A Council Bluffs city councilman is maintaining his innocence after being arrested in prostitution sting. Darren Bates was one of six men cited in earlier this month at a hotel in Council Bluffs. With his wife and attorney by his side on Monday night, Bates said that when he went to a hotel earlier this month, all he wanted was a massage.
Bates says, "I’m not guilty and I’m anxious for everybody to see the tape that will show exactly what happened." Bates insists he turned down offers for sex, saying he said "no" several times. Bates says, "I was very nervous and even was checking the door right before the police came in. It was very awkward."
Another Council Bluffs leader, Councilman Scott Belt, says the whole situation has reflected poorly on the southwest Iowa city and he thinks Bates should resign. Belt says, "I’m hoping the county attorney will do his job and we’ll get this thing resolved because we need to get back to business at hand in Council Bluffs." Belt believes that Bates should just quit — and the sooner the better.
Belt says, "If I was in the same boat as Mr. Bates, I would’ve resigned and went on with my life." Belt says this prostitution arrest of a city leader is taking away from important business the city needs to conduct. Belt says, "It’s not the proper conduct that you would expect from a person representing these people in this great town."
Jim Nelson is a resident of Council Bluffs and says he isn’t buying Bates’ story. "I’m married and if I told my wife I went to a hotel for a massage…she ain’t going to buy that, I’ll tell you that much," Nelson says. Bates’ attorney, James Martin Davis, says his client did nothing illegal and he shouldn’t be punished over false accusations. Bates was the president of the Omaha Firefighter’s Union and both are to meet with the Omaha Fire department today to discuss disciplinary proceedings.