Trial set to begin Sept. 24

    In a written arraignment Tuesday, July 29, Terry Lee Schott entered a plea of not guilty and waived his right to a speedy trial on charges of sexual assault of a 15-year-old female.
    Schott, 49, was arrested on June 15 on charges of sexual abuse in the third degree, a class C felony. The charges stem from items seized during the execution of a search warrant at 202 E. Railroad St., Fredericksburg, on June 15 by the Chickasaw County Sheriff’s office.

    Chickasaw County Sheriff Marty Larsen is delighted to report his deputies are now carrying X-26 Tasers.
    The Taser is a state-of-the-art neuromuscular interrupter and considered one of the safest and most effective less lethal use of force options available to law enforcement officers.
    The need for Tasers was discussed with a local citizen known to be an advocate of safety for New Hampton citizens and local deputies. The project to raise the $12,000 for Tasers began and reached completion in about one month. The purchase of nine Tasers, camera systems and holsters was funded entirely by private donations.

DARE officer gears up for his second tour in the Middle East

    The Stalder family has once again placed a star representing active military duty in a front window of their home.
    New Hampton DARE Officer Steve Stalder will be leaving for his second tour in Iraq on Aug. 5. The 109th Medical Battalion out of Iowa City will leave for Fort Sill, Okla., to join up with the rest of the battalion before departing for Iraq. There are 64 people in the Iowa unit.

    Over the past two weekends, an estimated $1,000 in damage resulted from vandalism at Mikkelson Park.
    During the July 19-20 period, two doors to a storage building were destroyed and last weekend, a fire was started on a picnic table in shelter No. 5. The fire caused minimal damage to the table top, but did not spread to the shelter.

    The Chickasaw County Sheriff’s Office is requesting assistance from the public in connection with vandalism done at Plum Creek Golf Club in Fredericksburg.
    In the early morning hours of Friday, July 25, someone removed an electric golf cart from a storage shed at Plum Creek Golf Course located at 2689 Country Club Drive. The person or persons drove the cart throughout the 9-hole course damaging six of the nine greens.

    A local farmer was severely injured in a farm accident Tuesday morning.
    Randy Burgart, 55, of 2309 270th St., New Hampton, caught his leg in an auger while working in a grain bin on his farm.
    According to Chickasaw County Deputy Sheriff Lance Manson, the man’s clothing and foot became entangled in the farming machinery. An auger is designed with a center shaft and spinning blades. It is used to empty grain bins.
    While trapped in the auger, Burgart was able to summon help by a 911 call to the sheriff’s office using a cell phone.

    The Chickasaw County Emergency Management office will conduct the monthly test of the sirens and indoor warning system at 11 a.m. Monday, Aug. 4. If severe weather threatens on this date, the test will be done at the same time on Tuesday, Aug. 5.

    The Nashua Fire Department received a $151,050 grant for flood damages. Sen. Tom Harkin announced the grant on Wednesday, July 16. The grant was from the Department of Homeland Security’s Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program.
    “Iowa firefighters are brave public servants who help protect our families when disaster strikes,” Harkin said in a release. “These grants will provide Nashua firefighters with the resources they need to effectively respond to emergencies and keep Iowans safe.”

Olson pleaded to lesser charges, gets 42 days

    A New Hampton man accused of neglecting a herd of horses in March was sentenced in Chickasaw County last week to 42 days in jail after pleading guilty to lesser charges.
    Kelly Olson, 41, was arrested in March after Fayette County Sheriff’s Department deputies discovered 18 malnourished horses on a farm near Hawkeye. Three other horses reportedly had died from neglect.
    The horses were discovered on March 9 eating wood of feed bunks and bark off trees according to duputy reports. The property located at 18129 250th St., which Olson rented, is owned by Terry Schott, 48, of Fredericksburg. Schott and Olson were also charged with illegal possession and transportation of a deer.

     Friday’s high heat index was not enough to keep people from having a good time and supporting their local fire department.
    The Ionia Fire Department held its annual fish fry at Chickasaw Park with yet another good turnout. Ionia Firefighter Tim Phillips said it was a good crowd with approximately 1,100 people attending. A total of 1,600 pounds of fish was served and about $3,500 was raised during the event, Phillips added.

    The Fire Department is making it easier for area residents to unload their empty cans.
    New receptacles for bagged cans only are now located in the parking lots at Pamida, Cenex, Geerts Plumbing and Heating and the New Hampton City parking area east of the Community Center. Two other bins that hold loose cans are located at Fareway and Joe’s Family Foods parking lots.

    The fireworks company contracted to perform the America’s Hometown Fourth of July Fireworks Display over the Cedar River in downtown Charles City said Monday a shell malfunction at the start of the grand finale caused some of the launching equipment to tip over and shoot into the large crowd gathered to watch the show.
    However, an official from the State Fire Marshal’s office said the investigation into the exact how and why of the accident on July 4 could take months to sort through before making a final determination.
    “We may never know exactly what happened because the evidence involved was destroyed in the blast,” said Deputy Fire Marshal Bryan Shupe. “There’s not a whole lot left to work with.”

    A final settlement has been reached in a Fayette County case that began in July 2007 with two search warrants served in Oelwein by Iowa Department of Natural Resources game wardens on the residences of Steven Chad Brockmeyer and Roy William Brockmeyer.
    Roy Brockmeyer, 52, of Oelwein recently pleaded guilty in the Fayette County Magistrate Court to six counts in relation to illegal activity involved in the case of illegally trafficking in turtles.

Investigation into cause of Friday’s accident ongoing

    “What went wrong?”
    Local and state fire investigators are still trying to determine the answer to that question after a horrifying ending to what had been a picture-perfect Fourth of July celebration in Charles City Friday night.
    At least 37 people were injured and treated at Floyd County Medical Center after an apparent misfire on the final big volley of the night at the annual Fourth of July fireworks show. Entertainment turned to terror as the accident sent a huge fireball and exploding shells into part of the huge crowd gathered around the launch site along the banks of the Cedar River downtown.

    The trial of a New Hampton man charged with the murder of a Charles City resident has been set for Aug. 5.
    Richard Gilbert Cortez, 42, is charged with the first-degree murder of Kenyon D. Armstrong, 28. Cortez entered a plea of not guilty on Monday.