MASON CITY – An office was ransacked last week and a threatening message was left behind, putting employees of a non-profit on edge and leading to a police investigation.
Sources disclosed to NIT that there was an incident reported to police on the morning of May 4, involving an office at North Iowa Community Action Organization (NICAO), which serves a 9-county area and is dedicated to “reducing poverty in our communities”. NICAO is located inside 218 5th Street SW in Mason City.
Police are being tight-lipped about this incident, telling NIT only that there was property damage and that no further information can be released at this time. Interestingly, police notes indicate the incident is not classified as criminal mischief or vandalism.
However, sources are telling NIT that there is much more to the story.
A source with knowledge of the incident said that a NICAO office was “ransacked” and that files were dumped out and scattered; the source described the office as a “destructive crime scene”. Perhaps most disturbingly, the source said that someone wrote “die (expletive)” on a dry erase board and “DIE (expletive) on another wall in the office. NIT is not releasing the name of the person who works in the office that was invaded, but one of our sources says the woman works with landlords, tenants and funding connected to low-income housing.
Furthermore, according to our source, in order to reach the office that was targeted, at least two locked doors – one of which requires a passcode – stands in the way of gaining entry. The code is allegedly only known by staff members, and there did not appear to be force used to get into the office past the locked doors.
Sources say employees in the building are “horrified,” and no one there wants the incident in the news. At least one employee has been given time off to cope with the intrusion and has talked to others of obtaining a firearm and lessons to use it.
A call to North Iowa Community Action Organization was not answered, and a message left for Executive Director Dick Goerdt was not immediately responded to. The agency’s board of directors are persons with clout from towns throughout a nine county area, as far away as Algona and Charles City, Lake Mills and Hampton.
This is very scary and disturbing if this was done by a co-worker. I hope they find out who did this and prosecute them heavily for it. No one should have to be afraid to go to work.
@ Sad but True: So you think somebody has a right to shoot somebody for breaking into an office? What kind of a right-wing crazy nut are you? Pee Wee, I also read Mr. Blodgett’s latest crap, today’s screed about guns and how he wants people in Baltimore to line up blacks and shoot them down. You and all these other gun-crazy Republitards here really need to grow up. Real life is not like Cowboys & Indians, and thank goodness for that! Crackpots like you and Toddy boy are dangerous.
Tell the that in Baltimore. People like you are the reason they think they can rob an destroy other people’s property. With any luck yours will be next and you will be begging for someone with a gun to help you. You crybaby’s make me sick. All mouth and no guts.
84 murders in Baltimore this year already almost all by shooting, lack of gun ownership doesn’t appear to be the problem.
The problem in Baltimore is caused by the liberals and Obama. They have been in control of that city for years and years. Billions have been spent on their social programs and look what happened. Liberals have been in charge of every city where there have been riots and the destruction of private property by the welfare scum.
You need to climb out from under that liberal rock you live under. It is making you STUPID and you were already dumb or you wouldn’t be a liberal.
Your inability to debate or have a conversation without name calling speaks volumes of your intelligence.
I wonder if Mason City’s Finest did any fingerprinting in her office. If the perp didn’t wear gloves, it should have been fairly easy to identify who did this by checking prints on all the current employees. And this incident should be labeled some sort of crime. It is in the very least stalking, if not making terroristic threats, or whatever it is called. However, since the organization did NOT want this publicized the police may have helped them keep it quiet by saying there was no crime.
The lady got her office broke into told someone I know she wants to get a gun from Todd Blodgett, says she is good friend of his them two go way back. God help us for real, if that Republitard crack head slip’s her a gun. My friend said her mind is not in a good way just now, she is scared. No telling the bad might come from this lady getting hold of some heat and packing. If your reading this, now I am talking to the poor thing, do not go spin out of control, just pray and be calm.
@ Tonya, now this is all fitting together, makes sense. I saw Toddy Boy struck again, the Globb ran one of his nasty columns in today’s paper. It’s about guns and how he wants people to shoot people to solve problems. You have called attention to a very real concern, can your friend tell this victim to just keep away from Toddy Boy? She doesn’t want to associate with a spoiled drug addict, who gets a free pass every time he illegally pulls his gun on people. Thank you for the input.
So she should just go on being a victim? I think everyone should be responsible for protecting themselves! 9Mil would be a nice solution
Good God, Sad-but-True, you are sick, sick, sick. You sound just like Blodgett’s horrific column in today’s Globb. Suggesting people solve their troubles with a 9 millileter pistol is asinine. Why do you Neanderthals always want to kill people? She will not remain a victim if she goes to the police, which she apparently already has. I demand you cease forthwith with your racist nonsense. You are a bigoted, trigger-happy fool, as is Toddy Boy. Are you in his gun club, too, fool?
I seen Blodgett’s article in the paper today, we was talking about it with our friends up to the place where we have coffee. Ever one of us agrees with it to, Laker. So, what do you think about that. Your the fool Laker lady, a libtard to, not sad-but-true, its you. Go away.
