By Clark Kauffman | Iowa Capital Dispatch
Matthew Harmann, a Guthrie County deputy running for sheriff in the November election, is suing the sheriff and county attorney, alleging they’ve waged a politically motivated campaign to have him decertified as a police officer.
In a federal lawsuit filed this week, Harmann, a Republican, alleges that “rather than accept the rather common occurrence of a subordinate seeking to unseat the sheriff,” Guthrie County Sheriff Martin “Marty” Arganbright, a Democrat, along with County Attorney Dana Minteer and Chief Deputy Jeremy Bennett, “engaged in an unconstitutional and coordinated campaign to impugn Harmann’s sterling reputation in an effort to undermine his political campaign.”
Harmann alleges the defendants tried to knowingly and falsely accuse him of misconduct in office and that when an independent investigator cleared Harmann of wrongdoing, they launched an effort to have Harmann decertified as a law enforcement officer, which would render him ineligible to serve as Guthrie County sheriff.
Court records indicate the Guthrie County Sheriff’s Department hired Harmann as a part-time deputy in 2017, and that he currently serves as one of the department’s two K9 officers.
His lawsuit alleges that prior to his February 2024 announcement that he was running for sheriff, Harmann had never received an adverse employment review or a work-related complaint and had never been the subject of any disciplinary proceedings with the sheriff’s department.
The lawsuit claims that in the immediate aftermath of Harmann’s campaign announcement, Arganbright, Bennett and Minteer communicated electronically about the perceived threat Harmann’s candidacy posed to Arganbright’s and Bennett’s positions and to Minteer’s effectiveness as the county attorney.
The three then conspired to discredit Harmann and interfere with his election campaign, the lawsuit claims. Minteer issued a so-called “Giglio notice” in all criminal cases in which Harmann could potentially be a witness, alerting the court to the fact that Harmann was “believed to have provided false information to his colleagues during the course of a potential criminal investigation.”
The false information Harmann was alleged to have provided “pertained to the whereabouts/conduct of an off-duty Guthrie County sheriff’s deputy,” the notice stated. Harmann’s lawsuit did not detail the “false information” but referred to a letter to the editor published in a local newspaper claiming that on Dec. 17, 2023, Harmann helped a deputy suspected of driving an ATV after drinking by lying to investigating officers.
A week after Minteer issued the Giglio notice to the court, Bennett notified Harmann of an administrative investigation tied to the December incident, according to the lawsuit. The notice placed Harmann on unpaid administrative leave.
The county then hired Jon Thomas of Workforce Solutions to investigate allegations against Harmann. To disguise their motives, the lawsuit alleges, Arganbright and Bennett created a falsified version of the original notice of administrative leave, backdating it to Jan. 7 – prior to Harmann’s announcement of his run for sheriff.
According to the lawsuit, Thomas investigated the December 2023 incident and concluded Harmann violated no laws or ethical or professional rules.
While the sheriff’s office did not impose any disciplinary action after the investigation was completed, Bennett allegedly asked that the Iowa Law Enforcement Academy decertify Harmann as a peace officer, citing the fact that he had been on administrative leave since January. As of this week, the lawsuit states, the Iowa Law Enforcement Academy has not taken any public action in the matter, and a hearing date has not been scheduled.
Despite this, the lawsuit alleges, Arganbright has falsely informed community members that Harmann has already been decertified by the academy.
The lawsuit seeks unspecified damages for felonious misconduct in office and political retaliation and discrimination. It also seeks an order that would force the county to expunge from Harmann’s disciplinary record any reference to “the knowingly false efforts to have Harmann decertified as a police officer.”
The defendants have yet to file a response to the lawsuit. Minteer’s office referred the Iowa Capital Dispatch to the West Des Moines law office of Jason Palmer, who was not immediately available for comment.