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.