Sioux City Journal from Sioux City, Iowa • 1

The Sioux City Journal, Saturday, August 17. Court binds Michigan man in Gosch fraud DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) A man accused of bilking the parents of missing newspaper carrier Johnny Gosch out of $11,000 said Friday he could not afford a lawyer and needed one appointed at public expense to defend him. Robert Herman Meier II, 19, of Saginaw, appeared in a Buffalo, N.Y. federal court Friday morning less than a day after surrendering to FBI agents at the U.S. border at Niagara Falls, N.Y.

U.S. Magistrate Edmund Maxwell in Buffalo set bail at $50,000 and scheduled a hearing for Aug. 26 to allow the government time to show probable cause to try Meier on a charge of fraud by wire. Maxwell appointed Buffalo attorney James Harrington to represent Meier and told him that if he wanted a trial on wire fraud charges, he would have to be returned to Iowa. FBI agents allege that Meier accepted $11,000 from the Gosches as a downpayment to retrieve their son, demanded $100,000 more and then disappeared.

Meier, also known as Samuel Forbes Dakota, claims to know the whereabouts of the newspaperboy, missing for three years. In a letter to the boy's parents, John and Noreen Gosch of West Des Moines, Meier claimed to have been a member of the Hell's Angels motorcycle club and to have guarded children, Including Gosch, who were being sold into child slavery. The president of the Hell's Angels denied the group had any involvement in child slavery. "That's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard of," said Sonny Barger, in a telephone interview from Oakland, Calif. "The guy is probably an FBI agent." Barger said Meier couldn't be a member of the group because he Isn't 21, the minimum age for "It's totally false.

You know (expletive) well it's false, and if you write anything else, I'll probably be out there to break your nose," said Barger. He then hung up the phone. Meier was accompanied to Friday's court appearance by a woman and a boy who said they were his mother and younger brother. They declined to give names. The woman said Meier was an unemployed bartender.

As he walked to his court appointment, guided by federal agents and a bevy of news reporters, he passed through a post office and came within inches of posters seeking the whereabouts of Gosch and another missing Des Moines newspaper carrier, Eugene Martin. If Meier saw the posters, he showed no recognition. In asking for a lower bail than the $50,000 suggested by Assistant U.S. Attorney Donald Simet, Meier told Maxwell he had shown his good intention by surrendering to the FBI after fleeing to Canada. "I was fully aware that the charges were not heavy enough to carry extradition," Meier said.

"At no time did I intend to run from these charges." Meier could face a fine of $1,000 and up to five years in prison if convicted. During the appearance, Meier looked at his mother and brother in the courtroom as Maxwell informed him of his rights, prompting the magistrate to ask him pointedly if he understood what was being said. FBI agents said following his surrender Thursday evening, Meier was reluctant to talk. "We tried to interview him, but he's really not very willing to speak about things at this time," said FBI spokesman Mike Kogut. Kogut said he arranged Meier's surrender to the FBI on Thursday.

"It was my charm, I guess." But Kogut said Meier wanted protection from the motorcycle club. "I'm sure that's what prompted the he said. "He did indicate he'd like to be-in our custody if he's going to be in custody." si i FBI agents lead Robert Herman Meier II Into federal court at Buffalo, N.Y., Friday for arraignment. (AP Laserphoto) Grueskin will file for City Council Wl -'V 4 ftCf I i 1 Joanne Grueskin, president of the Board of Library Trustees, announced Friday that she will be a canrilHata far olon- Hnn in lha Pitu Council this fall. Grueskin, 48, was an unsuccessful candidate for the council in 1983, finishing third behind reelected Incumbents Loren Callendar and Conny Bodine.

She is the ninth candidate to announce so far for Grueskin the upcoming election. "Sioux City needs council members with'seasoned leadership abilities, leaders who listen to problems and find solutions," she said. "It needs a council member who has cared and worked for the city. She said she has made significant contributions to the city through a number of organizations she has worked with, including the Library Board, the board of the Tax Research Conference, the Gateway Coalition and the Trinity Lutheran Church Council. Grueskin has been president of the Library Board for the last six years and before that served as the board's budget chairman.

