Two men who were hired by Iowa state officials to test the security of electronic court records are facing charges after they were caught breaking into a courthouse. Police say the men, identified as Justin Wynn and Gary Demercurio, burglarized the Polk County Historic Courthouse before getting busted while breaking into the Dallas County Courthouse two days later.
The men told authorities they worked for cybersecurity firm Coalfire and were testing the security systems in the courthouses. The state court administration confirmed they had contracted with Coalfire to check their electronic records system for vulnerabilities, but did not expect or anticipate their methods to include physically breaking into the courthouse.
The two men were charged with third-degree burglary and possession of burglary tools in Dallas County, but have not been charged for the alleged break-in at the courthouse in Polk County. Officials say they are continuing to investigate and the two men could face additional charges in the future.
Coalfire refused to comment on the specific case citing "the confidential nature of our work and various security and privacy."
Photo: Dallas County Jail