Supreme Courts

High Court: Castillo-Alvarez case won't be reviewed (01/22/10)
Clay County Attorney Michael Houchins on Friday confirmed a decision from the Iowa Supreme Court to deny further review of the 1997 gang-related murder of Estherville teenager Gregory Sky Erickson. Judge Don Courtney found former Estherville restaurant owner Juan Humberto Castillo-Alvarez responsible for orchestrating Erickson's death, based on a January 2008 ruling at the Palo Alto County Courthouse in Emmetsburg...

Justice: At what cost? (12/10/09)
Need a sign of the times? Look for one taped on the locked clerk of court's door, below a holiday wreath, at the Clay County Courthouse. "Iowa Court Offices Closed," it said, on the first of 10 days targeted by the judicial branch for a cost-saving shutdown...

Castillo-Alvarez conviction overturned (09/02/09)

Jury sides with Royal in wedding chapel dispute (08/01/09)
The dispute between Royal Wedding Chapel, Inc. owner Gerald "Lee" Youde and the city of Royal began with a business permit application. It ended with a 8.5-pound court file and a July 22 jury verdict at the Clay County Courthouse. Yes, Youde can still conduct wedding ceremonies out of the decommissioned Lutheran church he bought back in 2003. ...

Arson cases: One delayed, one resolved (05/07/09)
A Pocahontas man who started a fire in the mental heath wing of Spencer Hospital avoided prison time as part of a plea agreement finalized Tuesday at the Clay County Courthouse in Spencer. Jared Lee Reinholdt entered a plea of guilty to third-degree arson and Judge Nancy Whittenburg suspended a two-year sentence as part of an agreement reached with prosecutors...

Ruling closes 2008 murder case (05/06/09)
A Dickinson County judge has dismissed charges against the third defendant in the April 2008 murder case which resulted in the death of Matthew Begtrup. John Allen Swan, 31, of Crossett, Ark., Scott Thomas Adair, 30, of Crossett, Ark. and Michael James Friedrichs, 30, of Forest City were accused of first-degree murder in a Milford incident in April 2008...

Hundreds join tax protest at Clay County Courthouse (04/16/09)
Wednesday's national tax day, tea party government spending protests weren't limited to state capitols and major metropolitan areas. About 275 people filled in around a makeshift podium on the courthouse square in Spencer for a local version of the Taxed Enough Already (TEA) Party. The event was organized by Kris Thiessen of Everly, who co-owns White Glove, a janitorial business in Spencer...

Same-sex couple looking forward to marriage in northwest Iowa (04/14/09)
Lee and Tony are eager to celebrate their 15th anniversary together. Ecstatic about an April 3 Iowa Supreme Court ruling unanimously rejecting a state law restricting marriage to a union between a man and woman, the same-sex couple hope to formally mark April 18, 2010, with their wedding...

The Clay County Courthouse will be closed and all court staff will be on unpaid leave Friday (04/10/09)
The closure comes from a Feb. 27 order by the Iowa Supreme Court. The Judicial Branch anticipates $3.8 million reduction in the 2008-09 operating budget. With the order, all court staff also will take unpaid leave April 24, May 8, May 22, June 5 and June 19, 2009. One day of unpaid leave for about 1,600 judicial employees except judges and magistrates reduces expenditures by $335,009...

Iowa Court Of Appeals to hear arguments in Spirit Lake (03/25/09)
On Wednesday, April 1 and Thursday, April 2, the Iowa Court of Appeals will hear arguments in the Dickinson County Courthouse located at the junction of Highways 71 and 9 and Hill Avenue in Spirit Lake. In addition to the Dickinson County case of Lair v. ...

Spencer man receives 30-year sentence (03/05/09)

Area men sentenced for meth deals (01/10/09)
Four northwest Iowa men will spend a combined 53 years and 8 months in prison for their roles in a methamphetamine pipeline. U.S. District Court Judge Mark W. Bennett gave 40-year-old Michael Roth of Spencer the most severe sentence, according to a statement Friday from U.S. ...

Corn grower issues heard in VeraSun bankruptcy proceedings (12/05/08)
JOHNSTON -- The Iowa Corn Growers Association (ICGA), National Corn Growers Association (NCGA), and other corn grower states helped bring about key developments at the VeraSun bankruptcy hearings in Delaware, Tuesday, Dec. 2. The states together filed a motion to challenge bankruptcy provisions that threaten future corn sales contracts. ...

