More charges dropped in Iowa grade-changing.FORT DODGE, Iowa Fort Dodge is a city and county seat of Webster County, Iowa, United States, situated on the Des Moines River. The population was 25,136 at the 2000 census. Fort Dodge is a major commercial center for North Central and Northwest Iowa. It is located on U.S. Routes 20 and 169. -- A judge has dismissed more charges against four officials from Iowa Central Community College Iowa Central Community College is a community college located in North Central Iowa. Iowa Central's main campus is located in Fort Dodge, Iowa. It also has small campuses in Webster City, and Storm Lake. accused of altering academic records for student athletes.District Judge Ronald Schechtman dropped five felony charges last month after prosecutors failed to file additional evidence by a Monday deadline. In January, a Webster County grand jury indicted President Robert Paxton, Vice President Tom Beneke, athletics director Dennis Pilcher and football coach Kevin Twait. They were charged with varying counts of falsifying a public record, felonious Done with an intent to commit a serious crime or a felony; done with an evil heart or purpose; malicious; wicked; villainous. An aggravated assault, such as an assault with an intent to murder, is a felonious assault. misconduct in office and tampering with public records. All four were accused of altering student records of former football player B.J. Van Briesen in September 2000. Paxton, Beneke and Pilcher were also charged with altering transcripts of former soccer player Tyson Haakinson; and Pilcher faced additional charges relating to the alleged tampering of transcripts of Fort Dodge golfer Cory Brauschweig. Schechtman had previously dismissed the charges relating to Haakinson after prosecutors said they were no longer interested in pursuing them. Prosecutors were ordered by the judge last week to file additional evidence in the case by Monday. The record, a bill of particulars A written statement used in both civil and criminal actions that is submitted by a plaintiff or a prosecutor at the request of a defendant, giving the defendant detailed information concerning the claims or charges made against him or her. , was not received in time to be filed in the Webster County Clerk of Court's office by the deadline. Schechtman dismissed charges of falsifying public records charges against the four men--one count each for Paxton, Beneke and Twait and two counts for Pilcher--in an order filed Tuesday afternoon. The dismissal of the five felony counts brings to 14 the total of charges dismissed in the case. There were 24 charges originally filed. |
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