Dialing the wrong phone number can be embarrassing, especially if you’re a crook trying to threaten law officers. The Floyd County Courthouse in Charles City took safety precautions yesterday afternoon around 2 P.M. after a man called the clerk of court to say he was standing in the parking lot and had a gun.

The sheriff says the man was actually calling from outside the Howard County Courthouse in Cresco and had dialed the wrong number. The man, identified as Dean Benter of Protivin, was taken in for questioning but was not charged.

By Chris Berg, KCHA, Charles City

Radio Iowa