Sheriff ?embarrassed? about OWI case in Keokuk County

Editor?s note: This is the second part of a two-part story on the handling of Keokuk County Sheriff Jeffrey Shipley?s OWI First Offense case. Part one was in the March 1 edition of the News.

Washington County Sheriff Jerry Dunbar hesitated to answer questions about the arrest of a fellow county sheriff, Keokuk County Sheriff Jeffrey Shipley, and the outcome of the operating while intoxicated (OWI) first offense.

?I don?t really want to talk about it because it is embarrassing as far as law enforcement goes, another law enforcement gets stopped and is accused of something.?

Even if a law enforcement officer is not guilty of a charge, he said, ?That it?s just, that?s just disappointing.?

Shipley was arrested last July for OWI first offense. He completed the terms of a deferred prosecution agreement he had with Washington County Attorney Larry Brock and Shipley no longer has a charge of OWI first offense on his driving record.

When Dunbar was asked how he responds to people who ask him if they could get the same type of deal for OWI Shipley got, he said, ?My answer is, you don?t know the whole case. I don?t know the whole case. Probably, from rumors I?ve heard, it was a lose-lose situation no matter how the case was going to be handled. I guess I just really don?t want to comment too much because I don?t know the particulars of the case and intentionally do not want to. Whatever happened, I hope the county attorney?s office, I hope they didn?t say ?elected official.? I hope they said, ?you know, this is an individual and we need to treat him like anybody else.? That?s what should have happened ? not saying it did or didn?t.?

Dunbar went on to say that law enforcement officers ?should not be able to get away with something a normal person couldn?t. We need to be treated the same.?

When asked if law enforcement officers might need to be held to a higher standard, Dunbar replied, ?Exactly, and we are held to a higher standard.?

Brock?s report on the investigation and prosecution of Shipley stated that Shipley ?asked why he was not being given any professional courtesy.?

Dunbar said he didn?t know if Shipley asked for professional courtesy.

?If he did indeed say that, that?s unfortunate on his part,? Dunbar said.

Dunbar said that he got stopped for speeding. He said asking for professional courtesy ?is the last thing I?d do.?

?If they write me a ticket, I was speeding,? he said. ?Treat me like anybody else.?