Guthrie County deputy sues sheriff, others for alleged retaliation

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Guthrie County Sheriff Martin “Marty” Arganbright, left, and Chief Deputy Jeremy Bennett, seen in this 2017 photo, were sued in federal court Tuesday by a Republican challenger for Arganbright's job. Also named in the suit was Guthrie County Attorney Dana Minteer.

A Guthrie County deputy running for sheriff in the November election is suing the sheriff and county attorney, alleging they have waged a politically motivated campaign to have him decertified as a police officer.

In a federal lawsuit filed Tuesday, Deputy Matthew Harmann, a Republican, alleged 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 alleged 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 office 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 Aug. 30 in ThePerryNews.com, which claimed that on Dec. 17, 2023, Harmann lied to investigating officers in an effort to help a fellow deputy suspected of driving an ATV after drinking.

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.

Clark Kauffman writes for the Iowa Capital Dispatch, where this story first appeared.

1 COMMENT

  1. I still have trauma from sitting in a classroom with Matt Harmann as he would tell me I smelled and that I belonged in a trash can when we were in junior high. I cannot believe that anyone would vote for him anyway. He smiles in one’s face and then has an evil side. I do not for a minute think after months of being bullied by Mr. Matt Harmon that he has very much integrity. I’m sorry either way for who has run this county the way it has been run. I’m disappointed to see the officers being sued in this nature. What is right is right, and what is wrong is wrong. Matt, you’re wrong by taking this to court. We were raised here, and there is not any integrity in your actions to ask for the courts to solve this in our community, especially drawing attention to your own behavior.

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