News From District Two

A final settlement has been reached in a Fayette County case that began in July 2007 with two search warrants served in Oelwein, Iowa by State DNR Game Wardens, on the residences of Steven C. Brockmeyer and Roy W. Brockmeyer.

Roy W. Brockmeyer age 52, of Oelwein recently pled guilty in Magistrate Court to six counts in relation to illegal activity involved in the case of illegally trafficking in turtles. The charges included unlawful possession of wild turtles, failure to report harvest of turtles for commercial use, taking turtles with no commercial turtle license, untagged commercial turtle traps, improper or no tagging of turtle taking gear, and unlawful taking of turtles. Roy W. Brockmeyer was also charged and pled guilty in District Court to unlawful commercialization of wildlife, and recieved a one year suspended jail sentence, with credit given for time already served.

In a Court decision earlier in the year, Steven C. Brockmeyer age 35, also of Oelwein, pled guilty to similar charges in relation to the same activity. Total fines, costs and damages in the case for the two will approach four thousand four hundred dollars, plus Court Ordered forfeiture of all seized items including turtle meat, turtle traps, nets, hoop nets, a freezer, turtle gaff hooks, turtle shells, scales for weighing meat, butcher knives, and many other items seized in the search warrants.

In addition, records of conviction on the charges will be sent to the DNR in Des Moines, and a total of violation points will be tallied under Iowa’s DNR Habitual Offender Rules, to determine the length of suspension of DNR license privileges assigned to the Defendants. Suspensions of DNR privileges in Iowa, will mean DNR privilege suspensions in other States as well.

According to Dave Elledge, State DNR Game Warden assigned in Fayette County, who was the lead officer in the cases, “this was a lengthy and exhaustive investigation and case, and I am glad it has been resolved.” Elledge further stated, “I would also like to thank the citizens of Fayette County, and Wisconsin, who saw fit to report the violations, as well as other neighboring DNR Wardens and Fisheries Biologists in northeast Iowa for their invaluable assistance in the case. A thank you also goes to Mike Cross, Wisconsin DNR Game Warden who was no small part of the case, and whose assistance and investigative abilities lent valuable evidence to the case.

The cases were prosecuted by Nathan Lein, Assistant Fayette County Attorney.


Three Men Face 27 Trout Fishing Violations

On Tuesday April, 29 at 8:00PM an alert off duty Fayette County Deputy Sheriff out for his evening run, spotted suspicious activity on Glover’s Creek Trout Stream east of West Union. The Deputy summoned State Game Warden Dave Elledge and on duty Fayette County Deputies.

Three individuals claiming to be from Postville, Iowa, but utilizing a Green Chevy Van with Wisconsin plates, were charged by Warden Dave Elledge with a combined twenty seven trout fishing related violations, including no fishing licenses, no trout fees paid, illegal possession of numerous trout, and illegally using trot lines in the trout stream. The individuals allegedly had fishing lines tied to beer cans which were then secreted along the shore line. None of the individuals had any identification, no social security numbers, no driver licenses, and no vehicle insurance.

Seized from the individuals were three rods and reels, numerous trout, beer cans with fishing line tied to them, spools of fishing line, and the Chevy Van bearing Wisconsin plates.

The three, Luis Barrutia, age 20, Jorge Santos, age 25, and Elvis Lopez, age 21, were taken into custody and transported to the Fayette County Jail, where they were held under nine-hundred ninety four dollars and fifty cents bond, each. They will appear before a Magistrate at a later date.

For more information, contact Nathan Lein, Fayette County Attorney, at 319-283-1212.