DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – The town of Adair fired its police chief last fall because he lacked a valid firearms certificate and had been eavesdropping on the city clerk.  The Des Moines Register reports public records reveal why former Chief Robert Koeneman was fired last September.

Koeneman was denied unemployment benefits after city officials testified that he had let his certifications lapse. Plus, he directed the city’s part-time officer, Lt. Josephine Weston, to carry a cell phone into the clerk’s office and set it down so he could listen to what was said. Koeneman says he was treated unfairly. Weston was also fired after using the city bidding process to buy a police cruiser for her own use without paying sales tax.

The sheriff handled police calls in Adair until a full-time officer was hired in November.

The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office says an investigation into an alleged domestic altercation in Red Oak, lead to the arrest Sunday afternoon of 30-year old Michelle Renee Shuffler, of Red Oak. Officials say they received a 9-1-1 call about the incident at a residence in the 1000 block of Miller Avenue, at around 1:40-p.m.

Schuffler was subsequently taken into custody on one count of Domestic Assault and one count of Simple Assault. She was being held in the Montgomery County Law Enforcement Center on $300 bond.

A house fire in Shenandoah Sunday morning claimed the lives of some family pets, but no one was injured. According to reports, firefighters responded to the home of William Hamilton at 1311 W. Lowell Street, just before 4-a.m., Sunday. Prior to their arrival, the flames consumed a bathroom and were spreading to a bedroom. Among the animals lost in the blaze were some birds and hamsters. A family cat was also missing.

Firefighters were on the scene for about 90-minutes. A dollar amount of the damage was not immediately available, and there was no word on the cause.

The Adams County Sheriff’s Office reports one-person was injured during a single-vehicle accident Sunday morning on 183rd Street, near Corning. 22-year old Leah Marie Purcell, of Corning, was driving a 2004 Pontiac Grand Prix eastbound on 183rd, when the car went out of control at and slid off the road, around 9-a.m.  Officials say the road was snow covered at the time of the accident. Purcell was transported by ambulance to the Corning hospital, for treatment of non-incapacitating injuries. Her vehicle sustained about $5,000 damage, and was declared a total loss.

Authorities in Taylor County say one person died and another was injured during a single-vehicle rollover accident Sunday morning, in Lenox.

Photo courtesy the Lenox Police Dept.

According to the Lenox Police Department,21-year old Alexandro Vasques-Guttierez, of Lenox, died after he was ejected from the 2000 Cadillac he was driving when it went out of control, and rolled into a pasture. The accident, which occurred at the corner of Garrettson and Shoenhair, in Lenox,  was reported at around 8:20-a.m.

Officials say a 17-year old passenger was transported to the Corning Hospital where he was treated and released. An investigation determined that both speed and the weather conditions played a role in causing the accident. The investigation was conducted by the Lenox Police Department.