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Cedar Rapids massage therapist faces invasion of privacy charges

July 15, 2009 By

A Cedar Rapids man is accused of secretly videotaping a woman who was undressing for a massage. Police arrested 42-year-old Michael J. Wilson at the 24-year-old woman’s home on July 3. Lieutenant Craig Furnish says the woman was taking off her clothes, preparing for a massage, when she noticed something unusual. "She got suspicious due to some noises and thought (Wilson) might be videotaping with a personal camera he had," Furnish said.

The woman, whose name is not being released, confronted Wilson about the camera. Furnish says Wilson admitted to the woman that he was secretly taping her as she undressed. "She contacted police as he stood by and waited," Furnish said. "We came by, seized the camera and charged him with invasion of privacy."

Wilson operates an unlicensed massage therapy business and had been to the woman’s home on other occasions, but only videotaped her once, according to police. Furnish says Wilson had several other clients, but investigators don’t believe he secretly taped any of those individuals. Invasion of privacy is a misdemeanor citation. Wilson is scheduled to be in court on Monday.

Pat Curtis report – runs :42

Filed Under: Crime & Courts

Free, "e-Learning" course for 5700 Iowans

July 15, 2009 By

eLearning Microsoft is offering free, online help to Iowans who want to improve their computer skills. The service is available to the first 5700 Iowans who sign up for it either by calling the state agency known as Iowa Workforce Development or going on the agency’s website .

Iowa Workforce Development director Elizabeth Buck describes improving your computer skills as "up-skilling."

"We encourage any Iowan who is unemployed to really pause at this time in their life as they’re going through transitions and consider the upskilling," Buck says. "Right now, in this competitive market, if you don’t have the right skill set, you will really be struggling to connecting to work."

Tony Wilson, Microsoft’s director of government affairs in the Midwest, says Iowa is the fourth state in the country to offer this free, on-line computer training to its residents.

"Today’s technology-driven workplace requires basic proficiencies with computers, business productivity software and digital communications tools," Wilson says. "At the same time, the rapidly changing economic conditions are creating new jobs that will require additional skills and advanced technology."

Microsoft calls their program "Elevate America." Iowans can now obtain a voucher so they can sign up for Microsoft "e-Learning" courses.

"It’s very important because the Bureau of Labor Statistics says that within five years, three-fourths of all jobs will require some sort of technology skills," Wilson says.

Those who participate in the program can take a "Microsoft Certification Exam" for a reduced cost and labor experts say the certification is a good resume booster.

Learn more about the program by clicking on the audio link below and listening to the news conference about this initiative.  Governor Culver also answered questions about Microsoft’s data center in West Des Moines, wind energy and other issues.

The toll-free phone number for Iowa Workforce Development is 1-800-JOB-IOWA.

AUDIO: news conference…MP3 23 min.

Filed Under: Business, Crime & Courts, Fires/Accidents/Disasters, Politics & Government, Technology Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Culver: "too early to know" whether DHS mishandled child abuse case

July 15, 2009 By

Governor Chet Culver says it’s "too early to know" whether the Department of Human Services did anything wrong in its review of a baby’s welfare.

Last month, a Des Moines infant was treated for a broken arm and, while the D.H.S. launched an investigation, the child remained with his parents. The baby’s father is Jonas Neiderbach, son of Jon Neiderbach — a financial analyst for the Department of Human Services. The baby and his parents were living in Jon Neiderbach’s home. The baby is now in critical condition in a Des Moines hospital, being treated for head trauma and broken ribs — injuries the boy suffered last week.

Governor Culver says he is "extremely concerned" about what has happened.

"My thoughts and prayers go out to this child, in particular," Culver says. "We are going to get to the bottom of this and we will use every resource in state govt, including the Division of Criminal Investigation in the Department of Public Safety to get to the bottom of this and to hold those individuals accountable for this horrific abuse."

Culver is not yet ready to say whether the D.H.S. was wrong to allow the baby to stay with the parents after the boy’s broken arm was reported to authorities.

"It’s too early to know," Culver says. "We’re putting everything together, getting the facts on the table. I’ve had a number of discussions with indivuduals at different agencies and within the (governor’s) office about the urgency and the speed at which I want to move forward and get — again, hold those accountable."

Culver hints that he cannot release more details of the case, because of the criminal investigation.

"We are doing a full and complete investigation," Culver told statehouse reporters Tuesday afternoon, "and we will have more to say as I am permitted to share details."

This past spring, Culver appointed his chief of staff to serve as director of the Department of Human Services.

Click on the audio link below to listen to Culver’s brief discussion of the case.

AUDIO: Culver discusses case…MP3 1.5 min

Filed Under: Crime & Courts, Politics & Government Tagged With: , , ,

Use caution with "secret shopper" offer

July 15, 2009 By

Iowans are being warned about a "secret shopper" scam which may have its roots in Nebraska. Authorities in both states are investigating the scheme in which people are recruited to patronize certain businesses, report on the experience and get paid for it.

