(Iowa Capital Dispatch) A City of Harlan employee who purchased a television for his office with city money was fired after refusing the city’s request that he resign, according to state records.
State records show that Jack Gubbels worked for the City of Harlan from August 2021 as a code enforcement officer until he was fired in October 2025 for not following instructions, according to city officials. Gubbels’ duties included assisting with animal control and responding to complaints of unmowed lawns, abandoned vehicles and building concerns.
According to the state records, City Administrator Gervas Mgonja spoke to Gubbels in August or September 2025 about concerns that citizen complaints were not being investigated and Gubbels was not fulfilling the duties of his job.
At some point, the city became aware Gubbels had, without authorization, used the city’s card to purchase a television in August or September 2025, state records show. According to Mgonja’s testimony at a subsequent hearing, Gubbels said he purchased the TV, along with other items, after his office was relocated from the fire department, and that he made the purchase so he could watch television while at work.
After city officials gave him the option of either returning the television for a refund or reimbursing the city for the expense and then removing it from the office, Gubbels opted to reimburse the city, according to state records.
In October 2025, city officials cited the television purchase, Gubbels’ job performance and his decision to pursue part-time employment in addition to his city job, in deciding to fire Gubbels, according to state records.
Gubbels later stated the city presented him with a letter of voluntary resignation, and that when he refused to sign it, the city prepared a second letter terminating his employment. Gubbels then applied for unemployment benefits, which led to a hearing last month before Administrative Law Judge Jennifer Beckman.
Beckman recently ruled that Gubbels was entitled to unemployment benefits, citing the state law that indicates a current act of workplace misconduct is required to disqualify someone from collecting benefits.
“While the decision to terminate (Gubbels) may have been a sound decision from a management viewpoint, the employer did not present sufficient, persuasive evidence that claimant engaged in job-related misconduct,” Beckman ruled. “As a result, the employer has not met the burden of proof to establish that (he) engaged in misconduct that would disqualify him from benefits.”
State records indicate Beckman’s decision has been appealed by the city to the state Employment Appeals Board. The Iowa Capital Dispatch was not able to reach Gubbels for comment.
Mgonja declined to say how much the television Gubbels allegedly purchased had initially cost the city, saying he’d first have to consult with the city attorney as to whether that and other information requested by Iowa Capital Dispatch could be shared publicly.
Other Iowans whose unemployment cases were recently decided include:
— Evanya Clark, who worked as a patient care technician for Davenport’s Genesis Health Systems from August 2025 until she was fired in January 2026. According to state records, the hospital alleged that on Jan. 23, 2026, one of the hospital’s charge nurses reported that Clark was behaving erratically and could be under the influence of something. Clark was then observed to be swaying, staggering, hyperactive, and nervous, the hospital alleged. Although the staff tried to confine her to the break room, according to state records, Clark began wandering toward patient rooms, which led to security officers placing her in an elevator where Clark allegedly punched, pushed, and kicked the officers. Clark was then taken to the emergency room for treatment, according to state records.
Three days later, hospital officials questioned Clark, who reported she didn’t recall much of what happened but indicated she had taken “extra medication” on the day in question, according to the hospital’s account in state record. She was later fired and awarded $1,627 in unemployment benefits, which lead to an appeal and a hearing before Administrative Law Judge Michael Lunn.
Recently, Lunn reversed the prior decision awarding Clark benefits, ruling that Clark had “knowingly consumed more than the prescribed amount of her medication before reporting to work in a patient-care position.” That decision, Lunn said, “placed patients, coworkers, and herself at risk.” Clark must repay the $1,627 in benefits already paid out, Lunn ruled.
The Iowa Capital Dispatch was not able to reach Clark for comment.
— Janessa Morgan, who worked as an administrative assistant for Cedar Rapids’ Empowering Excellence Charter School from December 2024 through January 2026, when she was fired. According to state records, Morgan first ran into problems late last year when she was accused of stealing two items. Morgan describes the items as a 5-gallon water jug for which she forgot to reimburse the school, and a rubber doormat she had taken and then forgot to return. State records indicate Morgan was given a verbal warning by her mother who also served as the school’s executive director.
According to the subsequent findings of Administrative Law Judge Rebecca Stonawski, the school discovered in January 2026 that “banking information” associated with Morgan was “being used inappropriately.” Morgan told the Iowa Capital Dispatch on Tuesday that this particular allegation against her involved unfounded claims she was using school funds to pay for personal expenses.
She says the school gave her the choice of either resigning or being fired, and that if she opted to resign, the school would not involve law enforcement. She says she opted to resign and was awarded $2,750 in severance pay, and then the school appeared to renege on its promise not to involve the police.
