Labor union activist arrested for theft at IA Capitol www.privateofficer.com
Authorities say Marshall Clemons, 38, of Cedar Rapids, grabbed two women’s wallets before he was confronted by a lobbyist who witnessed the man reaching into a friend’s bag.
Records show that authorities charged Clemons with two counts of fifth-degree theft, records show.
Biden tagged along with Clemons for a day in August of 2007 while he was working at Harding Middle School in Cedar Rapids. It was part of the Service Employees International Union’s “Walk a Day in My Shoes” campaign.
A press release on the Service Employees International Union’s Web site said Clemons was an invited guest in the Biden family’s box at the Democratic National Convention in Denver in August 2008.
Labor union officials acknowledged that Clemons, who is a member of the Service Employees International Union’s Local 199, was visiting the Iowa Capitol with a group of Cedar Rapids-area residents.
Retail lobbyist Jim Henter confronted Clemons after he saw the man reach into a purse owned by a fellow lobbyist.
“I told him that I saw what happened and he needed to get the cash out of his pocket and give it back to her,” Henter said.
Clemons retrieved the lobbyist’s wallet from a recycling bin and some money from his pants, Henter said.
Capitol security guard Marshall Irwin overheard part of the confrontation. Irwin questioned Henter about what happened, and the security guard followed Clemons to the ground floor and radioed the state patrol.
While waiting for a trooper, Clemons “complained he needed to use the bathroom awful bad,” Irwin said.
Clemons flushed and left the men’s room stall, with Irwin nearby. Custodian Randy Wallace then entered to clean it and spotted an object in the toilet.
Wallace fished it out, and Irwin said Wallace found a billfold that belonged to Cecilia Tomlonovic, a family planning lobbyist who said nothing was missing.
Irwin said Capitol staff then searched every waste container in the building but found no other stolen goods.
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