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Dateline IowaBy Register News Services11/05/2002 $60,000 behind on child support, man is convicted The ex-husband of a vocal child-support recovery advocate from Casey was convicted of willfully failing to pay his obligations, U.S. Attorney Steven Colloton said Monday. Otho Rater, 59, now of Kansas, admitted during his trial in Des Moines that the past-due obligation to his seven children exceeded $60,000. Rater waived his right to a jury trial and had his case tried before U.S. District Judge James Gritzner. Rater faces a prison term of up to two years when he is sentenced Feb. 3. Rater's case has received widespread attention, thanks mainly to his crusading ex-wife, Maja Rater, who has written letters to newspapers, lobbied lawmakers and criticized bureaucrats since he first failed to pay child support in the mid-1980s. DAVENPORT Mother pleads guilty of child endangerment A Davenport woman whose husband is accused of killing their toddler pleaded guilty Monday of child endangerment. Mary Essary's 16-month-old son, Niqolus, died May 15 of asphyxiation, according to an autopsy. The boy's father, Jeramy Essary, is charged with first-degree murder, child endangerment and willful injury. He has pleaded not guilty. Jeramy Essary, who served time for child endangerment after breaking his infant daughter's leg in 1993, was alone with his son the morning the toddler died, authorities have said. The charge against Mary Essary "arises from her failure to take action to aid and protect her child," the Scott County attorney's office said. DUBUQUE Loras student falls from roof, dies A Loras College student died after falling from the roof of an apartment building over the weekend, officials said. Douglas Philipp, 19, of Cedar Rapids died Sunday morning at Finley Hospital. Police said he fell from the second-story roof about 2 a.m. The incident remained under investigation. No other information was immediately released. HUDSON Watch for meth gear, hunters are urged As the fall hunting season gets under way, Hudson authorities are warning people to beware of meth labs. "There continues to be a high rate of reports of suspicious items being located that relate to the production of methamphetamine," said police Chief Jeff Marsh. "With more people walking the ditches and fields while hunting, the reports are likely to increase even more."Meth is a highly addictive stimulant that is made with easily obtainable ingredients, such as drain cleaner, decongestant tablets and anhydrous ammonia. Meth makers sometimes dump their equipment - coolers, plastic bags and glass jars - along roadways, in the country or in other remote areas. Some of the chemical residue can cause burns if handled or can poison if inhaled, Marsh said. The sludge left over from making meth also is considered carcinogenic. The Drug Enforcement Administration spent $1.8 million cleaning up labs in Iowa last year. IOWA CITY Exterior repairs to begin soon on Old Capitol Although interior work is under way, repairs on the cupola and the dome on the historic Old Capitol in Iowa City are still a few weeks away. "People won't see anything for a while, until the tarp is over the scaffolding," said Bob Marsh, president of Knutson Construction Inc. of Iowa City. "In another two or three weeks, it will be a lot easier to nail down."A fire on Nov. 20, 2001, destroyed the cupola and dome and caused nearly $6.2 million in damage. Investigators determined that the fire started when workers used torches and heat guns to remove asbestos from the 160-year-old building. The first phase of the restoration, which includes repair of the cupola and dome and roof replacement, will cost about $4.5 million, Knutson engineers estimated. A project timeline calls for completion of the cupola and dome in February and roof replacement in April or May. The university has four phases of construction planned. NEVADA Accused mom's lawyers want to question witness Lawyers for an Ames woman accused of killing her newborn want to question an expert witness for the prosecution before their client appears in court. Ann McGowan, 34, was to appear in Story County District Court on Monday on a first-degree murder charge. A new date for the hearing had not been set . McGowan has asked that her confession be thrown out because she was weakened and confused by heavy medication and a substantial loss of blood. She said it left her impaired to the point that she did not understand her Miranda rights. McGowan's attorney, William Kutmus, said the state planned to call an expert medical witness to testify on McGowan's motion to suppress the admission. He said he wanted to question the witness before that hearing is held. McGowan plans to rely on an insanity or diminished-responsibility defense at trial, Kutmus said. Ames police found the baby in a garbage can on the back porch of McGowan's home on July 21, 2001. The state medical examiner has said the baby was born alive and strangled. The trial is set to begin Jan. 13. ORANGE CITY Marshals OK grant for Sioux County jail The U.S. Marshals Service has approved a $370,000 grant to help build a new jail in Sioux County. The money will be used for the jail portion of the $5.4 million Sioux County Public Safety Center, which is under construction in Orange City, Sheriff Jim Schwiesow said. Construction began on the 56-bed jail in August, and completion is anticipated in about a year, said Loren Bouma, chairman of the county Board of Supervisors. The old jail was licensed for 18 inmates. The grant "is a really great thing for Sioux County. We didn't anticipate it when we built the jail, so this will cut back the cost to the taxpayers," Bouma said. A contract with federal officials indicates that the county will provide cells for federal inmates held by the Marshals Service and the Immigration and Naturalization Service at a daily cost to be negotiated. The contract will provide as much as $400,000 a year to the county, Bouma said. STORM LAKE Turkey plant wants own wastewater facility Owners of a turkey processing plant want to treat their own wastewater rather than use Storm Lake's sanitary sewer system. City officials are concerned that losing such a large customer could cause rates for citizens to increase. "At this point in time, I've got serious reservations because of what it does to the revenue flow to the city on the sanitary system," said John Call, city administrator. "It's going to have a significant impact on residential rates."Call said city officials were considering plans for a $6.4 million improvement project to Storm Lake's wastewater plant. With 540,000 gallons of wastewater a day, Bil-Mar Foods is the largest user of the city's sanitary sewer system. The plant pays the city $350,000 annually for waste treatment, about 40 percent of total revenues, Call said. The manager of the Bil-Mar plant, which is owned by Sara Lee Corp., said the company would save money and would treat waste in a more environmentally friendly way in its own facility. "It's the right thing to do for the environment," said Ray Team. | | | |
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