Iowa leftist charged with identify theft, witness tampering for impersonating police officer testifying at trials against comrades

Daniel Stephen Kauble, 29, of Iowa City, allegedly set up fake email and social media accounts under a University of Iowa police detective's name. Kauble has been accused of impersonating the police officer as a means of retaliation and intimidation for the officer testifying against his comrades at criminal trials relating to violent campus protests in April and October 2023, according to The Gazette.

He has been charged with third-degree harassment, tampering with a witness or juror, and identity theft, court documents show.

According to the complaint viewed by the outlet, Kauble set up an email and X account under Detective Ian Mallory's name on Feb. 8, 2023, the same day a jury found two campus protesters guilty of disorderly conduct. The campus protesters found guilty on charges were Elizabeth Jorgensen, 28, and Isadora Kippes, 26.

Kauble posted messages intended to "disparage, annoy, harass, and engender public contempt for Ian Mallory" on his X account, prosecutors said. The accounts were created to "harass" Detective Mallory in retaliation for the officer testifying against his friends, the complaint stated.

Kauble sent a message on Feb. 9 to one of the protesters that Mallory had arrested who had a trial in March 2024. He stated in the message that he hoped the posts from Mallory made her "hella mad,” per the outlet.

(Pictured: Daniel Kauble)

In March, Detective Mallory testified against Tara Dutcher, a transgender community activist, who was charged with disorderly conduct and interfering with the police officers during a protest at the University of Iowa in October 2023, although Dutcher was acquitted on both charges.

Kauble's personal X account can be found under the username @Cobblestoning. He revealed on several posts that he was involved in the violent 2020 BLM/Antifa uprisings and has been detained or arrested multiple times.

(Pictured: Daniel Kauble)

(Pictured: Daniel Kauble)

Upon his July 15 arrest, Kauble wrote on X: "This morning I was placed in a cell with dried blood splatter on the walls and floor, which was fun."

In a follow-up post, he revealed that his arresting officer allegedly detained him during a 2020 protest.

"Fun fact about Kevin: he detained me after a protest in 2020. Before releasing me, he said he would call when charges were filed. I never heard from him. Nine months later, another ICPD officer spotted me at a direct action and arrested me on charges from that night," Kauble wrote on X.

On July 16, Kauble wrote that he had been served a protective order and claimed that he was no longer allowed to publicly discuss the University of Iowa police department's "systemic bigotry" on social media.

It's unclear who filed the protective order against Kauble.