The former Chief of Police and City Clerk in Baxter have been arrested in connection with an investigation into the city’s finances by the Division of Criminal Investigation, the Iowa Auditor of State’s Office, and the Jasper County Attorney’s Office. 

Forty-eight-year-old William Daggett, the former Police Chief, faces a class C felony charge of theft in the first degree and a class D felony charge of felonious misconduct in office. Baxter’s former City Clerk, 29-year-old Katelyn Wilson, has been arrested on an aggravated misdemeanor charge of unauthorized computer access. 

Both Daggett and Wilson were arrested Thursday following an audit of Baxter’s financial records and a criminal investigation, which were made public in a November 6, 2025 report from the Iowa Auditor of State’s Office. The office claims to have uncovered $90,000 of inappropriate spending, including $51,000 of unearned pay that was given to Daggett. Wilson, the current city administrator in Elkhart, allegedly collected over $3,500 in pay that she did not earn.

Daggett and Wilson are both awaiting their initial court appearances.