DUBUQUE, Iowa — October 21, 2026

A Wisconsin man accused of stuffing his backpack with about $11,000 worth of coins and collectibles at a Dubuque coin show is out of jail on bond and headed back to court next week.

Daniel Lee Belstner, 65, of Jefferson, Wisconsin, was arrested by Dubuque police at 11:48 a.m. on Sunday, October 18, 2026, outside the Diamond Jo Casino at 301 Bell Street, where the Tri-State Coin Show was underway. According to police, vendors at the show contacted officers after spotting Belstner acting suspiciously. Police searched his backpack and found roughly $11,000 in coins and other collectibles.

Belstner was arrested by Officer C. Vaske under Dubuque Police Department report AR 2026007089 and charged with theft in the first degree. The formal charge, filed by criminal complaint in Dubuque County District Court (case 01311 FECR166079), is one count of first-degree theft under Iowa Code section 714.2(1), a Class C felony. First-degree theft generally applies when stolen property is worth more than $10,000, and a conviction carries up to 10 years in prison and a fine of $1,370 to $13,660.

He was initially held on a $10,000 cash bond. At his initial appearance on Monday, October 19, 2026, Judge Mark T. Hostager set bond at $5,000 cash or approved surety. Iowa VINE custody records maintained through the Dubuque County Sheriff’s Office show Belstner bonded out and was released from custody on Monday, October 19, 2026. The court docket’s bond page had not yet been updated to reflect the posting as of Wednesday, October 21.

Belstner has applied for court-appointed counsel, and a discovery order was entered by Judge David P. Odekirk on October 20. His next court date is a preliminary hearing scheduled for Wednesday, October 28, 2026, at 10:50 a.m. in Courtroom 3106 at the Dubuque County Courthouse. No trial information or arraignment date has been filed yet.

Belstner is presumed innocent unless and until he is proven guilty in court.

Dubuque PD arrest report AR 2026007089;