POLICE BLOTTER: Man Thinks He Was Assaulted But Can't Recall Details

Editor's Note: All information below is provided by police in incident reports and reflects when the incident occurred, not when an arrest or charges were filed. Charges do not always result in convictions.

WDM Man Reports Possible Assault at Strip Club

A 48-year-old West Des Moines man reported to police Thursday that he may have been assaulted at the Beach Girls gentlemen’s club at 6220 Raccoon River Drive, but did not remember the details.

According to Officer Jeff Logan’s report on file with the West Des Moines Police Department, the man said he arrived at the club about midnight after having had a couple of beers with his girlfriend, but did not drink at the club. He said two of the dancers invited him to the back room for a private dance, but he declined, and the last thing he remembered was watching the dancers.

When Logan met with the victim shortly after noon on Thursday, he said he had struggled to get out of bed because he “felt as though he had been hit in the knees with a baseball bat” and his head also hurt. According to the report, he asked his brother to take him to the hospital, but he was unavailable due to work.

Logan called West Des Moines EMS Services, but the victim refused transport and said he would have someone take him later. The officer took photos of injuries to the victim’s head. He had dried blood on the left side of his head, and his left eye was swollen and red.

The victim told police he had been to Beach Girls about three times in recent weeks, but this was the first time he encountered problems.

Teacher on ‘Concussion Watch’ After Assault

Police were called to 713 Eighth St., Wednesday to investigate an assault causing injury by an 11-year-old student. The student allegedly assaulted a special education teacher, who was placed “concussion watch” because of the injuries she suffered.

According to police reports, the student became enraged and began to damage property in a classroom, including pushing over file cabinets, breaking shelves and hanging from the light fixtures. When attempts were made to stop the action, the student attacked the teacher, scratching her, causing bruising and striking her, including in her face.

The boy reportedly threatened to bring a weapon to school and kill her. He was placed in a padded safety room until police arrived.

An assistant principal at the school said she is concerned that the threats against the teacher are real due to the escalating intensity of the student’s physical aggression.

The student was calm when police arrived, and was taken into the patrol car without incident. He was released to his mother and given a two-day school suspension.

Feud Between Co-Workers Turns Physical

Police were called to Cinemark Theaters, 101 Jordan Creek Pkwy., Saturday night after a fight erupted between two female employees, both 17. The alleged victim of the assault said she was assaulted by a co-worker and was subsequently fired. The alleged perpetrator said the other girl had started the fight.

After an argument in the break room, the two girls exchanged “punches, hair pulls and scratching, ending up on the floor in the break room,” according to Officer Jason Lichty’s report.

The alleged victim’s injuries included two bumps over her left eye and minor bruises, cuts and scratches. It is unknown whether the other girl was injured.

Nov. 21
Nadir Topic, 36, of 3853 Hubbell Ave., Des Moines, was arrested in the 3400 block of Valley View Drive for violation of a no-contact order.

Nov. 20
Employees at The Glass House, 800 First St., reported that a rock had been thrown through the front window. Entry was not gained.

An 80-year-old resident at 616 Fourth St. reported that she was watching television late Sunday afternoon when someone threw a rock through the window of her front porch.

Nov. 19
Nicholas Ray Schaffer, 25, of Madrid, was charged with operating a motor vehicle while under the influence.

Casey Renee Sanger, 30, of Panora was charged with operating a motor vehicle while under the influence, second offense.

Shawna Alicia Neal, 35, of 4805 Boulevard Place, Des Moines was charged with public intoxication.

A resident of 208 Ninth St. reported the theft of a trailer ball hitch valued at $350 from his pickup.

Nov. 18
Shane Hertig, 20, of Scottsbluff, Neb., was charged with public intoxication.

Hajrija Samardzic, 28, of 8602 Westown Pkwy. was charged with child endangerment, an aggravated misdemeanor, after police obtained cell phone videos showing Samardzic yelling at her 6-year-old daughter and striking her in the face. Samardzic was taken to the West Des Moines Jail. She was released and ordered to appear in Dallas County District Court at a later date.

The management of Sun Prairie Apartments, 5881 Vista Drive, reported to West Des Moines police Friday that drug paraphernalia was found in the apartment rented to two 20-year-old women. The women allowed police to search the apartment, which turned up nothing additional and no charges were filed. Police said it was determined the bong may have belonged to friends who had since moved to Florida.

Jennifer Freeman, 39, of Grimes reported that her purse, which conained her driver’s license and credit cards, and a digital camera were stolen from her car while it was parked in the alley at 529 10th St. She was helping her mother-in-law move and had left her vehicle unlocked.

Nov. 17
A resident at Edgewater Senior Living, 9225 Cascade Ave., reported the theft of a box of 15 hand-painted dishes from the floor of her bedroom closet. She told police they were Haviland china and were valuable and she would recognize them if she saw, though she couldn’t say exactly what they were worth. She reported the theft to the management at Edgewater.

Todd Ellis Hoskins, 38, of 3004 Boulder Drive, was charged with operating a motor vehicle while his license is revoked.

Nov. 16
Nolan Paul Carrigan, 30, of 4120 Concord Plaza was charged with simple assault.

Nov. 15
Police were dispatched to 1208 Office Park Road after a report that a woman had been stabbed and was being chased by a man in the parking lot. Officer Russell Curtis said that when he arrived, the suspect was already in custody. The victim had a small cut on her right hand between the thumb and index finger and declined treatment. She said she works at Easter Seals and is the caregiver for the suspect, who has a mental disability.

Police dispatched to the Stride Right store at Valley West Mall, 1551 Valley West Drive, after an employee saw a man strike his 5-year-old daughter in the arm with a fist.

A 14-year-old West Des Moines girl was charged with simple assault causing injury after an incident involving her father, 68. According to police reports, he had asked her to turn off her computer per an agreement reached in the Polk County Juvenile Court System that she use it only one hour per day. When she refused to turn off the computer, he removed the power cord from the wall. A verbal argument ensued, and the girl struck her father with the power cord on the upper back and left forearm, causing marks. Police said the juvenile had a history of running away and assaulting her parents. She was arrested and taken to the Meyer Hall juvenile detention center.

Molly Anderson White, 46, of Humeston was charged with possession of a controlled substance.

Brittany Dorene Butts, 26, of Des Moines was charged with driving while her license was revoked, driving while her license was suspended and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Nov. 14
An Ohio woman reported to West Des Moines police that someone in West Des Moines had used her credit card number at the JC Penney store in Valley West Mall in October, and that a credit card application had been made in her name at the Best Buy store at 4100 University Ave. on the same day.