WALKOFF WINNER
CRESTON FFA HONORED
The Southwestern Community College baseball team won three of four against Minnesota West over the weekend, including a walkoff winner in the finale. For more on the Spartans, see SPORTS, page 5A. >>
The Creston Community High School FFA chapter was recognized as one of the top 25 chapters in Iowa. For more information on the CCHS FFA chapter, see page 10A. >>
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Spare sentenced to 25 years Hartley pleads By BAILEY POOLMAN
Spare’s plea came after an eight-month investigation into a 2016 collision. According to a Union County Sheriff report, at about 9:15 p.m. Jan. 16, 2016, Spare was driving a 2001 Chevrolet on Highway 34 east of Creston. Near the intersection of Highway 34 and Jaguar Avenue, Spare crossed over the center line into the westbound lane of traffic. Spare’s vehicle struck a vehicle operated by Deanne Lee Hoffman. Hoffman died as a result of injuries sustained in the collision. Assisting in the investigation were Creston Police
CNA staff reporter bpoolman@crestonnews.com
Donna Jo Spare, 62, of Afton was sentenced to 25 years during a sentencing hearing 9:30 a.m. Friday at Union County Courthouse. Spare pleaded guilty to homicide by vehicle, a class B felony, during a plea hearing Feb. 24, which led to the sentencing hearing. “I’d like to apologize to the family,” Spare said. “I would just like to tell you all how sorry I am and I didn’t mean for this to happen. I truly didn’t.”
SPARE | 2A
guilty to 7 counts during pretrial conference By BAILEY POOLMAN CNA staff reporter bpoolman@crestonnews.com
CNA photo by BAILEY POOLMAN
Donna Jo Spare is assisted to her chair by Jail Administrator Dorie Shiltz during her sentencing hearing held Friday morning at Union County Courthouse. Spare was sentenced to 25 years after being charged with vehicular homicide for an incident that occurred in January 2016 and caused the death of Deanne Lee Hoffman.
Continuing his father’s legacy SWCC men’s basketball coach carries over lessons learned from basketball coach, father ■
By RYAN KRONBERG CNA sports editor rkronberg@crestonnews.com
Todd Lorensen had a perfect role model from a young age. He had an ideal teacher for his career as head men’s basketball coach at Southwestern Community College. Those formative lessons started in central Iowa, growing up around Prairie City-Monroe Mustang basketball. What he learned as the son of one of Iowa’s most successful prep basketball coaches has carried over into the world of coaching college basketball. Todd’s role model and teacher is a regular in the bleachers of the Southwestern gym. After games, they retreat to Todd’s office to talk over the game and the things that went well and didn’t go so well. It is not just any person. It is his role model and mentor – Todd’s father Fred. As a youth, Todd was a regular around his father’s basketball practices. “I don’t remember the exact year, day or moment, but as I can reasonably recollect, I always remember b e i n g around it,” Todd said. “Every day, I would ride the bus to the high Lorensen school
CNA photo by RYAN KRONBERG
Southwestern Community College Men’s Basketball Coach Todd Lorensen, left, talks with his father, Fred, after a recent Spartan home game.
and go to practice. Some nights, we’d be home by 6 or 7. If it was a home game, I’d be there until the end of the game. If it was a road game, it would be later. I was fortunate to go to those.” At an early age, Todd was a self-proclaimed “gym rat.” Those are memories the 32-year old relishes. “I was fortunate enough to grow up in that environment,” Todd said. “I cherished it.” What farming is to some sons and fathers, basketball was to the Lorensens. Vacations weren’t spent in exotic locales, such as Disney World or somewhere in the Caribbean. They were spent at a sporting event or a camp. Summers were spent in the gym or the baseball field where Fred was also the baseball coach for many years. Those formative years provided Todd invaluable experience he uses now with his players at Southwestern. Todd learned plenty
about how to coach the game of basketball from his father. “He worked hard,” Fred said. “He really understood the game. We could come home and watch tape. At an early age, he understood a lot of stuff about the game.”
Life lessons It was off the court lessons that proved even more valuable. Todd’s most important lessons were how to treat players, those around the program with respect and make them feel important no matter what. “I can say I’m most thankful for the way he treated people. From the college president to students, the staff members, those in the business office, custodians, office assistants, everyone plays a piece in what you’re trying to do,” Todd said. “Watching him do it all those years, I saw how important it was.” Fred showed Todd how important the little things were. “There’s no detail too
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small,” Todd said. “Brad Stevens, he sweeps the floor every day. To see me as the head coach sweeping the floor, is it too much for me to ask them to bring something back, play hard on defense? There’s nothing too small not to be important. “He would thank the custodians. Dean Smith was big on that,” Todd said. “Something he took pride in was when he would leave the visiting locker room, he would make sure every paper towel, every Gatorade cup, every scrap of paper was picked up. That’s representative of him and the institution. He doesn’t want anyone to think of him negatively.” Fred treated all the same, whether it was his players, assistants or administrators. Fred was fair to all of his players, no matter what situation or circumstance they came from. It has helped Todd in his role recruiting players to Southwestern. “A kid from Memphis LORENSEN | 7A
Jennifer Jean Hartley, 43, of Thayer took a plea agreement during a pretrial conference Friday morning at Union County Courthouse. The agreement consisted of Hartley pleading guilty to seven various counts to avoid the original charge of first-degree murder and a sentence of life in prison with no possibility of parole. Hartley was originally charged w i t h first-degree murder in M a r c h 2016 in the death of Loretta Hartley Dillinger, w h i c h came in addition to guilty pleas given by the late Jerry Ray Dillinger during his February 2016 arraignment. Judge Randy Hefner presided over the conference in which Union County Attorney Tim Kenyon gave details as to why she was charged with the seven counts, to which Hartley explained in her own words what happened. Hartley pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit murder, conspiracy to commit second-degree arson, second-degree arson, first-degree fraudulent practice, all class C felonies, two counts of possession of a firearm by a felon, a class D felony, and accessory after a felony in connection to the death of Michael Robinson, an aggravated misdemeanor.
Charges According to statements during the pretrial confer-
Spartan sendoff:
“JERRY had told me that he killed Michael and put him in a brush pile. At first I didn’t believe him. I never called the law to tell them about it.”
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JENNIFER HARTLEY
During her pretrial conference
ence, each count was summarized by Kenyon and followed by an explanation by Hartley. Hartley explained that she helped convince Loretta, who was living in Minnesota, to come back to Iowa during the summer of 2015. That August, Robinson was killed. “Jerry had told me that he killed Michael and put him in a brush pile. At first I didn’t believe him,” Hartley said, thinking Jerry was joking. “I never called the law to tell them about it.” Hartley then learned Jerry had not been joking and burned the brush pile several times. Hartley never called law enforcement. On Sept. 8, 2015, Loretta and another party were involved in two residential fires. Hartley and Jerry had planned to destroy a foreclosed residence, formerly occupied by Shelly Hartley, in Greenfield by setting fire to it. Loretta purchased the diesel fuel prior to the fire, and the items within the home were moved. The fire was set. The residence in Thayer that burned occurred the same day but after the fire in HARTLEY | 2A
CNA photo by RYAN KRONBERG
Southwestern Community College sophomore Calvin Chambers smiles as he walks through a human tunnel on his way to the Spartans’ bus Sunday morning. A large crowd of supporters showed up at SWCC to send the top-ranked Spartan men’s basketball team off in style on its way to the NJCAA Division II National Tournament in Danville, Illinois. The Spartans play their first game noon Tuesday against Southern Maryland.
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