Man breaks into house thinking there was rape...just porn
 

Thought this was kind of a funny case. Although I do understand why the man did this, it's the sword that kind of freaked me out. Then I got thinking, he could have had a gun, so maybe it's good that he got charged. Anywho, the moral of the story is to wear headphones or turn down the volume when watching porn.
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Man's good intentions die by the sword
He breaks into apartment, mistaking porn screams for actual rape
The Associated Press
Updated: 8:57 p.m. ET Feb. 21, 2007
OCONOMOWOC, Wis. - A man said 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 Feb. 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 due 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.

© 2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

One case like this vs. how many times people have done NOTHING when they actually were whiteness to rape? This guy should be given a metal for having the testicular fortitude to put his life on the line to prevent a rape. If only others were as brave.

I have to agree.

Had there been a rape going on, this story would have been different.

I dont feel he should be prosecuted for such a thing. Situations like this are what prohibit good people from doing what could have been a life saving thing.

the guy watching the porn is probably unbelievably embarrassed and no doubt feels violated that some guy broke in this home brandishing a sword which he was simply watching some Pornography (regardless of how loud he was watching it)

I have a feeling that the charges will be dropped or a least he won't have to serve any time if it gets that far.

Everyone so far has spoken my mind. Here's hoping the case will be thrown out! "Testicular fortitude", indeed!

That happens to me all the time, the neighbors barge in right when I'm about to pop. I should really turn down my TV or wear headphones.

At first I found this quite hilarious, and at the same time courageous - how many people hear crimes and do nothing? He could have saved a girl if it had actually been a rape.

But then,
According to this article, he kicked in the door TEN HOURS LATER.


That article also includes the title of the movie --- "Casa de Culo", translated it means "House of Ass". lol

LOL

10 hours later?! Weak.

The local paper says 9 hours later...

Either way, it's weird.

http://graphics.jsonline.com/graphic...porn022107.jpg

I can just see this guy WAITING for a moment when he can feel justified in pulling out that sword.

...maybe it was the apartment on the other side......

I just just hope some concerned citizen does not break into my house while I'm watching one of the "24" series episodes and thinks that I am torturing someone.

I agree with most everyone on here, the man ought to be given a metal. I think the charges should be dropped. What was he supposed to do knock and politely ask to enter the premises.
Note to self... wear headphones next time.

...and I loved the fortitude phrase! Thanks for the update, Miss Mango!

Why not? That's what I would have done. Loudly knock on the door and give some warning that I would break the door down if an answer weren't forthcoming. Then again, I live in a civil society. You know, with other people...

I'm shocked at the amount of support for this guy. Would you all have been as supportive if he had killed this innocent man? He meant well so we should just let hm go!

I hope the victim can take his neighbour to small claims court for the damages and embarrassment he recieved...

Yes, there are cases where rape have occured and no one did anything and I admonish that. However, that doesn't mean we should reward someone for breaking into an innocent man's home and threatening his life. That's absurd...

At least Stewie is funny...

10 hours later... LOL

I could see supporting this guy if he did in the heat of the moment but 10 hours is a long time to think about things... and call the police.

The guy's a nutjob looking for an excuse to play rescue hero.

Agreed ... if it's that long after the fact he's no hero, is he? That would be plenty of time to call the cops, even if you don't have a phone in your apartment.

What he should be given is a psych evaluation.

This has been driving me nuts... it's medal.

He's the bravest twit ever. lol

(9 hours later?? come on)

Even if he had barged in, immediately, he's no hero to me...

If he'd barged in immediately and actually rescued someone...from something...what havoc incomplete "facts" create!

No, he should have just asked the man to turn the TV sound down a little.

I agree here. We pay cops to to do this sort of thing. And I'm sorry, someone comes breaking my door down for no reason and he's weilding a sword.... I'm getting something to defend myself with (i.e. a gun) and grabbing my phone and calling 911.

Sorry sports fans but vigilantism whether "for the right reasons" or not, only leads to really bad things.

To me the guy weilding the sword sounds like some deranged psycho in need of help. Not as some great hero.

Let us not forget my darling soon to be husband that your soon to be wife collects sharp pointy objects and I dare say that should you be in mortal danger I doubt if you would be upset if I were to use one to turn your would be assassin into a shiskibob.

And it's not hard to find someone that HAS a phone. He could have easily found a way to contact the police. Especially over the course of 9 hours!

Okay... 10 hours later? He was on drugs or something..

If he had gone over immediately, I could understand people saying to reward him, but waiting for ten hours before doing anything? If he wasn't going to barge in right away, he should've just called the cops.

Maybe he decided it would be prudent to take a 10 hour nap.

I say we give him Poweslave by Maiden.
http://perso.orange.fr/religionnaire...powerslave.jpg

Had he taken immediate action, I might be inclined to give him a pass. For one thing, why didn't he call the police? Was he just looking to be the hero? Why, I wonder, did he wait for 9 hours to take action? Did it take him that long to decide that action might be nesessary? Did he figure that maybe it would be safer? Did he figure that was long enough for the drugs to be out of his system?

It's certainly tempting to place this guy on a pedestal, and heap endless paise upon him, for having the guts to take action, when so many would not even consider it. But, there are just to many details to be answered first.

Bill, the article says he doesn't have a phone. Hence his reason for not calling the police. That said, 9 or 10 hours is a long time to find a phone booth or a neighbour with a phone.

I stand by my earlier assertion that he has issues and was looking for an excuse to play rescue hero.

I think it is a bad idea to encourage guys like this to break into their neighbors house brandishing a weapon because the TV was a little too loud. Just think of all the dangerous sounding dialog one can hear from just standard TV dramas.

This reminds me of the kid in the movie "Home Alone" who played the gangster movie to discourage the robbers from entering his house. Just in reverse.

Sounds like he was getting tired of sitting at the dinner table with mom and hearing the sounds of ecstasy pour in from upstairs.

Maybe he was thinking about getting a little rape action himself... perhaps the "I was trying to stop a rape" was some after thought up excuse.

If he came into my place he would be one dead guy.

I will not comment on the specifics of this case, but this is incorrect. Cops are not paid to protect individuals from harm. If they were, litigation against officers for not protecting an individual would succeed. It doesn't.

Cops enforce the law and investigate crime, they are not a bodyguard service.

When we cannot expect our fellow citizen to help us, our society is not worth the protection of law enforcement agencies.

I'm picturing a guy, comedy movie style, running up endless stairs while the damsel in distress is being taunted by the evil guy ;)

And I vote for the guy being a nut job.

He is lucky the guy watching porno didn't blow him up when he broke in 9 hours later. Come over and brake my door, I may be in the bathroom taking a crap and then I would crap my pants trying to figure out what just happened while I reach for my pellet gun. The guy is Loco.

Nine hours...I don't think I've ever watched porn for that long.

If porno guy had a gun, sword guy would be dead from a justified shooting. Sword guy is lucky to be alive and should be charged and jailed.