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.
