Sunday, April 15, 2007

I'm sorry... I've been slacking lately... Several of you have been crawling up my ass because I haven't enriched the blogging world with the latest and greatest Tales of Davenport. For your pleasure, I present, the Saga of Ron Van Fossen; Davenport Alderman...

Quad City Times, via QCTIMES.net

Van Fossen jailed shortly before special meeting

By Kurt Allemeier | Wednesday, April 11, 2007

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Davenport Alderman Ron Van Fossen, 1st Ward, was booked into the Scott County Jail on Tuesday less than an hour before a special City Council meeting.

Van Fossen — scheduled for trial Friday on charges of domestic abuse assault — was sentenced to seven days in jail Tuesday on contempt violation of a no-contact or protective order for a February violation of the no-contact order involving his estranged wife.

He was booked into the jail at 4:18 p.m., shortly before the council began meeting on whether to reorganize the city’s legal staff.

Van Fossen, who recently returned from an alcohol rehabilitation center in Minnesota, has said he will not resign his council position. Along with the criminal charges, he is also involved in a complaint by a city employee alleging sexual harassment.

Van Fossen has been criticized by former Mayor Pat Gibbs, who has called for the alderman’s resignation. Gibbs, who was narrowly defeated by Van Fossen for the seat in 2005, asked Mayor Ed Winborn to appoint him and promised to petition for a special election if he was not appointed.

Van Fossen, 63, was arrested Feb. 13 at the Enchanted Inn, 4815 S. Concord St., for the violation of a no- contact order related to an incident from the previous night when he allegedly forced his way into his estranged wife’s home and shoved her, causing her to strike her head on a refrigerator.

Debra VanFossen she suffered a head injury that required treatment.

Kurt Allemeier can be contacted at (563) 383-2360 or kallemeier@qctimes.com.

RECENT TROUBLE

Davenport Alderman Ron Van Fossen’s recent incidents:

Feb. 12 — Arrested for allegedly forcing his way into his wife’s South Concord Street home and shoving her into a refrigerator. He denies the allegations.

Feb. 13 — Arrested again for allegedly violating a court order of protection by entering the Enchanted Inn on South Concord where his wife was.

Feb. 21 — Reports a burglary at his Enchanted Island home after discovering an attache case containing $5,000, a shotgun and a box of ammunition are missing.

Feb. 27 — Suffers a mild heart attack and is hospitalized.

March 2 — News becomes public of a civil rights complaint alleging sexual harassment filed by Cynthia Webb, an administrative assistant to the City Council.

March 3 — Enters an alcohol treatment program at Hazelden Foundation’s Center City, Minn., campus.

April 2 — Leaves alcohol treatment and attends the City Council’s Committee of the Whole meeting.

April 10 — Sentenced to seven days in the Scott County Jail for violation of a protective order.



Alderman pleads guilty to domestic abuse charge

By Kurt Allemeier | Saturday, April 14, 2007

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Davenport Alderman Ron Van Fossen pleaded guilty to simple domestic abuse assault and was sentenced to 20 days in jail Friday for attacking his estranged wife in an incident at her home in February.

All but two of the 20 days were suspended and will be served concurrently with the seven-day sentence he received and began serving earlier this week for violating a no-contact order. The no-contact order protecting Debra Van Fossen was extended.

Under the plea agreement, the 1st Ward Alderman also was sentenced to one year of unsupervised probation and ordered to complete the Domestic Violence Batterers Education Program. Scott County Sheriff’s Department officials say he isn’t segregated from the general jail population. He is taking medication for a heart stent, according to the jail booking sheet.

Van Fossen, 63, was to go on trial Friday morning for the domestic battery charge. About an hour after the trial was scheduled to begin, Scott County District Judge James E. Kelley entered the courtroom to announce the plea agreement. Van Fossen didn’t appear in court.

He has said he won’t resign from the Davenport City Council, but his legal woes aren’t over when he leaves the Scott County Jail. He is also involved in a sexual harassment complaint filed by a city hall employee.

Also Friday, Davenport resident Don Stevens Jr. delivered to City Hall a petition signed by about 20 1st Ward residents, urging the Davenport City Council to remove Van Fossen from office for “behavior unbecoming of an elected official” and his arrest and jailing.

Police say Van Fossen, 63, forced his way into his estranged wife’s home and shoved her Feb. 12, causing her to strike her head on a refrigerator. Debra Van Fossen obtained a no-contact order against her husband the next day when he was arrested for violating it.

In that incident on Feb. 13, he went to the Enchanted Inn, 4815 S. Concord St., where his wife was. She immediately left the establishment. He suffered a mild heart attack in late February.

The alderman appeared in court Wednesday for violating the no-contact order. Four witnesses testified and a judge ruled that the order was violated. He was sentenced to 180 days in jail, with all but seven days suspended.

Van Fossen went into alcohol-treatment program in Minnesota last month. He returned earlier this month, saying he was sober and even had cut down on his smoking.

Since his domestic abuse arrest, his home was burglarized, with $5,000 cash, a shotgun and ammunition reportedly taken.



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So for any of you that missed it; this is a wonderful alderman from Davenport who, like some of the other Court Jesters [ahem; Keith Myers], seems never to be satified with fucking up. Here he is, in his glory, fresh off beating his wife [allegedly], with a sex suit on his hands, with a past history of a DWI, he decides to go galavanting around... until he got popped... just minutes before a city council meeting. Nice. Real nice. Ron, you are one classy gent, you! Cheers to getting banged around in a jail cell on company time.... errr... tax payer dime!