(C) Iowa Capital Dispatch.
This unaltered story first appeared on URL: https://iowacapitaldispatch.com
Licensed for republication through Creative Commons license CC BY-NC-ND 4.0.
------------


Courthouse custodian accused of sheriff’s investigation leak

['Jared Strong', 'More From Author', '- December']

Date: 2021-12-20 00:00:00


A longtime custodian of the Sac County courthouse resigned last month after he was caught snooping in the sheriff’s office and admitted he had relayed information about an investigation to an acquaintance who was a “person of interest” in that investigation, according to the county attorney.

Mark Von Ahn, 60, who was a custodian for the county since 1986, resigned Nov. 30 and potentially faces a criminal charge of interference with official acts for leaking the information, Sac County Attorney Ben Smith said.

“After learning that he had done this on at least one occasion, he was interviewed, and he admitted to taking the information using his access as a custodian and had given that information to that acquaintance,” Smith said. “He then submitted a handwritten note indicating he was retiring.”

It’s unclear what effect the alleged information leak had on the investigation involving Von Ahn’s acquaintance, which had been ongoing for months. Sheriff Ken McClure did not respond to a request to comment for this article, and Smith declined to release further details about the investigation for fear of jeopardizing it.

“A substantial amount of resources had been put into the investigation,” Smith said.

Von Ahn declined to comment for this article. He was also a member of the county’s Courthouse Security Committee, according to minutes from a 2014 county supervisors meeting.

Von Ahn’s alleged snooping was recorded by video surveillance in the sheriff’s office, which is housed in the courthouse, Smith said. It’s unclear whether Von Ahn might have previously leaked other information.

Smith said he will consider charging Von Ahn with interference with official acts, a simple misdemeanor punishable by up to 30 days in jail, when the investigation into his conduct concludes.

Von Ahn was paid about $44,000 a year.

[END]

[1] Url: https://iowacapitaldispatch.com/2021/12/20/courthouse-custodian-accused-of-sheriffs-investigation-leak/

via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds:
gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/iowacapitaldispatch/