She noted that construction of a new main library has come closer to realization during her tenure. As president of the Gateway Coalition, she initiated the Gateway project and was instrumental in completion of its first phase, coordinating efforts of the city, nonprofit organizations, businesses and citizens. Grueskin is serving her fifth year on the board of directors of the Tax Research Conference. An active member of Trinity Lutheran Church, she served two terms as president of the church council and continues to serve on other committees. Past service has included membership on the Northwest Iowa Youth Commission, chairman of the Grantsmanship Seminar and an officer of the St.

Joseph Hospital Auxiliary Board. A Sioux City resident for 34 years, Grueskin was graduated from Central High School and attended Mornlngside College and the University of Alberta. She and her husband, Earle, have five children, Tom, of Sioux City; Jim and Pat, students at the University of Iowa, and Kathy and Dennis, students at North High School. Grueskin said City Hall needs to be aggressive in helping existing businesses with the potential to expand and also must work aggressively to hold the line on property taxes and to expand the tax base. "Growth in our city will take a lot of effort, but it's worth fighting for and I intend to be a part of that effort," she said.

7 Rural routes MikeGors Remember the Queen II? She's the excursion vessel the Iowa Great Lakes Area Chamber of Commerce wants to put on West Lake Okoboji. She's to be a replacement for the Queen and the S.S. Empress, the multi-deck passenger vessels which cruised the waters of Iowa's Great Lakes from 1884 to 1983. Well, she wasn't finished as soon as project organizers had hoped, but she hasn't been forgotten. Originally, the lakes chamber planned to have the Queen II ready to go by Independence Day this year.

That, obviously, didn't happen. Tom Kuhlman, executive vice president of the lakes chamber, said project organizers are now shooting for the spring of '86. "We kind of knew that early the winter we weren't going to make it for this summer," said Kuhlman, contacted earlier, this month. "Then when we reassessed what we Jiad done in just the first year we thought we should be quite proud of the fact we had accomplished what we had. We just figured we would take' a little more of a controlled attitude, get all of our eggs in one basket and have everything right for 1986." Kuhlman said organizers underestimated the time it would take to raise the proper amount of money for the project.

The project will cost approximately $350,000, but once Iowa Great Lakes Maritime Marine Museum Inc. a non-profit organization formed by the lakes chamber raises $200,000, organizers hope 'to put together a financing plan to pay off the balance. To date, $175,000 has been raised, and organizers are hopeful of securing a $25,000 state grant later this summer to reach the $200,000 "Originally we had a state grant of $25,000, but we lost that due to the fact we couldn't construct the Queen II in accordance with the time period of the grant," Kuhlman said. "The money had to be spent on the project by the end of fiscal 1984. They asked us to reapply if the grants were available again, which we Construction plans have not cnanged.

The Queen II will measure 18 feet by 75 feet and will havespace for 200 passengers. From the water line up, it'll look as much like the original Queen as possible. A yacht building yard in Sturgeon Bay, is still going to do the bulk of the construction work. Money for the project keeps coming in, Kuhlman said. "We've had support from all over the country," he said.

"People'who used to be familiar with the and have moved away; people from Hawaii, Florida, California, you nameit." The lakes region hasn't had, an excursion boat for two years iiaw. The original Queen, commissioned in 1884, was retired in the early '70s. Capt. Bob Buhrow took his, Empress to a resort near Hot Building the Queen II is taking a little longer than organizers. Originally planned but, frankly, hink it'll be worth the wait.

While I'm in the region, let me bring you up to date on ongoing lakes area project, Slightly more than a month after it became available, a recording entitled "Small Stones Make(Big Ripples" continues to sell The song, recorded by a mixed bag of 30-some northwest Iowia and southern Minnesota musicians, is being distributed to raise moneyor the starving people of Africa. When I last spoke with. Mike Buckley of Spirit Lake, a project organizer, in early May, the musicians were nearly finished recording the song. Buckley is a member of the Lake Patrol Band, the group which originally came up with the idea. member Tim Horsman of Okoboji wrote "Small Stones Make Big Ripples." Originally, 2,000 records Were pressed and made available fbr 'sale at $2 apiece.

