Court documents filed Thursday show that Dallas County has dropped charges against two men accused of breaking into the Dallas County courthouse to test its security, reports KCCI. Coalfire Security employees Justin Wynn and Gary Demercurio were charged in September 2019 with felony burglary after authorities said they were caught inside the Dallas County Courthouse shortly after midnight; the two said their cybersecurity firm was hired to test the security system of Iowa courthouses, including Dallas County and Polk County. Those charges were downgraded in October to trespassing, and a trial had been expected to take place in April 2020. The incident prompted wide criticism in the security and local communities of the Dallas County Sheriff’s Department, Coalfire Security’s inconsistent legal documentation and whether the state of Iowa has jurisdiction to approve security testing in county courthouses. “Ultimately, the long term interests of justice and protection of the public are not best served by continued prosecution of the trespass charges,” said the Dallas County Attorney and Coalfire officials in a joint statement announcing the charges’ dismissal.
