Bizarre, Criminal law

Meet Ben Clifford Dawson: Octogenerian, Politician . . . and John?

Ben Clifford Dawson is running for city council in Centerville, Iowa and allegedly has the stamina not only to handle the race but pressing the flesh . . . he was just arrested for prostitution. On top of that, he is 83 years old.

Dawson was charged with prostitution and assault with the intent to commit sexual abuse after he allegedly offered to let a 33-year-old woman repay part of a $7,000 loan by allowing him to perform sex acts on her. Police insist that constitutes not solicitation but prostitution.

Dawson however denies the allegations, including that the woman allowed him to kiss her after she could not repay thousands in debt to him. Yet, Tom Demry, Centerville police chief insists that the police had three earlier such allegations involving Dawson. “This is just the first time we had enough to charge him.”

I am not sure how he is guilty of prostitution without this woman being guilty of being a prostitute.

Prostitution is defined as follows under Iowa law:

725.1 PROSTITUTION.
A person who sells or offers for sale the person’s services as a
partner in a sex act, or who purchases or offers to purchase such
services, commits an aggravated misdemeanor.

I am not sure why he was not charged under the pandering provision:

725.3 PANDERING.
1. A person who persuades, arranges, coerces, or otherwise causes another, not a minor, to become a prostitute or to return to the practice of prostitution after having abandoned it, or keeps or maintains any premises for the purposes of prostitution or takes a share in the income from such premises knowing the character and content of such income, commits a class “D” felony.
2. A person who persuades, arranges, coerces, or otherwise causes a minor to become a prostitute or to return to the practice of prostitution after having abandoned it, or keeps or maintains any premises for the purpose of prostitution involving minors or knowingly shares in the income from such premises knowing the character and content of such income, commits a class “C” felony.

For my part, I do not know how I ignored Centerville politics for so long . . .

Source: NBC

16 thoughts on “Meet Ben Clifford Dawson: Octogenerian, Politician . . . and John?”

  1. Just like we did with Senator Norm Coleman’s Dad who did a similar thing, and was caught, I say buy a bottle of champagne and toast the both of em

  2. Blackmail??? Do this or else! Charge him for prostitution pandering and blackmail and anything else that can be thrown at him.
    Gawd I hate power mad megalomaniacs even when they are the big fish in a small pond types.

  3. Is this where the saying “Go Daddy” comes from…..just saying….

  6. OK, Iowa story.

    First time I was ever in Iowa and I was in Iowa City, thanks Greyhound. Up the courthouse steps (always up the courthouse steps) and I see a huge granite tablet like the one Moses is seen carrying down the mountain when he tells everyone about the law. THE TEN COMMANDMENTS.

    I was there with a mother. She was a native Iowan. I stopped stock still in front of the tablets, she says:

    C’mon, what’s wrong?

    I say: Uh, isn’t that the ten commandments?

    Yeah.

    And this is the courthiouse?

    YEAH!

    Well what would the ACLU have to say about THIS?

    Her answer: “Oh there are no Jews in this town.”

  8. Gene,

    … sigh … I know … but … we have some men and women with proven talent … damn Wall Street and all their greedy minions.

  9. “Why can’t they run one of these guys for president?”

    Because they aren’t willing to do as they’re told by their Wall Street betters, Blouise. They operate as if we were supposed to be democracy or something where the all the people have a say in governance and have government be their servant, not an oligarchical tool to make us all corporate slaves.

  10. Iowa is consistently rated in the top ten states for business and it sounds like Mr. Dawson is simply doing his best to contribute.

    Iowa is a national leader in education …students in many other states take the Iowa Test of Basic Skills, and there’s the the ACT, based in Iowa City. None of this has anything to do with Dawson but I want to be fair to Iowa. They also have a beautiful State Parks system.

    Governor Terry Branstad (R) had already saved the state once in the ’80’s, came back in 2010 to do it again proving there are some good republicans out there who not only know what to do but how to do it. Why can’t they run one of these guys for president?

  13. It’s charged the same way here in Illinois. A lot of states changed their prostitution statutes so that the deal/agreement (opposed to actually doing the deed) constitutes prostitution. This was done to make police stings easier/safer, and possibly less embarrasing, for the undercover officer (whether posing as the hooker or the john). It may seem like there is redundancy with the pandering statute but the pandering statutes are primarilly used for pimps and madams.

  16. Hah! An amazing story! Iowa is such a happening state!
    I agree that it makes no sense to charge for prostitution when there is no prostitute!

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