Buckley, contacted earlier this month, said onlya'few hundred of those records remain! Most of the records have been sold to local and area individuals and businesses, but Buckley said mail orders have come from as far away as Alaska and New York. The American Red Cross, through its regional office in Spencer, was including Dick Schubert, the organization's president. Those discussions may have led to an expansion of the project. "The American Red Cross has gotten a little bit more involved in it," said Buckley. "They took the project back to Washington and they were going to get back to.

lis nn whether they thought the project lUd, be exPanded out of just the dLs tr ct, area- What they are WWng every one of Ui? offices in lhe country to take "is on as a project and sell these records Buckley said project participants are pleased with the response to the record and happy with the results of ineir eiiuns, "I think it accomplished the goals we set out to accomplish," he said "Now we're hoping it can be expanded on a wider basis." Steve Stewart, left, and Tom pheasant before releasing It SE South Dakota pheasant (Photo by Barbara Thlrstrup) Group lifts pheasant count By Barbara Thlrstrup Journal correspondent VERMILLION, S.D Pheasant hunting will be better this fall, thanks to the efforts of a newly formed group, the Southeast South Dakota Pheasant Association. About 1,400 six-week-old birds have already been banded and released, and there are 800 to go. "We felt we had a really successful first year, with 2,200 of 2,600 surviving." said Curt Brodsky, one of the group's founders. Last spring he and several others were "sitting around talking about how raunchy the pheasant hunting has been, and we decided to do something about it. We had a hog roast and raffled off a shotgun, and made about $4,000 to get started," said one or two and then go nuts and kill the rest." Besides releasing pheasants and keeping statistics through banding, the group has been planting cover to provide habitat.

"Most of us have put milo and sorghum into the government set-aside acres," said Merrigan: The pheasant association wants to raise twice as many birds next year, even although it is a losing proposition financially. They will be paid up to $1 by the state association for each bird released, though it costs at least $1.20 to buy and raise each chick. The payoff will be better hunting, said Brodsky. "The wild bird population is up, too, because of mild weather, so it should be a good year for pheasant hunting." an ordinance requiring the railroads to help pay for the viaduct under authority granted to cities by the state of Iowa. But the council asked for an effort to reach an agreement by Sept.

1 before the ordinance is Invoked. Abshier said the owners of two of the railroads, the'Burlington Northern and the state of South Around the city TV station sold to Nashville company JCMEG-TV of Sioux City and three other Midwest television stations, have been sold to the Gillette Communications Company as part of an $80 million agreement. The sales are tentative pending FCC approval. Gillette Communications, headquartered in Nashville, also owns television stations in Nashville; Rochester, N.Y.; Eau Claire, Ottumwa, Iowa; and Marquette, Mich. In addition, the firm owns newspapers and commerical print companies.

George Gillette chairman, said there are no anticipated changes in personnel at KMEG because of the sale. In addition to KMEG, the sales agreement covers WKZO-TV in Kalamazoo, KOLN-TV In Lincoln, and KGIN-TV in Grand Island, Neb. The M. stations have been owned by Fetzer Broadcasting of Kalamazoo, since 1969. KMEG-TV, a CBS affiliate, began operations in Sioux City in 1967.

KCAU-TV, the ABC television affiliate in Sioux City, also was sold recently. The station reportedly was sold for $14 -million to Citadel Communications which is owned by Philip J. Lombardo of Bronxville, i N.Y.. Until last year, KCAU was part of the Forward Communications group of six television stations, four radio stations and one Last December, Forward properties were sold to Wesray Communications of Morristown, N.J., which is owned in part by former Treasury Secretary William Shrine horse patrol wins drill honors The Abu Bekr White Horse Mounted Patrol won first place In drill competition Friday at Aberdeen, S.D. The Zura Temple of Minneapolis finished second.

The Abu Bekr Oriental Band won second place in related competion. The Shrine Parade competition will be at 11 a.m. today. Two city pools to close down Sunday Cook and Leeds swimming pools will close Sunday, according to Leisure Service Department officials. The three regional pools Leif Erickson Lewis and Riverside pools will remain open through Sept.

2. Officials also reminded budget pass holders that passes should be used before the end of the season because they are not refundable and are only valid for this year. For more information, contact the Leisure Services Department (279-6126). Meeting set on local rail use Merrlgan band a in a citizen effort Brodsky: They bought day-old chicks and feed and distributed them to 12 members who gave daily care to 100-500 birds each. "My wife, Mary, got really attached to the pheasants from helping take care of them," said Tom Merrlgan, who released his birds this week.

Merrlgan attributes the high survival rate of the chicks to special care. "We kept them warm with lamps and gave them medicated feed from day one." They built the pens to keep out predators and put a special mesh over the "We did have some trouble with predators," said group member Steve Stewart. "Jim Manning over at Burbank lost 99 of the 100 birds he was raising when a weasel got in. A weasel will eat Is a candidate for abandonment within the next three years. The section of track extends from the Fourth Street viaduct to the Floyd Boulevard Viaduct.

