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Thursday, December 26, 2013
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Newton, Iowa
Three to face federal charges after meth drug bust in Colfax
OBITUARIES Eloise A. Mart, 83 Letha Schakel, 104 Juanita Shoemake, 95 INSIDE TODAY
By Zach Johnson Daily News Staff Writer Last month, officers with the Mid-Iowa Narcotics Enforcement Task Force executed a search warrant in conjunction with a federal investigation of a major drug ring alleged to have operated in rural Colfax and Mingo.
As a result of the search, Emiliano Villegas-Caballero, Nestor Casillas and Ulises Sevilla-Lozano were arrested on drug, immigration and firearm charges. All three men are set for individual federal trials to begin Feb. 3. Villegas-Caballero and Sevilla-Lozano will be on trial on individual charges of illegal
alien in possession of firearms. Casillas will be tried on a charge of intent to deliver a controlled substance. Casillas was taken into custody at approximately 8:30 a.m. Thursday, Nov. 7, as he was walking near his residence in Des Moines. ATF Special Agent Dee Looper and Des Moines Police De-
partment Detective Stephanie Swartz initiated an interview with Casillas, who waived his Miranda rights and agreed to talk. Casillas told DMPD Detective Tony Ballantini he was selling methamphetamine BUST See Page 5A
CodeRED alerts warn county residents of serious situations
Local
Hy-Vee presents check to inMotion Page 2A
By Ty Rushing Daily News Staff Writer
Local
Community Bank drawing winners
Ty Rushing/Daily News Dennis Carpenter is serving in his second stint as a member of the Jasper County Board of Supervisors and said helping people with their problems is his favorite part of the job.
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‘It’s about people, not politics’ Carpenter explains why he returned to Board of Supervisors Part 3 of a series Sports
By Ty Rushing Daily News Staff Writer
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“I love to help people.” According to Denny Carpenter, that is the sole reason he chose to come back and seek another term on the Jasper County Board of Supervisors after he stepped away in 2006. “I have a great desire to serve the people and I enjoy serving the people,” Carpenter said. “I enjoy helping people out with their problems. I enjoy representing them and when they got a problem they are having trouble solving, I enjoy going to the right person to see what we can get done about it.” Carpenter brings a unique viewpoint to the board, as he was also a county employee for 36 years for the County Engineer’s Office. You can see those experiences come through when any citizen brings up a road issue or County Engineer Russ Stutt is presenting a measure to the board. “The current County Engineer has done a great job of replacing bridges and bridge structures that were in need of a repair badly,” Carpenter said. “I en-
Newton staying Class 3A, for now
Weather
Friday
High 24 Low 24
Saturday
High 33 Low 9 Weather Almanac
Tues., Dec. 24 High 15 Low -14 No Precipitation
Wed., Dec. 25 High 31 Low 18 No Precipitation Also: Astrograph Page 5B Classifieds Page 4B Comics & Puzzles Page 6A
CARPENTER See Page 5A
Staff writer Ty Rushing may be contacted at (641) 792-3121, ext. 426, or at trushing@newtondailynews. com.
By Ty Rushing Daily News Staff Writer
Opinion Page 4A Obituaries Page 3A Our 112th Year No. 154
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cept for when I was in the hospital a couple of days with pneumonia.” Carpenter made it clear; he will only miss meetings in life or death situations and for no other reasons. “That’s what they elected me to do, to serve them,” Carpenter said. “That’s what I get paid to do, to come in and see what’s going on.” Normally, Carpenter is a man of very few words in the supervisors’ weekly meeting, unless it pertains to his favorite subject, roads. But that doesn’t mean he isn’t fully aware of the goings on within the county and how his votes have impacted citizens. “Jasper County is a good example of how conservatism works,” Carpenter said. “We are fiscally in fine shape and conservatism works and we are an example of it.” Like his fellow board members, Carpenter said one of his biggest accomplishments on the board is the courthouse’s new geothermal heating and cooling system, which was a part of the restoration project the current board approved.
Newton’s own ‘Clark Griswold’
Dear Abby Page 6A
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joy seeing him get that done, because then you are taking embargoes off of bridges and weight limits off of bridges.” In addition to his affection for the work done at the Jasper County Engineer’s Office, Carpenter is happy to serve on the other boards/committees he is assigned to as a supervisor. These include the Aging Resources, Red Rock Community Action Program, the Central Iowa Regional Transportation Planning Alliance and the Iowa Heartland Resource Conservation and Development boards. With no shortage of duties, Carpenter described how he spends his work week. “I come in each morning and check to see if there are any claims that need to be signed and check to see if there is anyone I need to contact. Or if someone has a road problem, I go to the Engineer’s Office and report it and see what they can do about it,” Carpenter said. “(I come in) five days a week and I missed one Tuesday when my stepdaughter passed away,” he continued. “That’s the first time I missed a meeting this term, ex-
Last Monday’s pipe bomb incident put a scare into many citizens and left others wondering, if there is a more efficient and effective way for them to be notified about similar emergency situations and severe weather alerts. The answer to that question is “Yes,” and the solution comes in signing up for CodeRED alerts, which are made possible through the collaboration of the Jasper County Emergency Management Agency and Sheriff ’s Office. To sign-up for this vital service you may call EMS at (641) 792-7555 or online at www.jasperema-hls.org. EMA Coordinator Jim Sparks elaborated on the usefulness of the service and some ways it can be used. “Any ‘emergency’ information may be put out through the CodeRED system,” Sparks said. In addition, residents can sign up for emergency weather alerts issued by the (National Weather Service), which are issued through the system. Also, any important information at a community/neighborhood level — such as a large water main break, may utilize the CodeRED notification system.” The service has been available to Jasper County citizens since 2009 and local alerts come directly from dispatchers housed at the Jasper County Law Enforcement Center. Kathy Ellis, an EMA assistant, talked about additional purposes the CodeRED System provides citizens. “This program is very important as part of our (county) emergency management plan,” Ellis said. “CodeRED is an outbound, automated notification system that will allow city and county officials to send voice messages to residents and businesses to alert them of emergency situations as well as important bulletins.” “The system can be used to inform residents of tornado warnings, street closures, fires, floods, snow emergencies, missing children, boil water notices, pandemic notifications, gas leaks, utility outages and many more types of notifications,” she continued. In addition to the recent severe weather and pipe bomb incident, Sparks said this program, which is funded through the Sheriff ’s Office, has helped law enforcement officials in cases involving missing children and situations involving hazardous materials. The system can be activated at any time of day or night, and EMA strongly advocates for citizens who are interested in keeping abreast of any potentially serious situations in the community to sign-up for CodeRED. “This is a very valuable program that benefits all residents in Jasper County,” Ellis said.
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Craig Samson’s wife, Lori, jokingly calls him “Clark Griswold,” the patriarch from the popular “Christmas Vacation” film who is obsessed with his Christmas lights display, due to Craig’s own passion for showcasing holiday lights. He said he started hanging lights 10 to 12 years ago, after he moved from the country and he continues to purchase more and more lights every year. This year’s setup includes a couple thousand lights, a 20 foot inflatable snowman, a giant Christmas card and, of course, Santa himself. To see Craig’s lights in person you can drive by his home 1400 W. Eighth St. N. in Newton.
Ty Rushing/Daily News