The Rescue That Never Was
Recently in the news is the story of a Wisconsin man who broke down his upstairs neighbor’s door and threatened him with a sword. 39-year-old James Van Iveren is charged with criminal trespassing while using a dangerous weapon, criminal damage to property while using a dangerous weapon and disorderly conduct while using a dangerous weapon. If convicted he could face almost 3 years in jail.
What makes this story important is the reason Van Iveren broke into the apartment of Bret Stieghorst. Van Iveren heard a woman screaming for help, and thought that a woman was being raped in the apartment above his. Upon hearing the cries for help, Van Iveren grabbed the only weapon he owned, a family heirloom sword, and rushed to the aid of what he thought was a woman in trouble, kicking in Stieghorst’s door.
Turns out that the voice Van Iveren heard was coming from a pornographic DVD that Stieghorst was watching. There was no rape in progress.
What if Van Iveren is convicted or receives a jail sentence? One thing is certain, it will make anyone who hears or witnesses a crime in progress think twice before coming to the aid of the victim.
In a litigious country, we have to have things like the Good Samaritan Law to prevent lawsuits for injury or wrongful death against those who come to the aid of the ill or injured. Of course, the first thing anyone should do in a situation like this is call the police, but Van Iveren doesn’t have a telephone. Was his reaction over-the-top? Maybe, or maybe not if you consider what he thought was happening and his intentions.
We can’t have a country full of vigilantes roaming the streets with swords wielding their own brand of justice but we should consider the impact of prosecuting someone like Van Iveren, who did no physical harm to anyone and acted completely out of a sense of duty to a fellow human being.
I won’t be surprised when Stieghorst files a lawsuit against Van Iveren for mental anguish, etc. But, let’s face it – whether you’re watching porn or The Price is Right, if other tenants can hear the screams and squeals, your TV is just too loud. And that’s not being a good neighbor.
You know…this just pisses me off. What a load of crap. He intended to protect another person, much more a woman. No one got hurt, and no one would have considering there was no rape in progress.
To hell with the American judicial system. As if it’s not screwed up enough, they prove their stupidity once again.
By Simon on March 2nd, 2007 at 4:30 pm
I think, first of all, that porn featuring women screaming for help cannot be something we should condone.
Van Iveren is an example to others; how many women’s lives would have been saved had other people reacted to cries for help when they had the opportunity?
By V.S. on March 2nd, 2007 at 6:50 pm
Simon,
I agree that the judicial system sometimes seems backwards, especially when it appears to punish the wrong people and allows the guilty to go unpunished. To some extent, the technicalities and other such defenses that criminals use to their advantage are part of the same system of law that protects our freedoms. But sometimes, the way it actually works is dismaying.
I suppose that the police have no choice but to charge him, but a prosecutor doesn’t have to try the case, he can dismiss it or a judge can. I can only hope that in this case, they look at the situation and the repercussions of prosecuting Van Iveren for something that we should applaud him for.
Just think, if he had been right, he would have been hailed as a hero.
By Andrea on March 3rd, 2007 at 1:57 am
The degradation available in the form of pornography knows no bounds. A bright bit of news this week was the lament of a porn star that the porn industry isn’t as lucrative as it used to. And the advent of HDTV shows such detail that the actors can’t hide their bad skin or stretch marks. The biggest selling sex videos these days are the stolen celebrity home videos.
I agree that people being willing to get involved can make all the difference to someone in trouble. But if people have to worry about being prosecuted, they are going to be wary of stepping into situations. In a way, that makes us all victims.
By Andrea on March 3rd, 2007 at 2:33 am
I’m so glad I’m not the only person who feels outrage that this guy is being punished for daring to attempt to help a woman being assualted, even if he made an honest mistake about the source of the screams he heard. I would like Van Iveren to be acquitted – and apologized to for what he’s endured as a result of his good intentions.
And I agree that the neighbor should simply be reprimanded for having his TV on too loud. I have a hard time feeling sympathy for someone watching porn featuring a woman who sounded like she was not having a good time, but I respect his right to watch if it he wants – as long as his neighbors don’t have to hear it.
I would gladly sign a letter or petition for Van Iveren’s court case in appreciation for what he tried to do. Has anyone started such a movement?
By Rebecca Birdsong on March 5th, 2007 at 6:45 pm
Rebecca,
In an updated story I read, the police are saying that the charges were filed because the porn DVD was supposedly consensual sex and not rape. They aren’t sure of the timing of the viewing and the incident. However, if Van Iveren was wrong about what he said he heard, then it doesn’t make sense that the victim – Steighorst- now says he doesn’t think that they should charge Van Iveren and only wants the damage to the door paid for. He says Van Iveren was just doing what he thought was right. Sounds like only the police think differently.
By Andrea on March 7th, 2007 at 3:29 am