AUDIT SHOWS MISSING CASH FROM DRUG TASK FORCE

MUSCATINE, Iowa ? At least $8,810 in cash and money orders held by the
Muscatine County Drug Task Force during a five-year period cannot be
accounted for, state auditor David Vaudt said Thursday.

But a spokeswoman for the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation said
there is insufficient evidence to file criminal charges.

The investigation has been assigned to a DCI officer and will be
reviewed if more evidence is uncovered, Jessica Lown of the DCI said.
The DCI sought help from the state auditor?s office after being
contacted by the Muscatine County Attorney?s Office.

In November 2009, the county attorney?s office determined $5,260
seized in August 2008 was to be forfeited. The case in which the money
had been seized had been closed and sufficient time had passed in
order to release the money and comply with state law.

The auditor?s report states:

- - The cash was recorded on an evidence card and stored in an evidence
room, according to task force records. But money with the appropriate
case number could not be found in the safe or elsewhere at the task
force office.

- - After county officials realized the $5,260 was missing, task force
members reviewed their records and found $350 and $500 in the agency?s
safe from cases in 2004 and 2008, respectively, that had not been
properly documented.

- - Custody of the task force?s evidence room was turned over to state
investigators on Nov. 16, 2009. Through Nov. 18, 2009, an inventory
was conducted and files were reviewed from Jan. 1, 2004, through Dec.
31, 2005, and from Jan. 1, 2008, through Nov. 30, 2009. Reviewing all
of the files for the five-year period was determined to be too expensive.

- - An additional $1,500 and a $500 money order from Hy-Vee were
identified in case files, but could not be accounted for or located by
state investigators.

Vaudt said it could not be determined whether additional cash or
property seized by the task force may be unaccounted, because auditors
were unable to ensure all case files and related documentation were
available for review. Documentation maintained by the task force was
not adequate to determine disposition of all property seized,
forfeited or found, Vaudt said.

In its 12-page report, Vaudt?s office recommended six changes the task
force should make in how it records and maintains evidence.

The task force is made up of two detectives from both the Muscatine
Police Department and Muscatine County Sheriff?s Office, a secretary
provided by the Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement and state
narcotics agents as needed.

At any given time, two task force members, referred to as evidence
custodians, have a key to the evidence room door and know its
electronic security code. They also know the combination to the safe
in the evidence room.

The task force is supervised by Sgt. Ardyth Orr of the sheriff?s
office, who referred questions about the audit to the county
attorney?s office. As the task force supervisor, she reports to a
commission comprised of Muscatine County Attorney Gary Allison,
Sheriff Dave White and police Chief Gary Coderoni.

Alan Ostergren, an assistant Muscatine County attorney, said the
investigation centered on evidence that was being held after task
force drug cases had been closed. It will have no effect on pending
cases, he said.

The task force has implemented all of the suggested controls,
Ostergren added.