RAP SHEET

Operator: 911 . . .

Caller: I need to report an incident. Uh, we're calling back from one that happened before. And we just had, we've had instances of vandalism at the house and we just had a BB shot at one of our windows and it cracked the window. And this is the third incident that's happened at our houses and at our cars. So, I need to report it.
O: OK, hang on here. [Noise from the police scanner.] Sorry about that. Let me turn this down a little bit. CC radio. Where do you live at?
C: I live in Granger.
O: In Granger? What's your address?
C: Northwest 114th Avenue.
O: And what's your name?
C: Mindy.
O: OK, we'll get somebody right up there, OK?
C: OK, thanks, bye.

Officer's Report: I was dispatched to investigate an incident involving a BB gun used to shoot at a window on an occupied residence. Homeowner, Martin, explained that this is not the first incident of this type. Earlier this summer someone had shot roman candles at the house and shortly thereafter BB pellets have been shot at the house causing damage to the vinyl siding and the front door. Martin stated that he has no idea who would do this activity. The neighbor kids are either below 7 years old or in college. This usually happens between 0000 and 0130. An extra watch was placed on the residence and case number provided.

Operator: 911...
C: Uh, yes sir. I need a Sheriff's deputy to come to, uh, Northeast Sixth. I'm in my van, um, it was parked out here on the street last night.
O: OK.
C: And, uh, I came back just to check to make sure it was here, but I had a window broke out of the back of my van last night. So I need somebody to do a report.
O: OK. It was Northeast Sixth?
C: Yeah. It should be. Yeah, it's over here in Saylor. Just a block west of the high school.
O: OK, what's your name?
C: Joe.
O: OK, what kind of vehicle are you in?
C: Uh, it's a '93 Ford, uh, G-150, uh, van.
O: OK, what color is it?
C: It's black.
O: OK, we'll have an officer stop by.
C: OK, thank you.

Officer's Report: Dispatched reference criminal mischief. Joe stated that this morning he noticed one of the back windows on his 1993 Ford Club wagon van was shattered. A potato was found in the cargo area of the vehicle. It is possible the potato was launched from a potato gun into the window causing the damage. The Ford van was parked on the street on Northeast Sixth Street when the damage occurred. Incident would of occurred between 0030 and 0830 on this date. No suspects.

Docket Diving

Calvin Wright claimed that, after winning a high-stakes poker tournament in federal prison, he was stiffed by the mayor of Las Vegas and then threatened with violence to keep quiet.

Twenty-five years ago, Des Moines resident Calvin Wright was serving time at a federal prison in Kansas for transporting a stolen aircraft across state lines when he was one of the last two standing in a Texas Hold 'Em poker tournament that allegedly promised a $500,000 payoff. The winnings, he claimed, were being held by Oscar Goodman - then the lawyer of fellow inmate Jimmy Chagra, and now the mayor of Las Vegas - who failed to make good on the pot. So when Wright decided earlier this year to write a narrative about the poker tournament, he sent a letter to Goodman asking for a $75,000 loan and an $1,800-per-week position as a research and development consultant for the city in exchange for the right to edit his name from the manuscript prior to "marketing production." But, according to Wright, Goodman did not respond directly. Instead, Wright says, he quickly got a call from Goodman's former client, Chagra, who told him that Goodman might cause Wright's family to be hurt "or worse" if he continued writing his book. After all, Chagra allegedly told Wright, Goodman has "a lot of power, a lot of clout and knows many well-connected people." Due to the perceived danger, Wright promptly abandoned his aspirations of becoming an author.

But in March, Wright filed suit against the City of Las Vegas, the Las Vegas Mayor's Office and Oscar Goodman in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Iowa, claiming the mayor's alleged threat had violated his First Amendment rights. But the former poker player faced a host of difficulties in pursuing his case. Not only did Wright fail to follow procedure in serving the city with the legal documents, but, the defendants argued, Wright didn't have any grounds to sue the municipality or the mayor's office in the first place. Federal judge James Gritzner agreed: "Even if Goodman accumulated power, clout and connections as mayor of one of the nation's more notorious cities, Wright does not claim Goodman threatened Wright under pretense of law or while undertaking his official duties as the city's mayor."

