Muscatine County's new prosecutor called a 'dangerous' choice for the job [View all]

https://iowacapitaldispatch.com/2020/05/11/muscatine-countys-new-prosecutor-called-a-dangerous-choice-for-the-job/

Muscatine County hired a lawyer with a real shady past to be interim county attorney. Here are some relevant passages:

Prior to the board’s vote, Elizabeth Araguás, an attorney speaking on behalf of the Muscatine County Bar Association, questioned how much effort had been put into finding applicants for the job and urged the board to reject Barry’s appointment.

“The malfeasance committed by Mr. Barry is not a hiccup, and it is not an accident,” she said. “It was years of deliberate fraud. Six months with him as your county attorney is very dangerous and it’s not your only option … This is a very, very dangerous choice to make and on behalf of the bar association, we urge the board to proceed with caution … It is truly dangerous to the people to the people of Muscatine County to let someone like this serve as county attorney for six months.”

<<snip>>

As Cass County attorney, Barry had a practice of dismissing speeding tickets in return for the drivers’ written agreement to plead guilty to numerous, fictitious vehicle-equipment violations. Those “violations” didn’t count against the motorists’ driving record, but generated revenue for the county, which was then routed to a safe in the sheriff’s office. (my bolding)

Barry also was found to have traded property seized from criminal defendants for “donations” to the sheriff’s office. In one case, he held a drug defendant’s truck until the individual agreed to make a $500 donation to the sheriff’s office.

Much more at the link.

Having just removed their head jailer with a white supremacist past, this is not a good look for Muscatine County. That plus one of the highest Covid-19 rates in the state.

Side note: I am really liking the Iowa Capital Digest as a news source.