COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa (AP) – A judge has accepted the guilty pleas of a man charged with killing a sheriff’s deputy and wounding another while escaping from an Iowa jail.
Twenty-four-year-old Wesley Correa-Carmenaty entered the guilty pleas today (Tuesday) to murder, attempted murder, escape, kidnapping and other crimes. His trial was set to begin Tuesday, but his attorney informed authorities last week that Correa-Carmenaty would change his plea in Pottawattamie County District Court in Council Bluffs.

Authorities say Correa-Carmenaty had just been sentenced on May 1 to 45 years in prison in an unrelated murder case when he grabbed one of the deputies’ guns while being transferred to the county jail. He shot them both and used the jail van to escape.

He was recaptured that day in Omaha, Nebraska, after carjacking a woman at gunpoint.

(Update 11:15-a.m. w/statement from Dave Wiederstein: “The Board’s decision to make my office a full-time position is regrettable, but regardless, I will not be the full-time County Attorney.  I have the option of remaining in office until October 14, or I can serve the remainder of my term still on a part-time status.  The Board can expect cooperation from me in making the transition a successful one for the benefit of the citizens of Cass County.”)

The Cass County Board of Supervisors today (Tuesday), voted unanimously to make the County Attorney’s job a Full-time position, with a base salary of $100,000 per year. The change won’t be in effect however, until Jan. 1^st, 2019, since the current four-year term expires after the Nov. 2018 elections. It is currently a part-time position, with an Assistant County Attorney also in-place.

Prior to their vote, the Board opened the matter up to discussion. Supervisor’s Steve Green and Steve Baier, said concern over public safety is the main reason they want to make the job full-time. Green said he personally “Has not made much of a harder decision in his life. He said “The way I’m feeling is not a reflection on our current county attorney, it’s a reflection on the system structure and how complex the issues and public safety issues are. I feel that the citizens of Cass County are going to be better served in a full-time status. It’s a reflection of our times and a reflection of the justice system and all the other myriad of things is required to do.”)

Green said “I think we need 40 hours on behalf of the citizens.”  Steve Baier said he’s hearing from constituents and law enforcement on the matter, and they have a desire to have more felony cases prosecuted. He said we need to go to court and “get some of the bad elements dealt with as the law provides. I don’t think there’s any way that having a full-time county attorney necessarily guarantees that, and that’s one of the issues too, but I think that’s important.”

Board Chair Gaylord Schelling said the issue with Cass County Attorney Dave Wiederstein is, and always has been, increasing the number of prosecutions. He said he spoke with Wiederstein six months ago, and nothing’s changed with regard to the number of prosecutions.

In other business, Supervisor Green said the Cass County Public Safety Board has agreed, with permission from the 9-1-1 Commission, to temporarily make Cass County Emergency Management Coordinator Mike Kennon acting 9-1-1 Director to replace Rob Koppert, who resigned last month. The position will be reviewed on a month-by-month basis for a period of a year. At that time, if the Board and Kennon agree, it would become a permanent position for Kennon. The position pays $20,000 in addition to his current salary.

DES MOINES, Iowa – The field of crime scene investigations is growing both in terms of size and complexity. With that in mind, Des Moines Area Community College is offering a CSI certificate this fall for the first time.

Criminal Justice Professor Danielle Galien says it’s the only lab-based CSI program in the region. “A lot of the programs here in Iowa are sociology-based. So, you’re studying more about why people commit crimes and not how to properly document them or looking at the nuts and bolts of what made up a crime and how it was committed and where to look for fingerprints,” she says.

Galien says a student will be able to obtain a CSI certificate from the college with about one year’s worth of hands-on course work. Fall class offerings in the program include CSI Photography and CSI One. Classes start at DMACC on August 24.    

Galien says the field is ever-changing. There’s a lot of focus these days on how to get evidence off of mobile devices. She says phones have really become mini-computers that hold a wealth of information that can be useful in investigations. “It really tells us a lot about a person, what their intent and their thought process is, and can place them in areas and they might not even know it or think that they’ve deleted all that information and it never truly goes away,” she explains.

Galien says crime scene investigators are in demand in both public and private organizations and businesses. She says starting salaries for crime scene investigators in a metropolitan area like Des Moines are about $50,000 a year. Openings are still available in the fall semester classes.

(Iowa News Service)

A Creston woman was arrested Monday afternoon for Possession of Drug Paraphernalia. Creston Police say 64-year old Charlotte Brown was taken into custody at her home at around 4:45-p.m., and subsequently released on a Promise to Appear in court.

Authorities said also, three Creston residents reported incidents of vandalism or Theft. A man living in the 600 block of Grand Avenue told police Monday that sometime within the past month, someone had taken several pieces of gold jewelry and cash from his home. The loss was estimated at $3,200. That same day, a man residing in the 700 block of Elm Street, reported that on July 24th, an I-pad mini was stolen from his home. The device was valued at $400.

And, on Sunday, a man in the 600 block of W. Adams Street, in Creston, reported to police that sometime between 8-and 10-p.m. Saturday, someone smashed the windshield, driver’s side window, and rear window of his vehicle that was parked near Elm & Montgomery Streets. The driver’s side view mirror was also broken off. Damage was estimated at $900.

The deadline for non-profit groups and organizations to apply for funds online from either the Cass or Audubon County Community Foundation is looming ever near. The deadline is Sept. 1st.

Funds from the Cass County Community Foundation (CCCF) and the Audubon County Community Foundation (ACCF) are available countywide, to groups and organizations in each respective county. In Cass County, $29,000 was allocated for the Fall grant cycle. In Audubon County, $40,590 is available. Both counties’ grant dollars are for a single year.

Application procedures and guidelines are available online at www.iowacommunityfoundations.org/casscef, (Cass County) www.iowacommunityfoundations.org/auduboncef. (Audubon County)

Click on the Grant Information tab and follow the links.  Detailed instructions are provided in a downloadable form, and a link to the online application is also provided.  Only online applications will be considered. The grant funds are made possible by the generosity of Cass and Audubon County Community Foundation donors for recipients in each respective county, only.

Contact Dennis Nissen at 800-794-3458 or dennis@omahafoundation.org or Denise Cardos at denise@omahafoundation.org with grant application specific questions.   All completed applications will be considered at the October board meeting with notification of results the end of October.

To inquire about donating to either the Cass or Audubon County Community Foundation, contact your county’s respective board members. In Cass County, the CCCF Board Members are: Chair, Nicholas Hunt of rural Atlantic, 243-5485; Vice Chair, Gary Maas, of Anita, 762-3434; Secretary/Treasurer, Roland K. Landsness, Esq. of Atlantic, 243-4154; Royal Bierbaum of rural Griswold, 778-2586; John Curry of Massena, 779-0216; and Mark D. Kyhnn, CPA of Atlantic, 243-1800.

In Audubon County, the ACCF Board Members are: Chair, Genelle Deist of Audubon, 712-563-4288; Vice Chair, Joel Hoegh of rural Brayton, 712-249-3692; Secretary/Treasurer, Barbara Johnson of Audubon, 712-773-5732; Shelley Burr of Audubon, 712-563-2644; Steven B. Hansen of Audubon, 712-563-2065; Daryl Olsen, DVM of Audubon, 712-563-2080; and Joseph T. Rasmussen of Exira, 712-268-5357.

In Southwest Iowa Community Foundations are particularly attractive charities, because donations to those funds may be eligible for a 25% Endow Iowa Tax Credit.