Time to pick a president (11/04/08)
Polls open from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. today, in Clay County for the 2008 General Election. Voting will take place at 13 voting precincts as follows: - Lake/Freeman -- at Dickens Community Center, 302 Main St., Dickens - Meadow/Sioux -- at VFW Club, 15 East 21st St., Spencer...

Spencer man receives federal conviction (10/01/08)
A January 9 court date has been set for a 25-year-old Spencer man convicted of distributing methamphetamine. Eder Noe Sosa-Jimenez was convicted Wednesday, Sept. 24, of: The verdict was returned after about seven hours of jury deliberations according to a statement released Tuesday by U.S. Attorney Matt Dummermuth...

Lawson: No impact on Spencer cameras (09/02/08)
DES MOINES (AP) -- The Iowa Supreme Court, in a split ruling on Friday, upheld the city of Davenport's use of traffic cameras to catch speeders and drivers who run red lights. The ruling involved the case of a man who challenged the city's ordinance, which authorized the use of cameras and sensors to catch motorists who violate traffic laws...

Payne escapes prison time in conviction (08/27/08)
Despite an emotional appeal from the victim and her mother in court Monday, Kyle Dean Payne will serve no prison sentence for his conviction on three crimes related to an incident in which he partially stripped an unconscious fellow Buena Vista University student, photographed himself fondling her body, and later installed the images and video on his computer...

Agriprocessors supervisor faces additional charge (08/20/08)
DES MOINES -- A supervisor arrested after a massive immigration raid at the Agriprocessors plant in Postville is expected to plead guilty on Wednesday to charges he knowingly hired illegal immigrants, according to court filings. Juan Carlos Guerrero-Espinoza is expected to plead guilty to charges he conspired to hire illegal immigrants and aided and abetted the hiring of illegal immigrants...

Appeals court to hear cases in Okoboji (05/29/08)
A workman's compensation claim and a possible open meetings violation are on the docket as the Iowa Court of Appeals brings its process to the Iowa Great Lakes. Cases typically are heard in Des Moines, but will be moved to Arrowwood Resort and Conference Center as part of the 85th annual Lawyers' Chautauqua in Okoboji...

Judge denies bond reduction in Milford murder case (05/28/08)
Judge Patrick Carr has decided to keep the bail set at $750,000 each for three men accused of a Milford murder earlier this spring. John Allen Swan, 30, of Crossett, Ark.; Scott Thomas Adair, 29, of Crossett, Ark.; and Michael James Friedrichs, 29, of Forest City, appeared in court for a bail review hearing last Monday. Judge Carr's decision reached the Clerk of Court's office this week...

Castillo-Alvarez files appeal (05/16/08)
Juan Humberto Castillo-Alvarez wants the Iowa Supreme Court to take a fresh look at convictions stemming from his involvement in the death of an Estherville teenager 11 years ago. Judge Don Courtney found the former Estherville restaurant owner guilty of second-degree murder, second-degree kidnapping and conspiracy to commit a forcible felony Jan. 25 at the Palo Alto County Courthouse in Emmetsburg. The guilty verdict came after a trial that spanned parts of three days in September...

Castillo-Alvarez receives 50-year sentence (04/26/08)
By Russ Mitchell Daily Reporter Staff A quiet and, at times, seemingly disinterested Juan Humberto Castillo-Alvarez received a 50-year prison sentence Friday for his role in the disappearance and death of a Estherville teenager almost 11 years ago. Castillo-Alvarez was the last of 10 people charged in the June 1997 plot to end 15-year-old Gregory Sky Erickson's life over an unpaid drug debt and his possible role as a police informant...

Hearing date set in Castillo-Alvarez case (04/03/08)
District Court Judge Don Courtney has set the hearing date for a former Estherville restaurant owner who was convicted for his role in the disappearance and death of an area teenager. Juan Humberto Castillo-Alvarez's attorney, Mike Williams, filed a motion on March 7 asking Courtney to vacate guilty verdicts on charges of second-degree murder, second-degree kidnapping and conspiracy to commit a forcible felony. Castillo-Alvarez wants a new trial...

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