Dubuque County deputy resigns following public outcry

A newly hired Dubuque County Sheriff’s Department deputy resigned today, following significant public outcry related to a previously dismissed criminal charge. Matthew Pothoff resigned after the department received hundreds of phone calls, emails and Facebook messages in the past two days. The public criticism of Pothoff’s hiring stemmed from a now-dismissed charge filed in 2017 against Pothoff, who is the son of former sheriff’s deputy and current Dubuque County Supervisor Harley Pothoff. Charging documents are not publicly available, but Dubuque County Sheriff Joe Kennedy confirmed Pothoff was charged with third-degree sexual abuse in 2017, and the charge was later dismissed with prejudice. Sheriff Kennedy said, “We apologize for being the cause for that concern and for the negative attention it brought to both the sheriff’s office and the Dubuque community as a whole. It is our job now to focus on rebuilding the trust of our community.” A press release from Sheriff Kennedy thanks those who voiced their opinions on the matter and that due to the limited resources available to answer all the messages, no more statements on Pothoff’s employment will be made.