Butler County News

Posted on Oct 27, 2009 by charlotteeby . DES MOINES - " Former state representative Bill Dix, a Republican farmer from Shell Rock, announced Tuesday he will try to make a return to the Iowa Legislature But this time the former Iowa House member will seek a seat in the Iowa Senate.

One man is in custody, after he was seen carrying what appeared to be a gun near the Parkersburg Elementary School Thursday.

Butler County sheriff's deputies took into custody a man thought to have been carrying a gun near an elementary school that was later determined to be an air pistol.

A teenager was injured at Rambling Wheels motocross track north of New Hartford Sunday evening.

Caught in corn; fall is just days away and what better way to welcome the season than pumpkins, haunted houses and corn mazes.

Alleged murderer Mark Becker of Parkersburg suffers from schizophrenia and bipolar disorder and is unfit to stand trial right now, his lawyer said Tuesday.

Psychiatrist Michael Taylor asked alleged murderer Mark Becker for his side of the story Friday and just listened to him talk.

ALLISON a ' Prosecutors today asked for a separate psychiatric examination of Mark Becker and for a hearing to determine if the 24-year-old is competent to stand trial.

ALLISON a ' Prosecutors today asked for a separate psychiatric examination of Mark Becker and for a hearing to determine if the 24-year-old is competent to stand trial.

Accused murderer Mark Becker of Parkersburg suffers from schizophrenia and bipolar disorder and is unable to understand the charge against him or to aid in his own defense, his lawyer said today in court documents.

More than $6 million in federal and state funds has been directed to disaster recovery efforts in Delaware and Butler counties, Iowa Gov.

A Butler County judge on Tuesday will consider whether to open sealed court documents involving accused murderer Mark Becker's committal for mental health problems.

The Iowa Department of Natural Resources has lifted the boil order in Dumont. Two water tests completed on Monday were both negative for E. coli.

One of the 911 callers reporting the shooting of Ed Thomas in Parkersburg was worried about the slow arrival of medical response, and a dispatcher told her they'd had trouble rounding up an ambulance crew.

Thousands of Iowans lost power after a night of powerful thunderstorms brought heavy rain, large hail and driving winds to the state.

The first-degree murder trial of Mark Becker, 24, is set for September 15, according to court records filed in Butler County District Court.

Mark Becker, 24, accused of shooting Coach Ed Thomas of Parkersburg, has pleaded not guilty in Butler County District Court.

Butler County Sheriff Jason Johnson says in a statement that he asked the county's central point coordinator on mental health to notify him when Mark Becker would be released from a psychiatric evaluation, but that didn't happen.

Mark D. Becker Mark Becker was formally charged with first-degree murder Tuesday afternoon for the death of Aplington-Parkersburg football coach Ed Thomas.

Hospitals are limited by privacy rules when it comes to notifying law enforcement about a patient's release, even when the patient has been brought in by an officer.