Mayor, police chief and clerks all arrested in small Iowa town

[Demovictory9]

https://nypost.com/2021/02/14/mayor-police-chief-and-clerks-all-arrested-in-small-town/







Mayor, police chief and clerks all arrested in small Iowa town

The mayor, police chief, city clerk and a former city clerk of a small Midwest town were all arrested for allegedly abusing their power — with crimes including stealing money, falsifying records and strong-arming civilians, officials said.

In one instance, a resident in Armstrong, Iowa — population 840 — was attacked by one of the defendants with a stun gun to shake them down for money, authorities said.

“Mayor Greg Buum, police chief Craig Merrill, city clerk Tracie Lang, and former city clerk Connie Thackery were charged with felony and misdemeanor offenses in a 21-count joint trial information approved by the Emmet County District Court,” the Emmet County sheriff said in a statement.

The Iowa Attorney General’s Office filed charges on Feb. 11 after a multi-year investigation uncovered allegations of theft, felonious misconduct in office, tampering with records, assault with a dangerous weapon and falsifying public records, according to the release.


------------------

In the first charge of ongoing criminal conduct, Mayor Gregory Wayne Buum, 69, Police Chief Craig Juan Merrill, 43, City Clerk Tracie Jean Lang, 57, former City Clerk Connie Marie Thackery, 66, are accused of committing wrongdoing for financial gain, according to court papers obtained by Law&Crime.

Authorities claim Buum and Merrill misappropriated checks totaling more than $10,000 and that, together with the city clerk, the mayor and Lang made a false entry in the public record regarding money in that amount. Buum and Thackery are also accused of misappropriating funds, resulting in a charge for theft in the second degree. The two assault charges against the police chief stem from him allegedly using using a Taser on someone.

The Emmet County Sheriff’s Office says this is the result of a multi-year investigation with help of the Division of Criminal Investigation, and following a special investigation by the Auditor of State. They claimed wrongdoing included misappropriating city funds, presenting fraudulent public records, using a Taser on a civilian for a pay, and falsifying ledgers to hide embezzlement.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/crime/mayor-police-chief-clerk-and-former-clerk-of-iowa-town-all-arrested-in-corruption-case/ar-BB1dHAOI

[druidity33]

1. How much you wanna bet...

they are all registered Republicans. Pretty safe bet in Iowa, granted.....

K&R

[JPPaverage]

3. Life long Iowan

And life long Democrat, like both parents before me. I'm glad I'm an Iowan. My point is, that not all of us are registered repukes. Here in eastern Iowa it is purple if not blue.

[druidity33]

6. No disrespect intended...

I know there are strong, passionate Dems in Iowa. I was speaking from a "betting" perspective. Ie. i assume there are more registered R's in Iowa than there are D's... given that Iowa is not a perennial Blue state.

[bucolic_frolic]

2. How did they tell them apart?

Are they related?

[gab13by13]

4. The only thing missing in the photos,

are fish hooks in their mouths. They look like groupers.

[machoneman]

15. Hah! That or fat walleyes!

[BeerBarrelPolka]

5. This thread

This thread, the pictures, and some of the comments about folks who look like these folks has always had me wondering something. What is considered a typical American "look"? For me, I look absolutely nothing like these people in any way. But most people around me do. I'm thinking because of their mixed cultural heritage? I'm seriously interested in other people's input on this.

[mezame]

8. I Owe A Lot...

...to Iowa Pot, and that's not just Iowa Corn.

[bucolic_frolic]

11. Yes I suppose there are mixed cultural heritage but also

mixed genetic heritage, donuts, age, sedentary lifestyle. Hair color, ears so far as what we can see, a bit pudgy, and that grim hangdog droopy scowl. Again, are they related, maybe a few generations back?

[FSogol]

16. "that grim hangdog droopy scowl?" They all need more fiber in their diet.

Gangsters and mafia types on TV always look glamorous. In right life, they look pathetic.

[Drahthaardogs]

25. I knew Johnny Cha when I was a little boy

He was a sharp dresser. Walked with a limp from a bullet to his leg.

