Christopher Polking News Today

A Fort Dodge mother has pleaded guilty to second-degree murder for the death of her newborn last fall. On Friday morning, 25-year-old Taylor Blaha entered

A Fort Dodge teenager accused of shooting and killing a 14-year-old boy last month has had his $1 million cash bond reduced to $250,000 cash-only. DaKarie Jayv

A Duncombe man who pleaded guilty to three counts of lascivious acts with a child last month has been sentenced to up to 22 years in prison. Douglas Allan

A former Christian missionary has been sentenced to up to 25 years in prison after being convicted of second-degree sexual abuse, incest and child endangerme

Fort Dodge man Jordan Webb has been sentenced to a total of up to 25 years in prison for his convictions of second-degree sexual abuse, incest and child endange

By KELBY WINGERT kwingert@messengernews.net A former Christian missionary who was convicted of sexual abuse by a Webster County jury in April is asking for

A Fort Dodge man who admitted to trying to get thrown off a jury for a trial last month has been sentenced to 30 days in jail for contempt of court. According

It took a Webster County jury just under two and a half hours late Friday afternoon to convict a former Christian missionary of sexual abuse. Jordan Dee An

-Messenger photo by Kelby Wingert Fort Dodge Police Department Detective Larry Hedlund testifies during an evidence suppression hearing for the Justin Hurdel murder trial on Friday at the Webster County Courthouse. -Messenger photo by Kelby Wingert Fort Dodge Police Department Detective Larry Hedlund testifies during an evidence suppression hearing for the Justin Hurdel murder trial on Friday at the Webster County Courthouse. Justin Hurdel, the man accused of shooting his estranged wife, Ma...

Joshua Schmidt POCAHONTAS — An Algona man accused of shooting a short-barreled shotgun at another person in Rolfe will spend the next four years on probation after receiving a 10-year suspended prison sentence. District Court Judge Christopher Polking handed down the sentence at the Pocahontas County Courthouse on Monday after defendant Joshua J. Schmidt pleaded guilty to going armed with intent, a Class D felony, and possession of a short-barreled shotgun, a Class D felony. Schmidt was also ...