ALGONA — A Northern Iowa sheriff has taken the unusual step of issuing himself a citation after a raccoon was left in a live trap on county property longer than allowed under Iowa law.
Kossuth County Sheriff Roger Fisher said he accepts full responsibility for failing to make sure the trap was checked at least once every 24 hours and said he will pay the resulting fine out of his own pocket rather than using taxpayer money.
The episode unfolded at a county impound lot in Algona and drew public concern, social media attention and messages to the sheriff’s office after people learned a raccoon had remained inside the trap for more than 24 hours.
Trap was set after animals dug under county building
Fisher said the live trap had originally been placed at the impound lot because an unknown animal or animals had been digging underneath the foundation of a county building.
The sheriff asked the county building maintenance department to use a live trap in an effort to capture and relocate whatever was causing the problem.
Because the location is not routinely staffed by county employees, Fisher said he had requested that the trap be placed there and therefore considered it his responsibility to make sure it was checked every day.
That did not happen.
“It was never our intention to keep a live animal trapped longer than a 24 hour period,” Fisher said in a public statement.
Public alerts sheriff about trapped raccoon
Fisher said he first learned that a raccoon remained inside the trap at approximately 4:30 p.m. October 4.
After making several phone calls, he learned that a local Iowa Department of Natural Resources officer had also been notified.
The DNR officer took possession of the raccoon and determined that it was not injured and was healthy enough to be relocated.
The animal was released into a wildlife refuge area in Kossuth County.
The case adds an unusual animal-related chapter to recent law-enforcement activity in the area. NIT previously reported on an emergency at the Kossuth County Fair where firefighters rescued a dog from a burning motor home.
Sheriff says he cited himself
Fisher did not attempt to shift responsibility elsewhere.
“As Sheriff, I take full responsibility for failing to make sure the trap located on county property was checked daily by either staff or myself,” Fisher said.
He acknowledged that forgetting to check the trap was not an acceptable explanation.
“Forgetting is not an excuse,” Fisher said.
The sheriff said he issued himself a citation under Iowa Code 481A.92 for failing to check a trap at least once every 24 hours.
Fisher said he intends to pay the scheduled fine with his personal money.
No taxpayer funds will be used to cover the penalty, according to the sheriff.
Raccoon safely relocated
Despite the length of time spent inside the trap, Fisher said the raccoon was determined to be healthy.
He said he was thankful the animal could be relocated safely to a wildlife refuge.
Animal welfare cases have periodically drawn attention across Northern Iowa. NIT reported last year when Northern Iowa authorities rescued 14 dogs from an unsafe residence.
The Kossuth County situation was considerably different, with the animal caught as part of an effort to protect a county building rather than an alleged neglect investigation. But Fisher’s decision to publicly accept responsibility and cite himself turned what began as a routine nuisance-animal problem into an unusual accountability story.
Kossuth County sheriff takes responsibility
Fisher’s statement came after public concern and social media discussion about how long the raccoon remained trapped.
The sheriff said the original intention had always been to capture the animal alive and relocate it, not leave it confined for an extended period.
Kossuth County law enforcement has handled a variety of unusual incidents in recent years. NIT previously reported on a wild Algona pursuit in which a driver allegedly smashed into law-enforcement vehicles.
This time, however, the person receiving a citation was the sheriff himself.
Fisher closed his statement by reiterating that he takes responsibility for the mistake and is grateful the raccoon was ultimately released safely.