By Michael Schaffer - Managing editor
Daily Iowegian
CENTERVILLE —
An Appanoose County man who failed to appear for his Aug. 6 court date may have overreacted considering his hunting partner was recently sentenced to probation.
Dale Leroy Egbert, 63, of Moulton, was arrested Saturday, Aug. 28 for contempt of court, failure to appear. He is accused of two counts of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, both a class D felony, for incidents that occurred on Dec. 26, 2009 and Jan. 31, 2010.
His next court date is a pretrial conference scheduled for Sept. 17 at 10 a.m. Egbert was released from the Appanoose County Jail Aug. 30 on his own recognizance and all bonds were exonerated.
His hunting partner, Raymond Eugene Howard, 54, of Centerville, pleaded guilty Aug. 6 to one count of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. He admitted he was in possession of a 12 gauge shotgun on Dec. 26, 2009 while deer hunting in Sharon Township in Appanoose County.
Judge Kirk A. Daily on Aug. 6 sentenced Howard to five years in prison, suspended to five years probation, credit for time served, a $750 fine and attorney fees no greater than $1,200.
A total of four counts of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon were filed against Howard by Appanoose County Attorney Richard Scott. The court dismissed three counts stemming from incidents in Sharon Township dated Dec. 22, 2009, Jan. 6 and Jan. 13, 2010. In all four instances, Howard was photographed by a trail camera showing him carrying a firearm while deer hunting.
Iowa Department of Natural Resources Officer Dallas Davis arrested both defendants. In the process, Davis seized from Howard a 12 gauge shotgun, clothing, gun case and shotgun shell valued at $200. From Egbert he seized a .50 caliber Knight muzzleloader, scope and gun case valued at $1,300.
