A recent investigation by KCCI has pulled back the curtain on a deeply troubling situation in the small town of Dexter, where a report from the State Auditor’s Office appears to have caused significant reputational harm to a local citizen without sufficient evidence.
Mary McColloch, a dedicated librarian who served the Dexter Public Library for 14 years, has spent the last two years fighting to clear her name. In 2024, an audit report issued by the office of State Auditor Rob Sand alleged that nearly 14,000 dollars in collections were undeposited, along with other “improper disbursements.” However, according to local prosecutors and McColloch’s own documentation, those allegations do not hold water.
A Watchdog? More like a rogue Pitbull – the State Auditor is expected to serve as a neutral watchdog of public funds. But in the case of Dexter, it appears the office may have acted more like an out-of-control pitbull. Despite the audit’s 48 pages of accusations, Dallas County Attorney Matt Schultz has since reviewed the evidence and reached a vastly different conclusion.
Schultz stated that the entire ordeal was likely due to miscommunication and bookkeeping errors rather than any criminal activity. He explicitly noted that he does not believe anyone took any money. McColloch, who has kept meticulous records from her time at the library, provided copies to KCCI that match city council records, directly contradicting the narrative put forth by Sand’s office.
Perhaps the most revealing detail of the investigation is the price tag. The city of Dexter was charged more than $35,000 for an audit that local officials now describe as inaccurate. For a small community, that is a massive sum of taxpayer money spent on a report that seems to have failed at its primary job: finding the truth.
The human cost is even higher. McColloch, who resigned in 2022 following a disagreement with the library board, was blindsided when she was named in the special audit years later. While the Auditor’s Office claimed she did not return calls, McColloch maintains she has the receipts to prove her innocence, receipts that the state office apparently “unable to substantiate.”
The fallout of this bungled investigation raises questions regarding the leadership of the State Auditor’s Office.
How does a state office justify charging a small town 35,000 dollars for a report that missed basic bookkeeping realities?
This incident is more of what Iowa has already seen from Sand, which is a consistent habit of finding any opportunity to promote himself, regardless of the consequences. He is shameless in his quest for attention and headlines, and it appears no amount of facts or law will be allowed to get in the way of his vanity.
In Dexter, the watchdog approach has left a local woman in professional limbo and a small town with a large bill. The City of Dexter has stated it has no plans to pursue further legal remedies, a move that suggests even local leaders are ready to move past a report that has caused more confusion than clarity. While McColloch continues her effort to clear her name, the search for accountability in the Auditor’s Office continues, as Iowans are left to wonder if Sand’s transparent political aspirations will continue to blind him to the real-world ramifications of his vanity efforts.
