JEFFERSON COUNTY, Iowa — Jefferson County is facing a federal lawsuit alleging slander, unfair hiring practices, electronic eavesdropping and misconduct involving paramedics at the county’s ambulance station.
Former paramedic Judy Heisel filed the suit against County Attorney Chauncey Moulding, Ambulance Service Medical Director Dr. Amanda Moreno, former county supervisor Dee Sandquist, and county supervisors Lee Dimmitt and Susie Drish, the Iowa Capital Dispatch reported.
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The lawsuit says that on April 29, 2024, Heisel learned that EMT Damien Wimmer had acted outside his scope of practice and reported it to human resources and Dr. Moreno. Wimmer was later suspended for two weeks, according to the filing.
The lawsuit claims Moreno told Heisel she would report the issue to state EMS regulators, but alleges Wimmer again acted outside his scope in May 2024. Heisel says she reported the second incident to human resources, Moreno and the region’s EMS coordinator.
The lawsuit also alleges Heisel later learned the first incident had not been formally reported to state regulators. As a result, she reported both cases on June 21, 2024, and Wimmer was fired the same day. The filing further claims Wimmer and Moreno were longtime friends and that Moreno opposed Heisel being hired as ambulance director after Heisel reported Wimmer’s conduct.
State records show Wimmer was disciplined in 2014 and 2015 for IV starts beyond his scope, resulting in suspensions and probation, and no public action has been listed for the 2024 allegations.
According to the lawsuit, the dispute escalated during the county’s search for a new ambulance director. Heisel’s lawsuit says a county hiring committee interviewed her twice for the position in June 2024, including a second interview where Moreno allegedly joined by Zoom while vacationing with Wimmer, who had recently been fired.
Heisel’s lawsuit says she refused to discuss her personal life during the interview, while County Attorney Chauncey Moulding allegedly told supervisors they could ask any questions they felt were appropriate. The filing claims the exchange became heated, with Moreno allegedly accusing Heisel of having sex with the former ambulance director in the ambulance building and abusing prescription drugs.
The lawsuit says a human resources official warned Moreno’s interview remarks created liability for the county, but the board still hired an outside candidate, Josh Hemminger, as ambulance director. Heisel alleges officials then gave her an immediate, undefined “take-it-or-leave-it” job offer paired with severance paperwork and told her to leave the same day. Hours later, police responded to a report that ambulance-building computers had been factory reset, though no arrests were made.
Separately, an open-meetings complaint was filed over supervisors discussing the hiring process, and the recording was sent to the county attorney. The lawsuit says Moulding later accused Heisel of illegally recording an Aug. 5 discussion and referred the matter for possible criminal charges after he allegedly saw her phone recording in the ambulance director’s office.
Heisel was charged in January 2025 but acquitted by a jury on June 6, 2025. Her lawsuit, now in federal court, seeks damages over claims including slander, malicious prosecution and discrimination, and county officials have not yet responded, with the county’s attorney declining to comment.