We don’t want to kill all people. Just people who post stupid crap on blog sites.
Because you agree doesn’t mean it is right. Look what LVS wants to happen.
Mary Beth-shame on you. You know better than to throw rocks and make personal attacks. You didn’t like it when people did that to you.
It looks like all the real kooks who are the real problem are out today and you are one of them.
Really good to see somebody is on top of what goes on around here. This is a news-worthy story, I could of told you that KGLO, KIMT, Globb, ect. would never do this stuff in a million years. I am going to subscribe to NIT, looks like its the only place we can go to for the news we deserve to have. Thanks Mr. Marquardt, nice work here.
Matt-Great job in bringing this information to the public. I would think they crossed the line from vandalism to terrorism when they wrote die in the office. That is a very serious offense. They say only staff members have the code to get in, but I would bet whoever does the cleaning has it as well as whoever does their security. It will be interesting to see who did this and what their reasons are. By bringing it out it could be just what is needed to get someone to talk.
Thanks LVS. Yes it seems like a frightening situation. Let’s hope the PD can catch the person responsible.
@ Mason City J. D., if your who I think you are, we met over to Lorado’s. And you have done some legal work for Herman. You better zip it. STFU, gossip guy, I am seriously pissed at you. So what your a lawyer, just STFU.
@ Union: I support Labor Unions, but you need to show some respect to the attorney who represents your friend and has informed us readers about this office invasion. Threats, even verbal ones, aren’t appropriate, especially coming from someone like you. Stick to your job and leave the thinking to qualified professionals like MC J.D. I suspect whoever destroyed this lady’s office may be guilty of sexual harassment. If so, he should be fully prosecuted. I am a male, but I am a feminist.
@ NIACC we don’t need no college teacher going after working people your prejudice. Union told you to STFU your smart to STFU. I do think your maybe right about the sex harassment yes it can be terrorism to lvs. Thank you Matt for bringing this out, the Globb I bet will sweep it under the rug. it is also a good thing some of Mr Georts workers are not afraid to tell what is going on to NIT. Thats what happen’s when you do not call people back when their from the press.
What do you bet who ever done this is one of them welfare scum, their may be pissed off on count of not getting no sect #8 money to live lazy in some slum lord place, they want to do drugs there and making baby’s in it we all got to pay for. To bad if no video’s yes that would of showed who done this, what do you bet they arent even from around here, probably Detroit or Chicago, yes. I hope they catch who ever it is, run them out of town on a rail. This costs me money yes.
Vince, you’re a pathetic, bigoted, right-wing nut. How have you any idea of who may be the perpetrator in this case? Narrow-minded, semi-literate neanderthals like you sicken me, so go stick it in your Republitard ear. Section 8 participants are not allowed to use drugs in their rental homes. It is called illegal, and if they are caught doing so, they go to jail for years and years. Your “Archy Bunker” reasoning is as faulty as your grammar, spelling, punctuation, and usage. PATHETIC.
You sound like a complete idiot. Your grammar is shameful and the point you are trying to make is bigoted and horrible. The world would be better off without you.
Sounds to me like this could of been a inside job since only them that has a key and the code could of got in there at least that far in. Good job Matt getting all this stich up together.
@ North Adams, do you mean somebody that works there let somebody in to do this awful thing? Or do you mean like a person works in this building did it them self. This is the first we have heard on this, Mr Marquardt thank you for sniffing out these things the Globb either keeps from us or Skippy and them don’t have any clue about. I can see why MCPD and the action people want to keep a tight lid on this one. Could be a disgrunted employee to.
I just read this, and called a friend who is of a high rank at Community Action. He told me he has suspicions of who is culpable, but has to be very careful about what he says. He wasn’t pleased that this news got out. One of his top aides also has suspicions re. a certain staff member who is upset with the lady whose office was torn up. Files dumped, etc. He did confirm everything in this article is true. He does not subscribe to N.I.T., so I read this over the phone to him.
@ so your a lawyer, MC JD? Are you friends with Dick Geort, is this the man you called. I have a friend she has worked there for a long while. My friend told me about this over the weekend, she says Mr. Geort told everybody nobody is suppose to say nothing on this, look’s like people are talking anyways. Glad to see this has got out to the people, good work Mr. Matt!!!!!
Yes, Denise, I am, indeed, friends with Dick, who does a fine job. No, he was not who I called. My friend works with Barb Kellogg, and he and Barb are extremely worried about this matter, as are all of the staff members. I cannot say I blame Dick for instructing his staff to keep quiet about this, but it’s very unfortunate that some of them obviously chose to violate his order. My friend there has said for some time now that some heads there need to roll.
Nobody ever wants bad news about themselves to get out. If the public needs or has a right to know, though, it should get out, no matter who gets embarrassed by it. That’s what a free press is for.