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Leaders of Tiny Iowa Town Accused of Tasering a Civilian ‘in Exchange for Cash’

The police chief, mayor, and city clerk of the town of Armstrong are facing both misdemeanor and felony charges after a lengthy investigation.

The mayor, police chief, city clerk, and former city clerk of a small Iowa town have all been charged as part of a “multi-year investigation” into a slew of criminal offenses, including “deploying a TASER against a civilian in exchange for cash,” authorities announced Friday. According to the Emmet County Sheriff’s Office, three of the four accused public officials in the town of Armstrong—population roughly 880—have been tossed behind bars. Mayor Greg Buum, police chief Craig Merrill, city clerk Tracie Lang, and former city clerk Connie Thackery all face misdemeanor and felony charges in a 21-count joint indictment, police say. While the most serious charges against Buum, Merrill, and Thackery is ongoing criminal conduct, some of the defendants face other charges including theft, felonious misconduct in office, assault with a dangerous weapon and tampering with records. The Iowa Attorney General’s Office is prosecuting the case. “The investigation uncovered wrongdoing committed by the defendants, including but not limited to misappropriation of city funds, the presentation of fraudulent public records, deploying a TASER against a civilian in exchange for cash, and falsification of ledgers to conceal embezzlement,” the sheriff’s office said. No further details were immediately available on the circumstances of the alleged crimes or who the alleged victims were.