Men Arrested For Breaking Into Iowa Courthouse Were Hired to Conduct Security Testing

Men Arrested For Breaking Into Iowa Courthouse Were Hired to Conduct Security Testing

While the two “penetration testers” were given permission to attempt to break into courthouses, local law enforcement were not informed of the tests. Now, the men are facing charges.

Two men arrested last week for breaking into an Iowa courthouse were hired by the state’s judicial branch to test the “adequacy and effectiveness” of security at government buildings, according to records published by The Des Moines Register.

The ordeal, which ended with Justin Wynn and Gary Demercurio being charged with third-degree burglary, began with the the Iowa Judicial Branch hiring the security firm Coalfire to send “penetration testers” to courthouses and the state Judicial Branch building.

The May 28 contract indicated that Coalfire employees had permission to physically enter the branch building and courthouses in Dallas County and Polk County using methods such as “tail-gating,” or following employees into the building without permission. In addition, Coalfire workers could attempt to dumpster dive and pick locks to get into the buildings.

But when Coalfire asked the government if local law enforcement should be informed of the security tests in advance, the contract indicates that judicial branch information technology director Mark Headlee marked “no.” That decision ultimately led Dallas County Sheriff Chad Leonard to arrest the two men when they broke into the Dallas County Courthouse shortly after midnight on Sept. 11, the Register reported.

Authorities responded to the scene after Wynn and Demercurio triggered an alarm at the courthouse in Adel, Iowa. Police discovered the men taking pictures of the courtrooms and building and holding several burglary tools. Both suspects have bonded out of jail since the arrest.

Chad Leonard, the Dallas County sheriff, said in emails obtained by the Register said that once police caught the men, they were handed a piece of paper containing names and contact information for three state employees in the Judicial Branch. A sergeant called one of the employees and was told the men were legitimate and should be let go.

“I advised them that this building belonged to the taxpayers of Dallas County and the State had no authority to authorize a break-in of this building," Leonard wrote in an email.

Leonard added that the state employee asked him not to tell other sheriffs about the incident. His response was that he was going to tell every sheriff, according to the email.

Wynn and Demercurio’s lawyer, Matthew Lindholm, said his client’s actions were not criminal in intent, according to the Register.

“What is unfortunate is they have been labeled as burglars at this point without all the information being sought and reviewed,” Lindholm said on Wednesday.

A spokesperson for the Judicial Branch had not responded to the Register report as of Wednesday afternoon, but Coalfire did release a statement earlier in the day about the contract.

“Coalfire and State Court Administration believed they were in agreement regarding the physical security assessments for the locations included in the scope of work,” the statement reads. “Yet, recent events have shown that Coalfire and State Court Administration had different interpretations of the scope of the agreement.”

In addition, both the Judicial Branch and Coalfire plan to conduct their own independent reviews and release the contracts signed by both parties, according to the statement.

“We are providing this statement only to clarify an unfortunate set of events; since this is an evolving legal matter and involves confidential client work, we cannot comment on further details of the incident at this time,” Coalfire wrote.

Authorities in Polk County also believe that the Coalfire employees sucessfully broke into their county courthouse the night before their arrest, but no charges have been filed as of Wednesday.

About the Author

Haley Samsel is an Associate Content Editor for the Infrastructure Solutions Group at 1105 Media.

Featured

  • AI to Help Resolve Non-Emergency Calls Across Utah and Decrease 911 Caller Wait Times

    The Utah Communications Authority (UCA), which oversees the state’s next generation 911 technology services, recently announced that public safety answering points (PSAPs) throughout the state plan to implement Motorola Solutions’ Virtual Response technology to automate the receipt and resolution of 10-digit non-emergency line calls in Utah with the help of AI. Read Now

  • Report: 2025 Video Surveillance Market Set to Grow After Small Decline in 2024

    Novaira Insights has unveiled its latest report, “World Market for Video Surveillance Hardware and Software – 2025 Edition.” The research indicates that the global market for video surveillance hardware and software experienced a slight decline of 0.3% in 2024. This performance fell short of previous forecasts, primarily due to a significant decrease of 7.8% in the Chinese market. Conversely, the rest of the world saw a growth of 4.9%. The global market for video surveillance equipment was estimated to be worth $25.0 billion in 2024. Read Now

  • Report Reveals Local Governments Face Surge in Ransomware Attacks with Minimal Resources

    KnowBe4, the cybersecurity platform that comprehensively addresses human risk management, recently released new research highlighting the critical cybersecurity challenges facing state, local, tribal, and territorial (SLTT) governments. The report details how government organizations have become prime targets for cybercriminals while simultaneously facing severe resource constraints. Read Now

  • Video Surveillance Trends to Watch

    With more organizations adding newer capabilities to their surveillance systems, it’s always important to remember the “basics” of system configuration and deployment, as well as the topline benefits of continually emerging technologies like AI and the cloud. Read Now

  • New Report Reveals Top Trends Transforming Access Controller Technology

    Mercury Security, a provider in access control hardware and open platform solutions, has published its Trends in Access Controllers Report, based on a survey of over 450 security professionals across North America and Europe. The findings highlight the controller’s vital role in a physical access control system (PACS), where the device not only enforces access policies but also connects with readers to verify user credentials—ranging from ID badges to biometrics and mobile identities. With 72% of respondents identifying the controller as a critical or important factor in PACS design, the report underscores how the choice of controller platform has become a strategic decision for today’s security leaders. Read Now

New Products

  • Luma x20

    Luma x20

    Snap One has announced its popular Luma x20 family of surveillance products now offers even greater security and privacy for home and business owners across the globe by giving them full control over integrators’ system access to view live and recorded video. According to Snap One Product Manager Derek Webb, the new “customer handoff” feature provides enhanced user control after initial installation, allowing the owners to have total privacy while also making it easy to reinstate integrator access when maintenance or assistance is required. This new feature is now available to all Luma x20 users globally. “The Luma x20 family of surveillance solutions provides excellent image and audio capture, and with the new customer handoff feature, it now offers absolute privacy for camera feeds and recordings,” Webb said. “With notifications and integrator access controlled through the powerful OvrC remote system management platform, it’s easy for integrators to give their clients full control of their footage and then to get temporary access from the client for any troubleshooting needs.”

  • Connect ONE’s powerful cloud-hosted management platform provides the means to tailor lockdowns and emergency mass notifications throughout a facility – while simultaneously alerting occupants to hazards or next steps, like evacuation.

    Connect ONE®

    Connect ONE’s powerful cloud-hosted management platform provides the means to tailor lockdowns and emergency mass notifications throughout a facility – while simultaneously alerting occupants to hazards or next steps, like evacuation.

  • Unified VMS

    AxxonSoft introduces version 2.0 of the Axxon One VMS. The new release features integrations with various physical security systems, making Axxon One a unified VMS. Other enhancements include new AI video analytics and intelligent search functions, hardened cybersecurity, usability and performance improvements, and expanded cloud capabilities