What official public records exist for Derek Chelsvig in Polk County, Iowa?
Executive summary
A focused search of the reporting provided finds no direct official Polk County government record that names Derek Chelsvig; available evidence consists of commercial data-aggregator entries that list addresses and phone numbers and multiple Polk County official portals that one would use to locate any public records if they exist (OfficialUSA, Polk County Recorder, Polk County land-records">Public Records Request Center) [1] [2] [3]. In short: third‑party sites claim connections for “Derek Chelsvig,” while Polk County’s official access points exist for verifying or obtaining land, court, and arrest records but the supplied sources do not show an authoritative Polk County government document that directly confirms those third‑party allegations [1] [2] [4].
1. What commercial databases say: addresses, phones and occupational tags
A prominent commercial aggregator, OfficialUSA, lists multiple Polk County addresses and phone numbers tied to the name Derek Chelsvig and associates other Chelsvig family names with the same parcels; the entry includes two Des Moines addresses (3410 E 8th St and 4040 Hubbell Ave) and phone numbers purportedly in the Qwest range, plus a work description as “Broker/Stock/Trader” and a birthdate of July 30, 1980 [1]. Those are third‑party, monetized background‑report snippets rather than copies of Polk County source documents; the listing itself is typical of people‑search sites that compile public and private data for resale [1].
2. Where Polk County official records would appear — and how to search them
Polk County’s County Recorder provides a public online land‑records search that covers recorded real‑estate documents from 1992 to today and would be the authoritative place to verify property ownership or recorded deeds for any Polk County address listed by aggregators [2]. The Recorder’s office also publishes a “Search Records” page and explicit instructions for online searching and redaction requests, directing users to the county’s landrecords portal to find deeds, mortgages and other recorded documents [5].
3. Court, arrest and clerk records: official portals exist but no cited hits
Polk County’s Clerk of Court and court administration maintain judicial records for the county and the courthouse records are searchable via Iowa’s statewide courts portal; the reporting points readers to the Polk County courthouse location and indicates court records can be found using Iowa Courts Online Search, which is the official channel for court dockets and filings [4]. County arrest and inmate information are also publicly available under Iowa law and are routinely published by county detention facilities; however, the supplied sources describe the mechanisms for obtaining arrest records rather than showing a Polk County arrest or court filing specifically tied to Derek Chelsvig [6] [7].
4. Official public‑records request channel and practical next steps
Polk County provides a Public Records Request Center that accepts requests in person, by mail, telephone or electronically, and that is the formal route to demand copies of government records if a name search at the Recorder or Clerk portals turns up nothing [3]. Given the lack of a direct Polk County document in the supplied reporting, the responsible next step—per the county’s own guidance—is to search the Recorder’s landrecords portal and the Iowa Courts Online Search, and if results remain inconclusive, file a specific public‑records request with the Polk County Public Records Request Center [2] [4] [3].
5. Assessing reliability, agendas and limitations of the reporting
Commercial aggregators and private “record” services referenced in the reporting collect and sometimes guess links between people and addresses for marketing and lead‑generation, so they may be incomplete or erroneous and should not be treated as definitive proof of Polk County government records [1] [8]. Official Polk County sources are cited for how and where to look (Recorder, Clerk, Public Records Center), but the materials provided here do not include screenshots or copies of a Polk County deed, court filing, arrest record, or other primary government document that names Derek Chelsvig, and therefore this analysis cannot assert that such records exist in Polk County beyond the aggregator claims without further searches of the cited Polk County portals or a formal records request [2] [5] [3].