Nebraska Attorney General Jon Bruning says people in Iowa and elsewhere are being approached through the U-S mail and through e-mail. "The trick here is what’s being provided is a check for training," Bruning says. "Well, the check is a fake check."

Bruning says consumers receive the training check, they’re asked to cash it, then send or wire money back to the business. He says about 300 people have already fallen victim to the scam, but he couldn’t say how many of them were in Iowa.

"The checks have been two-to-three-thousand dollars and they put a new twist on this," Bruning says. "There’s a phone number and they appear to come from a Nebraska bank."

Bruning says the check looks very legitimate but he warns, Iowans should not fall for the trickery and the promise of easy money. He says, "There’s a phone number on the checks and indeed, if a bank locally, if you try to cash, you follow up, there’s somebody on the other end of the call who’s keeping track of these fraudulent checks that have been sent out."

Iowans are urged to contact the Iowa Attorney General’s office of consumer protection if they get such an offer — by mail or email.

Filed Under: Business, Crime & Courts Tagged With: ,

Realtors group reports 19.2 percent rise in Iowa home sales

July 15, 2009 By

Home Sales The president of the Iowa Association of Realtors says home sales in June rose 19.2 percent compared to May.

Iowa Association of Realtors president Terry Knapp of Harlan says it’s more good news for Iowa’s housing market as May sales increased by 17.6 percent from April.

"We’ve been talking about what the $8,000 tax credit has been doing to stimulate the market and I think this does show that it is helping the market considerably," Knapp said.

The tax credit for first time homebuyers is scheduled to run through November of this year. Knapp says low interest rates, in the five percent range, have also contributed to the increase in home sales.

The average sale price of Iowa homes in June was $151,709. That’s down just 2.9 percent from June 2008. Knapp says he believes the prices are holding fairly steady, especially considering the number of homes being sold.

"Some of the markets are (saying) they’re having lower average prices because of so many foreclosed homes, but that’s not the case overall in Iowa," Knapp said. "Our average sales price is holding real steady compared to what it was in 2008."

Despite the increase in sales, Knapp says there are a lot of Iowans having trouble selling their homes in a timely manner. Homes spent an average of 106 days on the market in June, 10 days longer than the figure recorded one year ago. Knapp believes homes could begin spending fewer days on the market as more buyers enter the market this summer.

Filed Under: Agriculture, Business Tagged With:

Fire destroys NE Iowa boat business

July 15, 2009 By

Fire broke out at Lake Delhi Marina early this morning, burning the showroom and shop to the ground. The business is located along Highway 13 between Manchester and Ryan in Delaware County.

Owner Rusty Peck, who lives on Lake Delhi, says he couldn’t believe it when he arrived at the scene. Peck says he got a call at 3:30 this morning that the shop was on fire and he dashed over to find the entire structure in flames.

Investigators with the Ryan Fire Department aren’t sure yet what caused the fire, but Peck says there were several explosions. His two sons were staying in a building across the parking lot from the marina. They were awakened by what they thought were gunshots and thought a break-in was in progress. They armed themselves and looked out the window to see the fire.

Peck estimates the loss of the building and its contents at over one-million dollars. He says there were new boats, used boats, customers’ boats, a skid loader, a truck — many things were lost in the fire. Lake Delhi Marina is going into its tenth year of business and has been located at this particular site for about three years.

Ryan firefighters were still on the scene late Wednesday morning. The cause of the blaze is under investigation by the State Fire Marshal’s Office.

 

Filed Under: Fires/Accidents/Disasters, Recreation & Entertainment Tagged With:

Grandfather of critically-injured baby issues statement

July 15, 2009 By

The grandfather of a critically-injured Des Moines baby says the boy is making some progress.

The baby’s parents — 20-year-old Jherica Richardson and 20-year-old Jonas Neiderbach, have been charged with multiple counts of child endangerment. The couple and the baby had been living in the home of Jon Neiderbach, a former Des Moines School Board member. He is the baby’s grandfather.

Doctors say the baby, who is named Ethan, suffered severe head injuries and broken ribs last week. Last month, the baby was treated for a broken arm. The Department of Human Services began an investigation last month, but the child was not removed from the home. Jon Neiderbach, the baby’s grandfather, works for the department as a financial analyst.

Jon Neiderbach issued a statement Tuesday saying his family was "living through a very difficult time."

The elder Neiderbach has posted information about the baby’s current condition on Facebook, a social networking site on the Internet. According to the grandfather, the baby "is showing signs of improvement." He thanked friends and family for their prayers and thoughts. The grandfather cautioned, though, that it is still unknown whether the boy will fully recover.

Filed Under: Crime & Courts
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