by Matt Marquardt –
The precedent has been set.
It is OK in Mason City to grab, pull, bump, step on, intimidate, humiliate and generally abuse those you do not like. Maybe it is your wife that is annoying you. Maybe it is a co-worker that got the big raise or promotion that you wanted. Maybe it’s an old flame that won’t answer your calls. Perhaps it’s the guy in the bar that looked at you wrong. Maybe you asked someone to go in the back room to “talk” and they refused to go. Maybe you didn’t like the way someone spoke and wanted to shut them up. Maybe your child won’t stop crying. In Mason City, you can take matters into your own hands and get away with it.
Fear not, bad guys. Police have informed me that no charges will be filed against Robin Anderson and Tim Ackerman, even after video proof was submitted that each crossed a room intentionally and made physical, unwanted contact with me, which I told police was insulting and offensive. I made a statement, submitted all video evidence; they held me to a higher standard than others in requiring I turn over the video, and I complied. I waited patiently for justice to be done, and was disappointed today.
Iowa code states that simple assault in this state is committed by “Any act which is intended to place another in fear of immediate physical contact which will be painful, injurious, insulting, or offensive, coupled with the apparent ability to execute the act.”
Mason City police have deemed the actions of Anderson and Ackerman legal and not against the law. In the eyes of the Mason City Police Department, no law was broken, and both are innocent of any wrongdoing. I was told by police that they “just don’t see the intent.” I was also told on the day of the incident that they would investigate and see if “maybe you did something to deserve it.”
I told the officer who called this morning that I was extremely disappointed, dumbfounded, really. I told him that this is a dark day for the regular folk here in Mason City. I was told to call the ombudsman office if I didn’t like the outcome.
I am sticking to my story. I am sticking to my statement. The actions of both Anderson and Ackerman were wrong and constituted assault by the letter of Iowa law.
http://youtu.be/iZTOMMyeR2c
Journalism 101- if the story is about you, then you will not be objective and someone else needs to do the story.
Blogging 101- its all about the blogger so who cares about anything else…
Slick@ you may have hit a little bit of a nerve with me. Your comments about having to have a degree to be a journalist. Last I read the definition it said and no I am not going to quote. It defines somebody who reports on news worthy information and sends it out to the general public. That seems to me anyway, what Matt@ seems to be doing. The reason your comment kind of hit a nerve with me is in my life I have seen many people without degrees who were dedicated to there job get passed up for-
for people everybody that worked for the company that other workers knew would fail at it. I a have also seen allot of people that have built companies from the ground up through grit and elbow grease. I for one applaud them for it Seems Matt@ built his own company, survives life off of it. And does a damn good job. Your comments are without merit. Don’t judge somebody who created some business and became his own boss. Wish I was!!
@Big Country-Slickskin is obviously a establishment stooge. Pay no attention to him.
The only way the police would have pressed charges would have been if you had been injured.
I understand your point, but that’s not how the law reads. I disagree with their interpretation of the law, which does not say an injury is required. What if Robin has Ebola? She could have passed it on to me. She could very well have some nasty disease. I don’t want her or that goofy Italian food eating turd Ackerman touching me, period. If I want Robin to touch me I’ll ask her out on a date, but she shouldn’t hold her breath.
@Matt-You are probably safe on the Ebola. Social diseases I am not so sure.
Matt – What goes around -comes around – hard to defeat the fat cats – patience my boy patience – they will self destruct themselves.
Good going MCPD you just made an example to all that ITS OK.
Thank You!
Now,
Where is that waste of air witham
I love me some Dacota!
Harassment, intimidation, sexual connotations are always determined by the victim, never the one doing it. I just see this as odd. Did I expect jail time and a big production? No…. but I guess I did expect a ticket or fine of some sort. I don’t think this will be the end of it.
Was this a meeting to educate on what is and is not harassment in the work place? Person in high ranking position with the Chamber of Commerce did not like the actions of Matt, so she physically grabbed him… I guess that part was not discussed that afternoon. HR 101 You can not physically touch any person in the professional work area in anger or jest or flirting…. HARRASSMENT IN THE WORK PLACE. I guess that no longer applies. TOUCH AWAY ITS ALL GOOD and you might have provoked it.
Every since they disemboweled the HUman Right COmmission anything goes.
I guess this means that everyone especially Matt should approach them (with a smile. NON threatening) and do the exact same thing. nothing more, the exact same way. Smiling the whole time. Everyone who sees these two people on the street should greet them this way. Matt… did you get anything in writing about their ruling?? For proof of innocents in the future.
