Jury trial set for Iowa City Broadway Center director

IOWA CITY - The director of Iowa City's Broadway Neighborhood Center is scheduled to go to trial March 27 on the uncommon charge of failing to report child abuse.

Susan Freeman-Murdah, 44, of Iowa City, was arrested Feb. 1 on suspicion of failing to report child abuse after the mother of a child in the Headstart Program that Freeman-Murdah oversees told police that she believed her daughter had been sexually assaulted by a Headstart teacher.

The mother told Freeman-Murdah first about her suspicions that her daughter, who is under age 12, had been sexually assaulted by a Headstart instructor, according to a criminal complaint. The mother told Freeman-Murdah that her daughter consistently named the teacher as the perpetrator, and the mother observed injuries to her daughter, according to the complaint.

Freeman-Murdah, according to police, conducted her own investigation and did not call authorities or the Iowa Department of Human Services, as required by Iowa Code. So the mother contacted police about her concerns on Dec. 12.

Brian Loring, executive director of the Neighborhood Centers of Johnson County, released a statement after Freeman-Murdah's arrest saying the Department of Human Services investigated the claims and found no evidence of child abuse.

Officials with the department didn't comment on the investigation but said Freeman-Murdah's arrest marked the first time in the state's recent history that a mandatory reporter was charged for allegedly failing to report abuse.

A bench trial in the case initially was set for March 22, but a Johnson County judge earlier this week set a jury trial for March 27. Her pre-trial conference is scheduled for March 12.