It's a town of fewer than 1,000 people but it's been dubbed the "Chicago of the Great Plains".

What makes this small town in Iowa so corrupt? If you look at its recent history, it's a little bit of everything.

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Located in Emmet County, lies the town of Armstrong. With a population of around 875 people, you wouldn't think it would garner much attention from the rest of the state, yet recent scandals have placed the spotlight directly on the northwest Iowa community.

Since February of 2021, Armstrong has been riddled with a number of accusations and arrests of some of its highest-ranking officials in both government and law enforcement.

According to Iowa Starting Line, Armstrong's mayor, police chief, city clerk, and others, were arrested on 21 felony and misdemeanor criminal charges. The arrests led to charges of fraud, misappropriation of funds, and even assault with a dangerous weapon.

Most recently, the town of Armstrong made the headlines once again with the arrest of a former police officer. On April 12, Benjamin Scheeval was arrested in nearby Martin County, Minnesota on 84 criminal counts. These included theft, stalking with a dangerous weapon, perjury, tax evasion, and many others.

Check out this article from Iowa Starting Line to read more about the cases against Armstrong's mayor, city clerk, and police officers.

To see an aerial view of the town of Armstrong, check out the video at the link below.

Source: Iowa Starting LineKHAK

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