WINNESHIEK COUNTY, Iowa (KCRG) – A Winneshiek County man is now out on bond, accused of stealing 24.5 semi-loads of grain in 2023. That’s about $175,000 in ill-gotten gains.

That’s according to criminal complaints associated with Kurt Krauskopf of Decorah. He faces charges of continuing criminal conduct, two counts of first-degree theft and one count of second-degree theft.

The Winneshiek County Sheriff’s Office says the charges stem from a lengthy investigation. They executed a search warrant on the afternoon of October 30, then issued an arrest warrant. Authorities arrested Krauskopf on Monday, November 4. During his initial court appearance later that day, the Sheriff’s Office says the magistrate reduced his bond from $50,000 cash to a signature bond and Krauskopf was released.

The criminal complaints detail how Krauskopf allegedly came up with the stolen soybeans and corn.

It states that a review of K&B Farms business records found that a large amount of corn and soybeans were taken in 2023. “Secretly and without permission, Kurt Patrick Krauskopf took corn and soybeans from grain bins and transported at grain elevators for sale. By depositing the checks for this grain into his personal bank account, he intended to permanently deprive Brad Herman and K&B of his property.”

The documents also show that he kept the proceeds of the grain sales from his monthly profit and loss statements in Federal Bankruptcy Court.

It says that in 2023, Krauskopf actually transported 65 semi-loads of corn, averaging 1,028.36 bushels per load, but failed to report about 20,293.63 bushels of corn, which the documents show matched with the amount stolen from K&B Farms.

The documents also point to 9 semi-loads of soybeans sold by Krauskopf in 2023 at an average of 860.68 bushels per load, then underreporting 3,928.67 bushels in its monthly federal bankruptcy profit and loss statement .

The documents show that all of these were the equivalent of 24.5 semi-loads, which they say demonstrates “an ongoing pattern of criminal activity for financial gain” and more than $175,000 in stolen profits.

Another document shows that authorities checked data from the Krauskopf combine, indicating acreage that was not combined but was actually chopped for silage from Krauskopf fields as well as those belonging to K&B Farms. Equivalent to approximately 7.9 acres, or 1,853.82 bushels of corn.

The document went on to show that “Kurt Krauskopf confirmed that he was not paid in corn for the K&B partnership. Kurt Patrick Krauskopf admitted to having a smaller crop than he sold during October-December 2023 and admitted to chopping silage on the K&B farm without permission.”

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