Juvenile Crimes

Mallard man gets 22-year prison sentence (10/01/08)
A 41-year-old Mallard man was sentenced to 22 years in prison for distributing more than 150 grams of methamphetamine in Palo Alto County and Clay County. Kenneth Putensen received the prison term after an April 3 guilty plea to one count of having been previously convicted of two felony drug offenses and then conspiring to manufacture and distribute methamphetamine...

Speeding stop leads to drug arrest (09/29/08)
A speeding stop Wednesday resulted in the arrest of two teenage men from Correctionville and Quimby. The Clay County K-9 Deputy stopped a vehicle for speeding in the 3000 block of Hwy 18., and while attempting to stop the vehicle, the passenger, Kurt Bahrke, 19 Correctionville, threw a bag of what appeared to be marijuana from the vehicle. Bahrke was arrested after the marijuana was retrieved from the roadside...

Drug distribution charges send three to jail (09/10/08)
Clay County Deputies made a series of arrests late last week with ties to drug distribution allegations in the area. Deputies located 48-year-old Ronald Gene Bunker of Romona, S.D., at about 4:40 p.m. Thursday in the 1200 block of 340th Street in Everly after they had prior knowledge of a warrant for Bunker's arrest out of South Dakota. He was transported to jail and was held to appear before the magistrate on a charge of conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance...

Hartley man faces drug distribution charge (09/06/08)
Three northwest Iowans were arrested on drug-related charges following a traffic stop by Spencer Police Department at 10:45 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 28. Police on Wednesday said they charged 24-year-old David Engelkes, of Hartley, with possession of a controlled substance with the intent to deliver marijuana in the 10 block of North Grand Avenue...

Illinois residents face drug charges (09/04/08)
Two Illinois residents were placed in the Clay County jail on narcotics charges Sunday morning following a traffic stop by the Clay County Sheriff's Office. Approximately 11:55 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 30, the Clay County Sheriff's Office made a traffic stop on an Illinois vehicle travelling 72 miles per hour in a 55 zone. Upon making contact with the driver, Chance Allan Naber, 19, of McHenry, Ill., the deputy noticed a container with drug paraphernalia under the rear of the driver's seat...

Cocaine trafficking suspected in Spencer (08/29/08)
Three home searches revealed an apparent cocaine distribution ring in and around Spencer, according to a statement from the Spencer Police Department. Members of the Spencer Police Department conducted the searches on Aug. 22. The search at 3610 290th Avenue in rural Dickens led to the arrest of 51-year-old Don Mobley. ...

Traffic stop leads to drug bust (08/20/08)
Clay County deputies and members of the Spencer Police Department made a late-night traffic stop over the weekend and their findings led to drug distribution charges. A deputy stopped a vehicle just after midnight Saturday in the 10 block of West First Street in Spencer and determined that all three occupants had open containers of alcohol in the vehicle...

Traffic stop leads to meth charge (08/05/08)
A Denison man faces drug-related charges after deputies say they found materials related to methamphetamine as part of a traffic stop. A patrolling deputy pulled 33-year-old Jeremy Dave Frank over for speeding at 2:40 a.m. Saturday in the 4600 block of Highway 71...

Advocates push for revamped drug penalties in Iowa (07/16/08)
DES MOINES (AP) -- Some Iowa lawmakers and legal advocates say state drug laws that include methamphetamine and crack cocaine penalties need to be revamped. A legislative study committee agreed Wednesday to take steps that could lead to a major revision to the state's drug laws. Some say the laws are unfair or racially biased...

Traffic stop leads to drug charges (06/24/08)
A traffic stop Saturday by a Clay County deputy landed three Spencer residents in the Clay County jail. Deputies pulled over a vehicle driven by 33-year-old Travis Stoyke of Spencer at approximately 3:36 a.m. for a minor traffic violation. Upon investigation, it was found that the front female passenger, 24-year-old Amanda (Schaunaman) Schley of Spencer, was wanted on two Clay County arrest warrants for fifth-degree theft and had a $900 cash only bond. ...

Meth sales suspected in Memorial Day bust (05/28/08)
A Louisiana man was placed in the Clay County Jail on suspicion of distributing methamphetamine. Deputies originally stopped 28-year-old Robert Poulsen of St. Bernard, La., on a traffic violation at about 2:32 a.m. Monday in the 2900 block of Highway 71. As the deputies approached the car, he observed "what looked to be drug paraphernalia sitting in the ash tray of the vehicle," according to a statement from the Clay County Sheriff's Deputy Jesse Rustad...

2008 Citizen's Police Academy draws to close (05/28/08)
Eleven people completed the 2008 version of the Spencer Citizen's Police Academy. The academy courses took place on Tuesday nights from March 18 until May 20. The topics included criminal law, search and seizure, 911, crime scenes, gathering of evidence, processing crime scenes, drug investigations and traffic enforcement...

Ambassadors meet with PSY reps (05/07/08)
The Spencer Ambassadors met with Amy Simpson and other representatives of Positively Spencer Youth to learn about how the volunteer operated program is serving the needs of the young people in Spencer. The organization has partnered with the schools and other area organizations in the community to put on a series of informative and relevent seminars for teens and parents regarding the dangers on the internet and various types of substance abuse in today's teen culture, the group has also offered several fun activities for families and children to take part in, brought in a variety of positive speakers and worked with other groups such as After Prom and the Extreme Am to add more benefit to those served by each project. ...

Deputies press King for federal grant support (05/03/08)
By Russ Mitchell Daily Reporter Staff Funding for the Iowa Great Lakes Task Force was a central point of conversation Friday as U.S. Rep. Steve King met with Clay County Sheriff Randy Krukow in Spencer. Krukow is concerned about cuts to the Byrne-JAG (Justice Assistance Grant) program. The grants were established in 2005 to allow states and local governments to support improvements to the criminal justice system...

Deputies make arrests in Hap Ketelsen thefts (04/26/08)
By Russ Mitchell Daily Reporter Staff Four area teenagers face theft-related charges after a break-in last weekend at the Hap Ketelsen Community Center in Everly. Deputies think the teenagers broke into the community center took cases of beer, a keg, wine and hard liquor from the building's inventory...

Mailbox case returned to Clay County (03/25/08)
Federal authorities are going to loosen their grip on a local "MacGyver bomb" case, according to Clay County Attorney Michael Houchins. Seventeen federal felony charges of destruction of letter boxes were originally filed on Saturday, March 8, after a group of teenagers were suspected of planting explosive devices in the mailboxes in and around Spencer. Seven state felony counts of destruction of letter boxes with an explosive device also were filed...