Rock Rapids, Iowa — Arraignments are set in three Lyon County cases for this Monday, June 26th in Lyon County District Court.
One member of the St. Paul, Minnesota pair who was found to allegedly be in possession of a stolen camper and two stolen snowmobiles after a pair of traffic stops near Little Rock earlier this month faces arraignment on Monday. Authorities say 35-year-old Stephen Martin-Hall and 32-year-old Traci Cranston are charged with first-degree possession of stolen property, a class C felony; and second-degree possession of stolen property, a Class D felony; as well as several misdemeanor drug and traffic offenses. Originally both were scheduled for arraignment on Monday, but Martin-Hall filed a written arraignment and plea of “not guilty” a week ago. Martin-Hall’s pretrial conference has been set for July 10th, with the trial scheduled to get underway on August 1st, according to court records. Court records indicate Cranston’s pretrial conference is still scheduled for this Monday.
Also scheduled for arraignment this Monday in Lyon County District Court is a woman facing felony drug charges. The Lyon County Sheriff’s Office advises that the case arose when their office received a call in February alleging the theft of medication. They report that 30-year-old Cassandra Joy VanBerkum of Rock Rapids was charged with prohibited acts – schedule 1, 2, or 3 controlled substance, a class C felony. She was also charged with tampering with records, an aggravated misdemeanor.
A Rock Rapids teen who faces a felony sex abuse charge after an alleged incident in December 2016 in Rock Rapids, also faces arraignment this Monday. Court records indicate that 19-year-old Trysten Robinson, also known as Trysten Ramsey, is accused of sexual contact with a girl who was 14 years old at the time of the incident. He is charged with sexual abuse in the Third Degree, a class C felony.
The man from Texas that Lyon County deputies say scammed a Lyon County resident into wiring him money as a fee for a non-existent grant was to have faced arraignment on Monday as well, but according to court documents, 18-year-old Wayne Willey of Paris, Texas decided to plead guilty in a plea agreement. He was originally charged with theft in the second degree, a class D felony, but he agreed to plead guilty if the charge was amended to fraudulent practice in the fifth degree. He was sentenced to 30 days in jail, a suspended 30-day jail term, a fine of $100, and a suspended fine of $100.