These guys aren’t mafia. They are small town embezzlers

[machoneman]

18. Republican inbreeding, that's what happens! Ugly, chubby, pasty, stupid...that's the ticket!

[luvtheGWN]

24. The hangdog droopy scowl

actually comes from age, not necessarily temperament! Everything starts to sag as we get older, including our faces. I used to wonder (in my younger days) why folks in their 60's and up seemed to look either unhappy or angry when they weren't talking or smiling. Now I know! Sad but true.

[Turin_C3PO]

12. Europeans say

white Americans have a distinct look borne of being mixed European ethnicity. Don’t know if it’s accurate but that’s what I’ve heard from Europeans.

[Celerity]

21. it depends on what the admixture is, as Europeans vary wildly

These rotters in the pics are very, very easy to tag as Nordic decent, but blurred up nation wise, with some British and perhaps German mixed in. I would say there is heavy Norwegian influence, plus Buum, for instance, is a Norse name (although there are Buums all over the Nordics).

I can sometimes tell the difference between a Swede and a Dane and a Norse and a Finn (here, not in the US) on a cursory glance, IF the person (females easier than men ofttimes) is similar to the archetype 'look', especially white ethnic Swedes. It is very hard to explain, you just have to live around it. Italians are super easy to pick out, same for Spanish and Portuguese. Germans too to a point, Slavic folk, etc etc.

Overall though, the EU (West more than East by far) is becoming more mixed each year, and there are tens of millions of people of colour like me as well (I myself am racially mixed).

[Turin_C3PO]

23. I can tell the difference between

a white Swede and white Spaniard but everyone in between I can’t tell the difference lol.

[BeerBarrelPolka]

13. Thanks

Thanks for the responses.

[WhiskeyGrinder]

26. There isn't one. It's a big country.

[Celerity]

14. small isolated town, small gene pool nt

[mezame]

7. Criminal Investigation...

...a multi-year effort for penny ante shitheels. I hope Nancy's new committee is more efficient than these guys.

[OldBaldy1701E]

10. Well

There is a saying in the construction industry. "You don't want to work yourself out of a job." I suspect the sheriff's department holds the same ideal when it comes to their efforts. I mean, you don't get that same amount of money if you don't use it, right?

[N_E_1 for Tennis]

9. So sorry didn't have to but did anyway...

Strong arming in Armstrong. Had to happen...again please forgive me my filter is clogged.

[PJMcK]

22. Ha!

I had the same thought in the back of my mind. (wink)

[sop]

17. Another unfounded assumption here....

Had these devoted public servants been cheating, stealing and strongarming a predominantly black community, this investigation would never have occurred.

[llmart]

19. They will have their own show.

"White is the New Orange"

[BumRushDaShow]

20. Apparently the Police Chief had fled to Minnesota and was taken into custody there

A City’s Mayor, Police Chief and Clerk Face Misconduct Charges

The officials of Armstrong, Iowa, and a former city clerk, face charges that include assault with a dangerous weapon, theft and falsifying public documents, the authorities said.


By Allyson Waller

Published Feb. 13, 2021Updated Feb. 14, 2021

(snip)

The felony and criminal charges include misconduct in office, assault with a dangerous weapon, theft and falsifying public documents. All of those charged, except Chief Merrill, were arrested on Friday and were being held on bond.

Chief Merrill was taken into custody on Saturday evening in Martin County, Minn., where he was charged as a fugitive, according to jail records,

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/13/us/armstrong-iowa-county-officials-taser-embezzlement.html

[NurseJackie]

27. They certainly don't look happy.

[RVN VET71]

28. Ah, the Heartland where good christian family values prevail!

I know, I know, foul, evil shitheads are everywhere, and small towns seem to fall easy prey to them. I hope these jokers never, ever see the light of a free day again in their sad, sick, and disgusting lives. May they live 5,000 years locked up and forgotten, eating filth and bathing in pig slop.

[cannabis_flower]

29. So much for

Iowa nice!