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Rural Iowa bar owner arrested, faces felonies

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June 21st, 2022 by Ric Hanson

(Radio Iowa) – A bar owner in rural Palo Alto County is facing multiple felony charges as a part of an investigation by state and local law enforcement agencies. 61-year-old Ronald Dean Smith owned and operated Molly Maguire’s Pub from a rural address seven miles east of Emmetsubrg, near the town of Cylinder. On Friday, Deputies from the Palo Alto County Sheriff’s Office executed search warrants at the Pub as a part of an investigation that includes the Iowa Alcoholic Beverages Division and the Iowa Department of Revenue.

Deputies arrested Smith and have charged him four felonies, which include Ongoing Criminal Conduct, Fraudulent Sales Practices over $10,000, Sales Tax Evasion and Felon in Possession of a Firearm, to go along with 4 misdemeanor counts. Smith was booked into the Palo Alto County Jail with a cash only bond set at $50,000.