Former Des Moines Schools Superintendent Ian Roberts Released from Jail Amid Controversy

Former Des Moines Schools Superintendent Ian Roberts Released from Jail Amid Controversy

Former Des Moines Schools Superintendent Ian Roberts has been released from the Woodbury County Jail after being taken into custody by the U.S. Department of Justice on a federal warrant. The details of the warrant were not disclosed by Woodbury County Sheriff Chad Sheehan. Roberts, who was born in Guyana, was arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in Des Moines for being in the country illegally and defying a final order of removal by an immigration judge in May of 2024. He was found in possession of a loaded gun, a hunting knife, and cash at the time of his arrest. Questions have also been raised about Roberts' academic credentials, with conflicting information about his educational background from different sources. The Des Moines School Board placed him on unpaid leave after the Iowa Board of Educational Examiners revoked his license, and Roberts submitted a letter of resignation through his attorney.