I only got a phone call where the police officer told me that after 6 days of investigations and thought on the matter they decided no charges would be filed. They did not “see” the “intent”. At least the “jury” was out for a long time, maybe there was some dissent in the room….
Demand for their excuse in writing for legal proof. the long jury time was to determine the backlash on the city.
Do you know if the police contacted both of them to get their side of the story?
Police claim that later Tuesday they conducted interviews.
What B.S WTG MCPD! ..And they investigated (or whatever they do) for a whole week? WOW! When they were “investigating” the tree incident involving my kids..they did it in a day! I was told by the Officer, he “wanted to hurry up and get things wrapped up before he went on vacation”…..Even the school told me that the Officer when he asked them for an estimate, said they needed to get him one right away. Funny how its almost 3 months later & we still haven’t resolved/reduced anything!
Yes this is (one) of my points. Six days to determine this was NOT an assault. WITH video evidence. And all the statements were taken that very day, Tuesday. So for six days this simmered, like the OJ jury or something. The common man is screwed. I think Robin and her henchmen could walk into your house and rob you blind and nothing would be done about it. Wait, they already did that when Eric and his council imposed 10% property tax hike to pay for her sculpture show and remodel of his office. When will the people of MC stand up for themselves and take their town back? They won’t, because there won’t be anyone left here by the time it is sacked by these Romans.
I don’t get it Matt. Since when does a police officer decide when charges are to be filed? His job is primarily to collect and verify information for the prosecutor to decide who to prosecute. Since when does a police officer have the training to decide who to prosecute. They are not trained in that capacity I believe that that is above their pay grade. I bet a competent lawyer can have of the convictions in this county overturned based on information coming from the police department.
I suppose they saw no real danger in her approach.
The real kicker is the power she has over the PD. That alone should embarrass the duty right out of all who decided this was not charge worthy even though the code is clear.
Now for the giant ego of Robin to be even more puffed up. Can’t you see her now Matt, everyone she looks at she will give a little smirk with a giggle like yes that happen isn’t HE crazy.
Can’t people press charges on another if they want anyway? Go further…
This is some funny stuff right here!
The Mason City Police Department is corrupt and has been for a very long time.
A “Citizen’s Public Safety Committee”, needs to be formed, privately funded, and with no attachment to ANY ‘official’ city or government body involved.
This CPSC or Citizens Public Safety Committee should get the backing of the entire community and oversee the day to day operations of the Mason City Police Department.
Then, and only then, can we put an end to the double standards that exist in Mason…
If you want to fix the law enforcement issues in mason city you need to elect the right county prosecutor. Read this Iowa created the County Attorney as an elected position in 1846. The primary responsibility of the County Attorney’s Office is criminal prosecution. The Prosecutor in many ways is the heart of the Criminal Justice system. Except for Simple Misdemeanors, all charging decisions rest with the prosecutor.
I told you so did I not?….Jim
Yes. Still had to make them prove this would be the outcome. They delivered.
And so ends the story of the boy who cried cougar…
Try the State attorney general or the Feds.
If you would have grabbed her hand/wrist you would have been charged with assault: 100% guaranteed, no doubt in my mind. Yes a double standard exists. Now you know how frustrated I was trying to get the insane man I sold my land too arrested for harassment, and intimidation with a firearm. Police just don’t work according to the letter of the law, but through the letter of politics, and social standing. She definitely assaulted you according to the letter of the law.
The appropriate action would have been for Robin to call the Mason City Police and have you evicted from the meeting for disruption. They had no right to physically confront you as you were not physically threatening to them. Now just imagine when a man broke into my mobile home, stole $1000 worth of construction materials, there were witnesses and the MCPD refused to even go over to his garage where the contraband was and investigate. A city police review board is needed ASAP
Now imagine a group of Nazi-like psychiatrists freely and forcibly drugging lesser fortunate citizens with powerful debilitating psychotropic medications to “control” them. Landlords who openly and freely steal deposit monies. County attorneys who refuse to prosecute wealthy murderers, yet pummel the poor; the list of offenses in Mason City and surrounding areas is plentiful. Your incident is one of perhaps thousands of injustices and double standards.
The county attorney who is that? Hi sis always MIA in any given legal situation in this county. It’s his job to show a strong presence in issues like this but he is MIA and I bet very few people know his name.
Carlyle Dalen
Sorry to hear it Matt. I guess there really are two set of laws in this town. Theirs and ours.