RAP SHEET

Operator: 911 . . .

Caller: Yes, uh, this is the American Inn and Suites on Northeast 14th and, um, some man's been taking a shower and he said he had his door closed but somebody came in and took his pants and his phone and his keys and everything.
O: OK, so this was a robbery here?
C: Well, he was in the bathroom...
O: They didn't...?
C: We have security cameras and someone came in...
O: But they didn't, nobody showed a weapon or anything like that?
C: No, no, he just came out and his bag was gone. He came down here with a towel wrapped around him.
O: OK.
C: OK.
O: And, uh, just go to the desk?
C: Yes. OK?
O: OK, we'll get them down there.
C: Thanks.

Officer's Report: Dispatched on a burglary report at American Inn and Suites. Steve stated that around 8:06 a.m. he was in his hotel room taking a shower when he heard a door shut. Steve went to check and noticed that several of his personal belongings had been stolen. Steve had checked into the room with a female subject Saturday night and claims she left somewhere around 4 a.m. The room has two entrances and it was not entered with any force. Surveillance video shows a heavy-set male enter the room around 8:06 a.m. via the outside entrance door and leave with the stolen items. It appears that he had a room key or that the door was left open by someone. The door shuts automatically and it is in perfect working order. The video isn't very clear and the hotel owner could not download the video for us. Steve was not very up front about the female subject in his room and, when asked about incident times, they varied a lot. Steve stated that he knows Erin and saw her at Prairie Meadows late on Saturday night, so he brought her back to his motel around midnight. We were not told about anyone else with him until I watched the video and confronted him about the other person. Steve gave me the phone number for Erin but all I get is the busy signal. A possible vehicle involved is a dark-colored SUV but is not very identifiable per the video. A locksmith was called and a car key was made for Steve. Also noted, the surveillance video has been saved in case our Criminal Investigations Division needs it.

DOCKET DIVING

It wasn't until the company hired someone 14 years his junior, that a former Pioneer Hi-Bred employee realized he might have agreed to a raw deal.

Just shy of 28 years of employment, Roger Parsons was informed in September 2002 that his position as a project manager at Pioneer was being eliminated and, with no other openings available, his tenure with the company would be terminated. The then 55-year-old willingly signed an agreement assuring him of severance pay and stock options, but, barely two weeks after the ink had dried, Pioneer filled his former position with an employee who was 41 and had a decade less experience than Parsons. Although Pioneer argued the job responsibilities were markedly distinct from Parsons' previous position, the Des Moines resident filed a complaint with the Iowa Civil Rights Commission and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, both of which promptly issued right-to-sue letters to the frustrated former employee.

By the end of 2003, Parsons had sued in Polk County District Court and the case was removed to federal court, where the case hinged on whether or not Pioneer had saddled Parsons with a contract that violated the Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA). On one side, Pioneer argued that the judge should dismiss the entire case because Parsons had specifically given up any ADEA claims when he signed the agreement. On the other side, Parsons argued that the agreement was contradictory, claiming that one paragraph "appears to allow a claim for age discrimination while [the subsequent] paragraph holds Pioneer faultless for a lawsuit." Parsons added that his employer never asked him if he understood the agreement and emphasized that he didn't realize he had any reason to retain his right to an age discrimination claim until he later discovered a younger worker had replaced him.

But Judge James Gritzner pored through the fine print and found nothing suspect about Pioneer's severance contract. In order to comply with the law, any waiver of ADEA claims must be "knowing and voluntary" the judge pointed out, and, in Parsons' agreement that was clearly the case. "Parson was well-educated, the language of the agreement was straight-forward, he was given ample time to consider the agreement, the agreement encouraged him to seek counsel and it was supported by valuable consideration," Judge Gritzner decided. So whether or not Pioneer discriminated against the 55-year-old by hiring the 41-year-old, Parsons' simply didn't have a legal leg to stand on: "Parsons waived his right to bring the present action," Gritzner ruled, "and the case must be dismissed."

RENTERS BEWARE

Landlord: Aaron Festervand
Address: 1507 Seventh St.
Violations: Exposed electrical wiring; carpet in poor repair; water-damaged ceiling, mold on walls; rodent damage and rodent infestation; "over-accumulation of junk and mold" in the basement and "duct tape everywhere" on southeast bedroom's walls and window.
Action: The Housing Appeals Board voted to send the property to legal with a $1,550 penalty.

SUCKS TO BE YOU

Name: Brad Calder
Place of Incident: Euclid Avenue
Posed for this picture because: When Dan Carney got a call that a man had jumped the fence at his Lenders and Insurers property, the business owner took matters into his own hands. Having allegedly caught Brad Calder in the act of stealing bolts off of a car on his property, Carney confronted the fence-hopper with a toy metal gun and held him at fake gunpoint until law enforcement officials arrived. Calder was arrested and charged with burglary.

UNFINISHED BUSINESS

According to the city's August report:

- R&D Plumbing owes the city $13,115.31 for material labor for street excavation due in June and July, 2005
- Titan Tire owes Des Moines $100 for right-of-way management fees due June 7, 2005
- Signature Enterprises owes the city $421 for pawn broker licenses due on July 8, 2005
- Hy-Vee Hall owes the city $250 for private alarm monitoring provided by the fire department, which was due on July 7, 2005
- Qwest Communications owes the city $245 for street excavation permit fees due July 8, 2005

ON THE CLOCK

Des Moines Police - Aug. 17

2:15 a.m. Robbery on Geil Avenue, involving a man walking home from Quik Trip when he was confronted by three men in a green Pontiac Grand Am, one of whom asked him for his wallet and another who punched him in the mouth when he refused.
7:15 a.m. Burglary at 5000 Park Ave., involving a construction company owner discovering a hole in the site's chain link fence, but nothing missing.
7:30 a.m. Harassment at 4514 S.W. 16th St., involving a man receiving obscene and hang-up phone calls that he suspects are from a woman who went to prison after he testified against her.
8:05 a.m. Burglary at 501 S.W. Seventh St., involving the theft of a scanner from Kone, Inc.
9:15 a.m. Burglary at 3801 S.W. Ninth St., involving a window smashed out at Southside Pizza and Subs and the theft of a lap-top computer and $150 in cash.
9:40 a.m. Assault at 31st and Grand, involving a manager of RR Building Products meeting with two suspects to discuss $7,000 owed to his company before the suspects allegedly began slapping and pushing him into a wall.
3:10 p.m. Harassment at 4609 Wakonda Parkway, involving a female calling a male student more than 40 times before leaving a final message: "If you tell anyone about this I'll fucking kill you."
4:34 p.m. Burglary at 910 S.W. Thornton, involving a man returning from three days at the Iowa State Fair to find his wife's bike missing and a neighbor reportedly seeing a red Pontiac with a female driver observing the residence.
5:30 p.m. Harassment at 720 E. Fifth St., involving a woman receiving a message on her cell phone informing her that she would die in seven days and then, at 3 a.m., receiving another call "in a creepy voice" telling her he/she knows where she lives.

CRIMES AGAINST INTELLIGENCE

Was Rip heartlessly murdered by a local police chief? That's the suspicion of an outraged Afton couple, after their shorthair hunting dog went missing during a Union County rodeo and was later discovered fatally shot in the lung. According to their lawsuit, the owners allege Police Chief John Coulter forced Rip into his truck, drove him out into the country and shot him to impress two teenagers, instead of abiding by state law and simply taking the dog to the pound.

Comment on this story | Return to top