(Creston, Iowa) – Officials with the Creston Police Department report 70-year-old Timothy J. Ostroski, of Creston, was arrested late Wednesday afternoon at the Southern Iowa Council of Governments (SICOG) building located at 101 E. Montgomery Street. Ostroski was charged with Theft 1st Degree and four counts of Forgery. He was taken to Union County Jail and later posted a $30,000 cash or surety bond.

Authorities say Ostroski fraudulently obtained an excess of $10,000 from SICOG by creating multiple checks made payable to another individual for cleaning services that were never provided. He then deposited these checks into a personal checking account, resulting in personal enrichment. The Forgery charges stem from checks dated January 27, February 26, May 4 and 28, 2021, on which Ostroski admitted to fraudulently signing Tiffany Ossain’s name to the back of checks, without her permission. Ossain is not an employee of SICOG and not affiliated with SICOG.

Tim Ostroski (Photo from the SICOG website)

Ostroski has served as the Executive Director of the Southern Iowa Council of Governments (SICOG) and the Southern Iowa Development Group (SIDG) since February 1984. He also serves as the Executive Director of the Southern Iowa COG Housing Trust Fund, Inc, a charitable foundation with its mission to improve housing in the area.

In an unrelated incident, 26-year-old Jacob Jack Davis, of Creston, was arrested Wednesday night for  Failure to Appear. Davis was taken to Union County Jail and held on a $500 cash-only bond.