diff --git a/codepot/src/codepot/controllers/issue.php b/codepot/src/codepot/controllers/issue.php
index 7448fbc2..b66357eb 100644
--- a/codepot/src/codepot/controllers/issue.php
+++ b/codepot/src/codepot/controllers/issue.php
@@ -273,7 +273,13 @@ class Issue extends Controller
 				$issue->type = $this->input->post('issue_new_type');
 				$issue->status = $this->issuehelper->STATUS_NEW;
 				$issue->priority = $this->issuehelper->PRIORITY_OTHER;
-				if ($this->projects->projectHasMember($project->id, $login['id']))
+
+				$owner_candidate = $this->input->post('issue_new_owner');
+				if ($this->projects->projectHasMember($project->id, $owner_candidate))
+				{
+					$issue->owner = $owner_candidate;
+				}
+				else if ($this->projects->projectHasMember($project->id, $login['id']))
 				{
 					// let the current user be the issue owner if he/she is a
 					// project memeber.
diff --git a/codepot/src/codepot/views/issue_home.php b/codepot/src/codepot/views/issue_home.php
index eb8957ca..212275a0 100644
--- a/codepot/src/codepot/views/issue_home.php
+++ b/codepot/src/codepot/views/issue_home.php
@@ -173,6 +173,7 @@ $(function () {
 
 						form_data.append ('issue_new_file_count', f_no);
 						form_data.append ('issue_new_type', $('#issue_home_new_type').val());
+						form_data.append ('issue_new_owner', $('#issue_home_new_owner').val());
 						form_data.append ('issue_new_summary', $('#issue_home_new_summary').val());
 						form_data.append ('issue_new_description', $('#issue_home_new_description').val());
 
@@ -399,6 +400,16 @@ else
 			set_value('issue_home_new_type', ''),
 			'id="issue_home_new_type"'
 		);
+		print ' ';
+
+		$tmpmemb = array();
+		foreach ($project->members as $m) $tmpmemb[$m] = $m;
+		print form_dropdown (
+			'issue_home_new_owner', 
+			$tmpmemb,
+			set_value('issue_home_new_owner', (in_array($login['id'], $project->members)? $login['id']: '')),
+			'id="issue_home_new_owner"'
+		);
 		?>
 
 		<input type='text' id='issue_home_new_summary' name='issue_home_new_summary' size='50' placeholder='<?php print $this->lang->line('Summary'); ?>'/>