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Fired IA agent drove home in state car

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November 8th, 2013 by Ric Hanson

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) – After Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation leaders summoned an agent to Des Moines to be fired, they mistakenly allowed him to drive two hours home in a state car equipped with a shotgun.  One workplace safety consultant says it was a stupid blunder that created serious security and liability concerns and showed a lack of respect for the employee.  Department of Public Safety spokesman Scott Bright calls it an oversight that won’t be repeated.

Division officials ordered Council Bluffs-based agent Andrew Harrelson to a meeting at their Des Moines headquarters on Feb. 6 to be fired. Harrelson drove a state vehicle equipped with a Remington 870 shotgun. Bright says administrators wrongly assumed Harrelson had driven a personal vehicle and didn’t know until later he drove the state car home.