Here I come, to save the day!

[Aggie87]

Sword seized after man mistakes porn for rape

OCONOMOWOC, Wisconsin (AP) -- A man says he broke into an apartment with a cavalry sword because he thought he heard a woman being raped, but the sound actually was from a pornographic movie his upstairs neighbor was watching.

"Now I feel stupid," said James Van Iveren, who has been charged in the case. "This really is nothing, nothing but a mistake."

According to a criminal complaint, the neighbor told police that Van Iveren pounded on the door and kicked it open without warning February 12, damaging the frame and lock.

"Where is she?" Van Iveren demanded, thrusting the sword at the neighbor, the complaint said. "Where is she?"

The neighbor told police Van Iveren became increasingly aggressive as he repeated the question, insisting that he had heard a woman being raped. The complaint said that, with the sword pointed at him, the neighbor led Van Iveren throughout the apartment, opening closet doors to prove he was alone.

The neighbor later played for police the part of the DVD he believed Van Iveren heard downstairs.

Van Iveren, 39, of Oconomowoc, was charged with criminal trespass, criminal damage and disorderly conduct, all while using a dangerous weapon, and is scheduled to appear in court March 5. Together, the misdemeanor counts carry a maximum sentence of 33 months in jail.

Van Iveren said Tuesday that he heard a woman "screaming for help," grabbed the sword, bounded up the stairs, kicked in the apartment door and confronted the man who lived there.

"I intended to hold it behind my back and knock. But I froze and instead, what happened happened," he told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

Contesting his neighbor's account, Van Iveren said he didn't look anywhere in the apartment except the front room, and that he never threatened the neighbor with the sword.

"I had the sword extended, but that was all," he said.

Van Iveren, who lives with his mother in the downstairs apartment, said he did not call police when he heard the noises because he does not have a telephone. He said he barely knew the upstairs tenant.

Police seized Van Iveren's sword, which he said was a family heirloom.

******

The Swordsman:

Edited February 23, 2007 by Aggie87

[Aggie87]

As an aside, I think OCONOMOWOC would be a great album name for the next SCOLOHOFO release.

[Randy Twizzle]

It's easy to laugh at the guy, because of the way things turned out, but at least he made an attempt to do something when he believed somebody was being harmed. A few weeks ago people were aghast at the neighbors of that weird Missouri perv who held the kidnapped boy for 4 years. After the fact they reported hearing whimpering and crying sounds from the apartment but never lifted a finger to do anything at the time. This Wisconsin guy deserves some praise, but alas he's 39, still lives with his mother and looks slightly crazed, so he'll be mocked.

[Aggie87]

While I applaud the fact that he attempted to do something, his method is somewhat strange/comical, not to mention risky.

Calling the police might have been a smarter and safer approach, had a rapist or two with weapons actually been there.

[Scott Dolan]

While I applaud the fact that he attempted to do something, his method is somewhat strange/comical, not to mention risky.

Calling the police might have been a smarter and safer approach, had a rapist or two with weapons actually been there.

Yeah, but maybe he thought he could actually prevent the rape. But had he called police, the act would have been done and everyone would have fled the scene by the time they eventually showed up.

It obviously was a hasty decision that turned quite bad, but I agree with Mr. Twizzle on this one.

[Jazzmoose]

This Wisconsin guy deserves some praise, but alas he's 39, still lives with his mother and looks slightly crazed, so he'll be mocked.

Well, if he's 39 and still lives with his mother, he's probably used to it...

[sheldonm]

This Wisconsin guy deserves some praise, but alas he's 39, still lives with his mother and looks slightly crazed, so he'll be mocked.

Well, if he's 39 and still lives with his mother, he's probably used to it...

[porcy62]

A suggestion: don't play at loud volume Zappa's "The Torture Never Stops" or Yoko Ono's records if you have a 39 YO neighbour who lives with his mother. Unless you want to change your old door.

[The Magnificent Goldberg]

While I applaud the fact that he attempted to do something, his method is somewhat strange/comical, not to mention risky.

Calling the police might have been a smarter and safer approach, had a rapist or two with weapons actually been there.

The guy didn't have a phone.

How many people in the US, even in that place OC-something, don't have phones?

OK - answer - all the 39 year-olds who live with their mother.

MG

[Van Basten II]

Pretty sure that the guy watching the porno was expecting something more along a nymphomaniac nurse passing by to see there were any hot men who needed to have their temperatures checked.

[Hot Ptah]

He probably grabbed the sword thinking of the scene in Pulp Fiction.

Oconomowoc is a suburb of Milwaukee, and is one of several cities in Wisconsin with Native American or French names, as those were the earliest residents. I can't tell which it is, in this particular case.

I second the thought that at least he tried to help. There has been a mystery in Kansas City for several years, with a young girl's corpse found in a park. It could not be identified for a long time, and she became known as Precious Doe. Finally after many years the case was solved and the man who killed her was arrested. It was then reported that he before he killed her, he had often beaten the girl and that others heard her screams of pain, but did nothing.