Superintendent accused of shoplifting resigns

The northern Iowa superintendent who cops say tried to shoplift about 50-bucks worth of stuff from a discount store may soon be jobless. Three weeks after being arrested for shoplifting in Clear Lake, CAL schools superintendent Dr. James Jess has resigned, pending board approval. The CAL school board president says they’ve reached an agreement with Jess and the board will meet Wednesday to give it final approval. Jess is also superintendent of the Dows schools, and the Dows school board has a closed meeting tonight to discuss their intentions on dealing with the matter. Jess was arrested July 6th and charged with trying to steal an American flag and a picture frame from the Ben Franklin store in Clear Lake. He’s pleaded “not guilty” to fifth degree theft charges. He’s due in court October 16th to face the charges. If convicted, he could be sentenced to 30 days in jail, be assessed a 100-dollar fine, or get both the jail time and the fine.