Judge Fines Dunkerton Mayor, Nephew $350 Each

Dunkerton Mayor Michael Schares, left, looks on as his defense attorney Mike Bandy, not pictured, addresses the jury during closing arguments in the trail of Schares and his nephew Thomas Adamson at the Black Hawk County Courthouse in Waterloo, Iowa Thursday, Aug. 23, 2012. (TIFFANY RUSHING / Courier Staff Photographer)

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By Belinda Yeung

Story Created: Sep 24, 2012 at 1:54 PM CDT

Story Updated: Sep 24, 2012 at 1:58 PM CDT

WATERLOO, Iowa (AP) — A judge has fined a northeast Iowa mayor and his nephew $350 each in a case that stemmed from a traffic stop.

The Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier reports Judge James Coil on Monday fined Dunkerton Mayor Michael Schares and the mayor's nephew, Thomas Adamson, $250 for interference and $100 for harassment of a public official. They also must pay court costs.

The case started in December 2011 when Dunkerton police officer Robert Roquet stopped Adamson's wife and issued a speeding citation.

Adamson demanded to see the officer's radar gun, and he held out his cell phone, saying the mayor was on the line.

The mayor arrived and fired the officer, who was later rehired.

Schares declined to speak in court. Adamson apologized but disputed the state's description of the events.