VanFossen reports home burglarized; $5,000 in cash missing

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By Tory Brecht | Thursday, February 22, 2007 12:32 AM CST | () comments

Add burglary victim to the list of problems embattled Davenport Alderman Ron Van Fossen is wrestling with.

After spending two nights in jail last week after allegedly assaulting his estranged wife and then violating an order of protection the next day, Van Fossen discovered $5,000, a shotgun and a box of ammunition missing from his Enchanted Island home.

“I’m going somewhere where I needed to have $7,400 as a down payment for a program, and I took out $6,000 from the credit union last week,” Van Fossen said, adding that he used $1,000 of the cash to bond out of jail.

He would not elaborate on what type of program he plans to attend or when he plans to leave, saying he would announce it to the media at a later date.

He did say he plans to attend tonight’s regular City Council meeting.

Van Fossen said he filed a police report this morning, after his daughter helped him clean his house over the weekend and the attache case with the cash could not be found.

In addition to the missing money, Van Fossen said a 20-gauge shotgun and box of shells were missing.

Van Fossen pleaded not guilty to a charge of domestic assault last Tuesday. The charges stemmed from an incident Monday night on Enchanted Island, where Van Fossen and his soon-to-be ex-wife both have homes on the same block of South Concord Street.

He is accused of forcing his way into his estranged wife’s home, shoving her and causing her to strike her head on a refrigerator.

Later Tuesday, he was arrested again and accused of violating an order of protection.

Since that time, Van Fossen has continued to attend every City Council meeting and has vowed to finish out his term.

Tory Brecht can be contacted at (563) 383-2329 or tbrecht@qctimes.com.