Hunter
10/30/24
An Iowa City man who allegedly set up an e-mail and X account under a University of Iowa Police detective’s name in order to harass and intimidate him has been charged with multiple violations of a protective order issued ahead of his court date.
29-year-old Daniel Kauble allegedly set up the accounts after two people were charged with disorderly conduct for their role in protests on the University of Iowa campus in April and October 2023. Detective Ian Mallory testified against them at trial in February. Kauble reportedly sent a message to one of the protesters saying he hoped the posts he made under the fake accounts would make Mallory mad.
Kauble was charged July 15th with Identity Theft, Tampering with a witness or juror, and 3rd degree Harassment. A protective order was issued, specifically prohibiting him from posting images, videos and/or information about the protected party, and from encouraging others to do so.
The next day, Kauble allegedly posted a photo of part of that protective order leaving out the part prohibiting him from encouraging others to post those things. Along with the photo, the defendant posted that the order “essentially acts as a social media gag order, so while I can still discuss the systemic bigotry at UIPD I am not allowed to make posts about everyone responsible for perpetuating it.”
Kauble reportedly set up a new Twitter/X page using a photo of the protected party as its avatar and the protected party’s name in its handle. Police say he used the account to post pictures of the detective and disparaging remarks about his competence, fairness and beliefs.
He also allegedly enlisted the help of a University of Iowa employee and encouraged him to post memes of the protected party. The employee has been identified as Adrian Sandersfeld, an Undergraduate Academic Coordinator in the Geography department. In one online exchange about the detective, Kauble reportedly told Sandersfeld, “Nothing would give me more pleasure than driving him from Johnson county law enforcement. I want him fired, his reputation permanently tarnished, and for his ego to be stained by the things he’s done….I think it’s likely that with enough public pressure (the detective) will be discredited as a police witness and rendered useless as a cop.”
Court records show 21 specific instances where Kauble was in violation of the protective order.
On Monday, a warrant was issued for Kauble’s arrest. Judge Brandon Schrock set a jury trial for April 15th. A case management conference is to be held January 23rd.
Kauble was booked into the Johnson County Jail Tuesday night. He faces over four years in prison on the original charges of Identity Theft, Tampering with a Witness, and 3rd degree harassment.