A Black Hawk County judge has fined both the mayor of the northeast Iowa town of Dunkerton and his nephew for their roles in a traffic incident. Dunkerton Mayor Michael Schares and his nephew Thomas Adamson were found guilty late last month of misdemeanor charges in connection with a traffic stop last December in which Adamson’s wife Teresa was stopped for speeding.
The two men got into an argument with police officer Robert Roquet over the traffic stop and Schares fired Roquet on the spot. Days later, Roquet got his job back.
In Black Hawk County District Court on Monday, Schares and Adamson were fined $250 each for interference with official acts and $100 for harassment of a public official. The two men were also ordered to pay court costs. Prosecutors had asked for a two-day jail sentence for Mayor Schares.
Defense attorneys asked for deferred judgments for the two men, which would have removed the charges from their records. An additional defense request for a new trial was also rejected. Adamson apologized to the court, but disputed the state’s claim about the traffic stop. Schares opted not to address the court.
By Scott Fenzloff, KCNZ, Cedar Falls