Charges against Iowa City woman dismissed

A criminal charge against a former Iowa City Housing Authority employee has been dismissed with the prosecutor saying it would not have held up in court.

“A close examination of the available admissible evidence showed, to my satisfaction, that we could not meet our burden of proof at trial,” said Assistant Johnson County Attorney Dana Christiansen about charges against Mary A. Abboud-Kamps.

Abboud-Kamps, 54, of Iowa City, was charged in March with being an accessory to a felony, an aggravated misdemeanor.

She was accused of acting as a lookout for a man who was arrested for firing shots in a downtown Iowa City apartment complex on Feb. 21.

Police said Abboud-Kamps was with Stephen C. Caldwell, 69, when he fired a gun inside Ecumenical Towers. Surveillance video shows Abboud-Kamps exiting the elevator on the first floor at 3:37 a.m. and acting as a lookout, police said.

Police said Abboud-Kamps assisted Caldwell by helping him leave the tower and conceal the weapon. Police said Abboud-Kamps also allegedly lied during an interview with investigators by failing to disclose Caldwell had a handgun in his possession as he walked her to her car after the shooting.

Christiansen, who filed May 13 to dismiss the charge against Abboud-Kamps, said the arrest was justified at the time. However, “I have to analyze it (the charge) as to what would happen at trial,” he said.

The charge was dismissed “with prejudice”, which means it can never be filed again. Costs for the case are assessed to the state.

John Beasley, Abboud-Kamps's attorney, made this statement Friday afternoon:

“We would like to, on behalf of Ms. Abboud-Kamps, applaud the Johnson County Attorney's Office for doing what was correct and just. There was no credible or reliable evidence that supported her arrest or prosecution and specifically no credible or reliable evidence to support the allegation Ms. Abboud-Kamps was in Ecumenical Towers when a shot was fired,” Beasley said.

Abboud-Kamps was coordinator for the Iowa City Housing Authority's Family Self-sufficiency Program when she was arrested, but the city terminated her employment March 15.

Housing Administrator Steven Rackis referred a SourceMedia call Friday, May 20, to personnel administrator Karen Jennings, who did not immediately return a voicemail message.

Beasley called for Abboud-Kamps to be reinstated.

“Ms. Abboud-Kamps has been an exemplary employee of the City of Iowa City for several years and she has much support in the community,” he said.

Karen Jennings, Iowa City personnel administrator, said Monday that Abboud-Kamps's employment status had not changed.

Caldwell was charged with intimidation with a dangerous weapon, a class D felony.

Police said it did not appear Caldwell had a specific target, and when asked about why he was firing the gun, he replied, “Who knows?” Caldwell was taken to University Hospitals in Iowa City for further evaluation.