Stonawski recently ruled Morgan is not entitled to unemployment benefits. “The employer has presented substantial and credible evidence that claimant engaged in theft of employer’s assets after having receiving a previous warning and punishment for theft of employer’s property,” Stonawski stated in her ruling. “This is evidence of deliberate conduct in violation of company policy, procedure or prior warning … A police investigation is ongoing.”
Morgan says there is no active police investigation that she’s aware of, and that the school seems to be “on the warpath just to ruin lives.” She said she has appealed Stonawski’s ruling to the state’s Employment Appeal Board.
Tiffiany McClurg, who worked for Pocahontas County as a police dispatcher from August 2020 through April 2026, when she was fired. State records indicate McClurg worked in the sheriff’s office dispatch center, which was located in the middle of the county jail, with hallways on either side. On April 10, 2026, while three inmates were moving from the recreation room, past the dispatch center to their cells, McClurg stood in the doorway of the center and angrily confronted the inmates about an issue, according to the sheriff’s department’s account in state records. A few weeks earlier, the sheriff’s department alleged in state records, McClurg had been involved in another altercation with an inmate when, at the end of her shift, she approached the inmate in his cell, banged on the door, and exchanged words with him, resulting in a complaint being filed by the inmate.
McClurg was later fired, with the sheriff’s department citing a lack of professionalism and the danger created by leaving open the door to the dispatch center. According to the findings of the judge who later presided over a hearing on her claim for unemployment benefits, McClurg had previously been counseled for problems with quality control and for “issues with not paying the fire department.”
McClurg was denied unemployment benefits, with Administrative Law Judge Brooke Axiotis finding she had created a “great safety risk” within the jail through her actions.
The Iowa Capital Dispatch was not able to reach McClurg for comment.
— Zachary Van Roekel of Waterloo, who was employed as a jailer for Black Hawk County from December 2021 through April 2026 when he was effectively fired by being forced to resign. State records indicate that on March 5, 2026, Sheriff Nathan Neff received a call from the county jail informing him that Van Roekel had just been arrested for shoplifting at a local Walmart, had been charged with fifth-degree theft and was released. A week later, Van Roekel was allegedly told he needed to turn himself into the Cedar Falls Police Department to be charged with fourth-degree theft. That charge was allegedly based on a police review of video from Walmart showing that on three additional dates, all in the months preceding his March 2026 arrest, Van Roekel had stolen merchandise totaling more than $300 in value — in each case by allegedly passing through a self-checkout lane and then hiding certain items in his cart rather than scanning them to be added to his bill.
On March 30, 2026, Van Roekel was issued a termination letter by the county that stated, “Video of the incidents leave no doubt in my mind that your actions were deliberate and intentional. You can clearly be seen concealing several items in your cart by placing scanned/bagged items around them, then on top of them. You did not remove items from the cart or attempt to scan them; instead you moved them to the center of the cart so they could be hidden by the merchandise you had paid for. You then took extra bags with you, presumably so you could bag the times once you left the store.” State records indicate the county allowed Van Roekel to resign in lieu of being fired.
Administrative Law Judge Brooke Axiotis recently ruled Van Roekel was ineligible for unemployment benefits, finding that his “conduct violated multiple policies” and was “substantial” in nature.
The criminal charges against Van Roekel are still pending. He has pleaded not guilty, and a trial is scheduled for July 21, 2026. Van Roekel declined to comment on the matter when contacted Monday by the Iowa Capital Dispatch.
— Cheryl McDonald, who worked as a paraeducator and a supervisor of in-school student suspensions for the Fort Dodge Community School District, from November 2024 until February 2026, when she was fired for a lack of professionalism. The district alleged that in September 2025, McDonald was given a warning for using profanity in the presence of students and had placed her hands on or near the neck and shoulders of a student in the hallway.
In February 2026, the district stated in state records it had fielded complaints that McDonald referred to students as “little f—ers,” and stated, “I hate this f—ing job,” and remarked, “Mama needs some vodka,” while in the presence of students. State records show that after McDonald allegedly admitted making the statements, district personnel told her it would be “in her best interest to resign.”
McDonald agreed to do so, according to state records, but later changed her mind, refused, was fired, and applied for unemployment benefits. That led to a hearing before Administrative Law Judge Michael Lunn, who ruled recently McDonald was not eligible for benefits.
“The record establishes that the claimant engaged in inappropriate workplace conduct, including the use of profanity, after previously receiving coaching regarding the importance of appropriate and professional communication with students,” Lunn ruled, adding that the conduct occurred “in a middle school setting while supervising minor students … Under these circumstances, the claimant’s conduct exceeded a mere isolated instance of poor judgment.”
McDonald declined to comment on the case when contacted by the Iowa Capital Dispatch.
