March 29, 2024

Iowan told to write letter of apology to officer

BURLINGTON (AP) — A 64-year-old Iowa woman has been ordered to write a letter to the editor of a newspaper, retracting a previous letter that criticized a police officer who arrested her.

The Burlington Hawk Eye says Susan Geren’s attorney and the prosecutor made a deal last week for Geren to plead guilty to public intoxication and criminal trespassing. The agreement included a $65 fine for each of the offenses.

District Associate Judge Michael Dieterich also says the attorneys agreed to his ordering Geren to write a letter that would retract one published July 17. In the July letter Geren criticized Burlington officer Ryan Smith for his actions and said he was “a poor excuse of a human being.”

Prosecutor Justin Stonerook says he’d wanted Geren to apologize publicly to Smith.