The meeting will be held at 1:30 p.m. at DOT'S Sioux City district office at 2800 Gordon Drive. Rick Kamowski, commerce attorney for' the Illinois Central Gulf, said negotiations over sharing of the cost of a replacement viaduct is one of the reasons for the move toward future abandonment. He declined to state the other reasons. City Attorney James Abshier, who is conducting negotiations with the our railroads, said he plans to attend Tuesday's meeting.

He said he doesn't know if abandoning its track under the viaduct would clear the ICG of any responsibility for sharing in the cost of the $2.8 million viaduct on which the city wants to start construction next year. The present timetable calls' for a start on demolition of the present deteriorating viaduct in December. The four railroads, the ICG, the Burlington Northern, the Chicago North Western and the South Dakota Department of Transportation, owner of the former Milwaukee Railroad track In Sioux City, are being asked by the city to pay more than a million dollars of the total cost. The City Council last May passed to boost the population. By Bob Gunsolley Journal staff writer A move toward possible future abandonment of a small segment of railroad track under the Floyd Boulevard Viaduct in Sioux City is at least partly tied to negotiations between the city and four railroads over cost sharing for a new viaduct.

The Iowa Department of Transportation will hold a public information meeting in Sioux City Tuesday concerning action by' the Illinois Central Gulf Railroad placing two-tenths of a mile of its track in the city in Category a classification under state law meaning that it Because of the Appeals Court Dakota, have signed agreements mvoivea in tne project to make sure contingent on all four signing, but Proceeds from sale of the records get that the other two have not signed. J0 wnere they are supposed to go. David Chapman, a Lake Patrol Band He said he doesn' know if they member from Spencer, attended the plan to sign. If the city is forced to American Red Cross nationa? con-invoke the ordinance it would vention Minneapolis ln probably require the city to find talked about the song and the project Inter financing to keep the project witn RprierrnKE with national Red Cross officials Barbee is denied change of venue Woodbury County District Judge on schedule, Abshier said. Kamowski said his railroad feels that a viaduct costing $2.8 million is not needed and that it would prefer a grade crossing.

Complicating the negotiations is the fact that the ICG's track in Iowa is under contract to be sold to another railroad, the Chicago, Central and Pacific. A renresentative of the latter raLad told The Cltv CouncU earlier thifyear tha 7n assesVment aaamst toe CG for tti Touid If ec thai viaduct could affect Tuesday's meeting will be for the purpose of explaining abandonment nvvtuuica iv ptuu aiiu to get the views of those who would be affected. The track ln question does serve some shippers, but Kamowski declined to identify them. a sex act occurred or to find that no assault occurred, according to the ruling. The ruling also states Barbee's constitutional rights were violated when he was not asked if he wanted to be in the courtroom when the Jury deliberations were being discussed.

The ruling further states that probation should have been considered in sentencing because of Barbee's young age. Barbee, then 17, was charged and found guilty of first-degree kidnapping, robbery and second-degree sexual abuse. The charges alleged he kidnapped a Stoux City woman at knifepoint, drove her around the city for two hours on Feb. 14, 1982, before releasing her. Richard Branco has overruled a change of venue motion for William Barbee Jr.

of Sioux City. However, Branco has delayed the trial's beginning, originally scheduled Tuesday, until Oct. 15. Barbee has been convicted twice of first-degree kidnapping, in 1983 and in 1984, and was sentenced to life in prison. In June, however, the Iowa Court of Appeals overturned the 1983 conviction, and sent the case back to District Court for re-trial.

The Appeals Court ruled that jury Instructions in the 1983 trial did not allow the Jury to find that Barbee assaulted a Sioux City woman without having contact. The Jury's alternatives were to find that -r ruling, Barbee was returned to the Woodbury County Jail earlier this year to await the new trial date. He had been serving his sentence at the state penitentiary In Fort Madison. He and two other inmates escaped from the Jail in mid-July and have since been recaptured. Barbee's attorneys sought a change of venue because of news publicity about the previous court proceedings and escape bid.

Branco's ruling states that news articles and broadcast reports, were "for the most part, factual," except for several inferences that Barbee was involved in the beating of a Jailer In the I.