incident amounted to $7,000.  Hansen was cited for Driving without a valid license, driving a non-registered vehicle, reckless driving, failure to maintain control, and failure to hold accident insurance.

The Harlan Police Department reports three people were cited for allowing their dogs to run at large. The citations resulted from several incidents having occurred over the past month. Officials say 55-year old Cindy Scheffler, 15-year old Curtis Scheffler, and 41-year old Tim Sorensen, all of Harlan, were cited for the offense.

The H-PD reports also, the arrest on February 8th, of 25-year old Calvin Potts, from Big Fork, MT. Potts was charged with Disorderly Conduct, after officers responded twice to the Forrest Lodge for a subject causing a disturbance. Potts was brought to the Shelby County Jail. Potts later plead guilty to the offense and was fined $200.

The Mills County Sheriff’s Office reports the arrest on Valentine’s Day, of 50-year old Casey Renee Bates, of Red Oak. Bates was arrested in Malvern Thursday afternoon, on charges of Aiding and Abetting, Trespassing, Possession of Controlled Substance, Possession of Drug Paraphernalia, and two-counts of Possessing Contraband. Her bond was set at $17,300. Also arrested that day was 50-year old John Michael Hudson, of Hastings, who was taken into custody for Burglary in the 3^rd degree, Trespassing, Theft in the 3rd degree, Driving Under Suspension, and failure to wear a seat belt. Hudson was arrested at the same time and location as Bates. His bond was set at$7,900.

Sheriff’s officials report also, the arrest Thursday of 33-year old Pennie Jo Bendt. The Malvern woman was arrested following a traffic stop near the intersection of 315th Street and Highway 34. She was charged with Driving While Revoked. Bond was set at $1,000.

Police in Clarinda report two students who had escaped from the Clarinda Academy Thursday night were apprehended less than an hour later. According to Clarinda Police Chief Keith Brothers, at around 8:20-p.m., Clarinda Academy staff reported that two students had escaped from the facility. At approximately 9:15 p.m. Clarinda Police Officers located the two escapees in an open field area in the area of 22nd & Washington Circle. The escapees fled on foot and were apprehended after a short foot pursuit. They were then turned back over to the custody of the Clarinda Academy staff.

Brothers says a Clarinda Police Officer suffered a minor injury to his right leg during the foot pursuit after running into a barbed wire fence. The officer was treated for his injury at the Clarinda Regional Health Center and was able to return to duty. The escapees from the Clarinda Academy are both white male juveniles, ages 16 & 17. Clarinda Academy staff assisted the police department in the apprehension of the escapees.