Page County supervisors vote to seek outside probe after after-hours entry to auditor's office during special election

The Page County Board of Supervisors voted to request an outside investigation after video showed Jacob Holmes and his children inside the county auditor’s office for 42 minutes after hours during a special election, the board said.

The chairman of the Page County Board of Supervisors told colleagues the entry was discovered in January when a fire alarm revealed the presence of people in the courthouse. The chairman said the board notified the Iowa Secretary of State’s office the following morning and that the secretary’s office suggested the auditor might want to make a statement. The chairman said he spoke with the auditor, identified only as Cindy, and told her “inviting someone into our office after hours like this was unacceptable.” Cindy told the chairman she would consider resigning, the chairman said.

The board moved quickly from discussion to formal action. Sheriff McCullough told the board an independent probe would be required because it would present a conflict of interest for the sheriff’s office to investigate another county office. “If you guys are asking for an investigation into this, we would need a written statement from the board of supervisors to start the process,” Sheriff McCullough said. He said, once the board provided a written statement, he and County Attorney Carl Salts would “find an entity that would be willing to investigate this.”

County Attorney Carl Salts said he reviewed potential legal bases for closing the discussion and found none that fit the matter. “I did not see a code section that would fit that, a closed session,” Salts said. He advised the board the matter must be handled in open session.

Board discussion included differing views on the seriousness of the event. One supervisor defending the auditor said Holmes had come in to sign documents related to prior service and called the controversy “a political witch hunt trying to defame the current auditor.” Another supervisor pressed that the presence of anyone in the office after hours during an election violated election protocols: “There was a breach in security at the courthouse,” the chairman said. He added that the entry occurred at 05:24 and the visitors left at 06:06, a 42-minute span.

The board ultimately approved a motion to “sign a letter to continue with the investigation.” The motion was seconded and the board recorded two aye votes and carried the motion. The transcript does not record the names of the member who moved or seconded the motion. The board discussed who would pay for an outside investigator; one speaker said it likely would be the board of supervisors.

Other operational details raised during the meeting included whether cameras cover the auditor’s office, whether people with keys can access the office after hours and the reported cost to rekey the courthouse. A supervisor said two candidates on the ballot have keys to the office and that keys are commonly used to access the courthouse after hours; another speaker estimated replacing keys would cost about $400. The chairman said the secretary of state had been notified and that the auditor’s staff heard the chairman’s phone conversation with the auditor about a possible resignation.

The board directed staff to prepare a written statement so the sheriff and county attorney could identify an outside investigator. No timeline for completion of an external review was set during the meeting.

Votes at a glance: Motion to sign a letter to continue with the investigation — moved (name not specified), seconded (name not specified); outcome: approved; recorded votes: ayes (2), no recorded no votes or abstentions.

Next steps: Board staff will prepare a written statement to authorize an outside investigation; Sheriff McCullough and County Attorney Carl Salts will seek a third-party investigator. The board provided no deadline for when the investigation should begin or finish.