Having spared the city, the defense also argued that, even in his personal capacity, Goodman couldn't be held accountable for Wright's accusations because the Iowa court didn't have any jurisdiction over him. Having never lived, visited or done business in Iowa, Goodman's only supposed contact with Wright was Chagra's claim that he called Wright on Goodman's behalf. But Gritzner noted that, "given the presence of only telephonic contacts between Goodman and Iowa, and the lack of evidence showing Chagra acted as Goodman's agent by making the alleged threat against Wright... jurisdictional analysis weighs against the existence of personal jurisdiction over Goodman in Iowa." So, with the defendants holding all the legal cards, the federal court dismissed Wright's case in its entirety this month.

Sucks to be you

Name: Mary Ann Dilla
Place of Incident: Ames
Posed for this picture because: It's been nearly a year since police found the car stuck in a snowbank on an Ames sidewalk and driver Mary Ann Dilla unwilling to consent to a breath test despite the noticeable aroma of alcohol and obviously bloodshot eyes. In May, Dilla, the recently elected president of the Ames School Board, pleaded guilty to the OWI charge, but her offense made headlines again last week when a fellow school board member, Jane Acker, resigned in protest of Dilla's continued presence on the board, citing the president's impaired judgment as a poor message to be sending to students.

Unfinished Business

According to the City of Des Moines' October report:

- Dallas County Emergency Management owes the city $2,125 for hazardous materials incidents, which was due Sept. 14
- Story County Emergency Management owes the city $1,750 for hazardous materials incidents, which was due Sept. 14
- Drake University Head Start owes the city $2,100 for lease payments due the 22nd of the month in July, August and September
- Gallong Inc. owes the city $4,463.04 in street excavation costs, which were due Aug. 17, Aug. 31 and Sept. 12
- Crazy Horse Plumbing owes the city $1,322.93 in street costs, which were due June 27 and Sept. 1
- Biermann Electric Co. owes the city $350 for fire department overtime, due on Sept. 27

On the Clock

Des Moines Police - Oct. 20

1:48 a.m. Assault causing injury in the 1500 block of Evergreen, involving a woman who came into town to break up with her boyfriend and, when she told him as they drove around in his car, he choked her and punched her several times in the face before taking her van keys and cell phone and running into an unknown apartment.
4 a.m. Robbery in the 3500 block of University Avenue, involving a man who was hit with a club as he left The Library bar by two males who stole $100 from his wallet and fled on foot.
7:25 a.m. Burglary in the 600 block of Southeast McKinley, involving a victim in the midst of moving who returned to the residence to discover several packed boxes opened and emptied and the theft of two televisions, one box of jewelry, one sword, two collectible knives and 50 videos.
10 a.m. Burglary in the 5500 block of Meredith, involving doors kicked in on several apartment in the Westchester Square complex.
10:15 a.m. Assault in the 1500 block of Washington, involving a victim waking her granddaughter and, because the child did not want to go to school, she threw a book at the victim, striking her in the right eye. Following the report, officers took the child to school.
10:30 a.m. Burglary in the 4900 block of Country Club Boulevard, involving the theft of a variety of items from the laundry room and porch, including $3,000 worth of prescription medicines, four plant stands, two trash cans, one wicker chair, one space heater and one box of checks.
12:20 p.m. Burglary in the 2700 block of Boston, involving a back door kicked in and the theft of two rifles and three shotguns.
2:05 p.m. Burglary in the 700 block of Jerilynn, involving a the theft of a brown duffle bag, a Play Station II and 20-30 games.
2:15 p.m. Burglary in the 4800 block of University, involving entry through a broken sliding door at Rainbow Cleaners and the theft of $200 from a cash drawer. The reporting employee noted it was the 10th break-in since February, as the owner refuses to fix the door.

(Alleged) Drunk Drivers

Name: Tammy Dorine Clark
Arrested: Oct. 17
First offense

Name: Michael Joe Blair
Arrested: Oct. 18
Second offense

Name: Jill Yvette Abbott
Arrested: Oct. 21
First offense

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