Sheriff facing lawsuit amid election misconduct investigation into Madison County official
Heather Stancil, chairwoman of the Madison County Supervisors, has filed a lawsuit against Madison County Sheriff Jason Barnes.
This comes as Stancil is under investigation following a Facebook comment that raised concerns of election misconduct and voter intimidation.
In her lawsuit, Stancil asserts that Barnes violated Iowa law by independently initiating the investigation instead of deferring to the attorney general.
"He violated procedures in Iowa law that require him to investigate alleged election misconduct at the direction of the attorney general (not on his own initiative), and to keep any report of his investigation confidential," the lawsuit said in part.
Iowa Code 39A.7 states that only the attorney general or county attorney may investigate allegations of election misconduct. Documents to refer cases to the attorney general's office specifically state that only matters already under investigation by a law enforcement agency can be referred to the office.
Additionally, the lawsuit alleges that Barnes’ investigation was politically motivated, claiming he initiated it “to score a cheap political point and harm a political adversary.”
Stancil is seeking a jury trial and alleges Barnes improperly publicized case details, further violating confidentiality requirements under Iowa election law.
The investigation stems from a Facebook post made by Stancil in response to a petition for a special election, instead of appointing someone to fill the county auditor's position.
In her comment, Stancil stated that if a special election were held, she would "work to find ways to offset that additional cost to taxpayers by shrinking government."
On Monday, the Madison County sheriff said that the sheriff's office is fully aware of the online public statement and that the statement and a preliminary investigation were forwarded to the Iowa Attorney General's Office.
Stancil's attorney does not have any public comment outside of the complaint.
We reached out to Barnes, who also says he has no comment.
This legal battle adds to the ongoing turmoil in Madison County, following the resignation of the county auditor earlier this year and the controversial decision by the Board of Supervisors to appoint Matthew Schwartz to the role instead of holding a special election.
The former county treasurer, Amanda DeVos, was also recently charged with felonious misconduct in office for allegedly altering documents to falsely show payment of vehicle registration and property taxes. She resigned Tuesday.
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