The Plymouth County Sheriff’s Office has fired a 30-year-old corrections officer from Le Mars after an internal investigation. County Sheriff Mike Van Otterloo received a complaint from a member of the county corrections staff concerning a possible assault.
After interviewing the staff member, it was learned that she had been approached by another jailer in an inappropriate manner. It is alleged that Correctional Officer Daniel Kersbergen made comments to the complaintant that were of a sexual nature and asked the complainant to engage in conduct that was not appropriate. He furthermore, on separate occasions used his taser in an attempt to intimidate and annoy the victim.
When the victim informed Kersbergen that she was contemplating bringing an official complaint to her supervisors, he allegedly threatened her by stating, “it would be the last thing you did.” During an internal investigation into the incident, it was learned that recordings of conversations within the corrections facility had been made.
It is alleged that an electronic recording device was placed in areas of the facility in an attempt to record other staff members without their consent or knowledge. It is alleged that corrections officer Daniel Kersbergen facilitated this conduct. The Plymouth County Sheriff’s office obtained search warrants to obtain information regarding this investigation from two cellular phones.
The result of this investigation has led to criminal charges being filed against Daniel Kersbergen, age 30, of Le Mars. He is charged with one count of assault, and one count of electronic and mechcanical eavesdropping. Kersbergen was terminated from his employment as a Plymouth County corrections officer on Monday.
(Reporting by Dennis Morrice, KLEM, Le Mars)