WEBSTER CITY - Doug Messerly was transferred to the Black Hawk County Jail Tuesday at Hamilton County's request after a magistrate hearing modified the former Webster City accountant's bail conditions.
According to Sgt. Mark Wagner of the Black Hawk County Sheriff's office, there is no reason listed for Messerly's removal from jail in his former home county to that of Black Hawk.
Messerly, 64, had been a licensed public accountant in Iowa since 1976 and operated a bookkeeping firm in Webster City for more than 30 years. He is charged with having taken $260,000 from his long-time client, Margaret Stark, of Webster City, according to court records.
"Douglas Dale Messerly from February 2007 through August 2008 cashed in Margaret Stark's investments in American Funds/ING investments without her consent and deposited the funds into his personal account," court records state.
He was arrested Thursday in Des Moines by members of the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation and Iowa State Patrol, according to the arrest warrant.
Messerly is charged with first-degree theft and ongoing criminal conduct.
First-degree theft is a Class C felony, which means he faces up to 10 years in prison and a fine of from $1,000 to $10,000 if he is found guilty. Ongoing criminal conduct, a Class B felony, carries a maximum punishment of 25 years in prison.
A preliminary hearing of the case is scheduled to take place at 1:30 p.m. on Oct. 5 at the Hamilton County Courthouse.
Messerly appeared in person on Tuesday, accompanied by his attorney, Monty Fisher, of Fort Dodge. His $50,000 cash bond was amended so he could secure release from jail by posting a 10 percent cash deposit, or $5,000.
He is also required to surrender his passport within 36 hours of the Tuesday morning hearing, according to the report of the bond review, and stay in Iowa under pre-trial supervision with one exception: Messerly will be allowed to travel to Rochester, Minn., for medical treatments, but those appointments must be verified in advance through the Iowa Department of Correctional Services.
Contact Jane Curtis at (515) 573-2141 or editor@messengernews.net