The Sword and the Porn

"Now I feel stupid."

No good deed goes unpunished.

That must be what James Van Iveren is thinking.

He rushed to save what he believed was a woman in danger, and he ended up being charged with three criminal counts.

Oconomowoc -- An Oconomowoc man heard a neighbor watching an adult film, but mistakenly thought a woman was being raped.

Bret Stieghorst was watching an adult movie with the volume on high. His downstairs neighbor James Van Iveren heard a woman screaming in the movie, but thought a woman was being attacked. Instead of calling police, he took matters into his own hands, ran up the stairs, and broke down the door, all while holding a three foot long military-style sword.

"He comes in with this three foot long sword and starts pointing it at me, and going, where is she?" Stieghorst said.

Van Iveren continued to point the sword at Stieghorst while he searched the apartment to make sure no woman was being held against her will. When Van Iveren did not find anyone else in the apartment, he left. He now faces three misdemeanor charges, including trespassing and disorderly conduct.

According to The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Van Iveren said that he couldn't call the police because he doesn't have a phone.

So he grabbed his 39-inch sword, a family heirloom, and went on his rescue mission.

"This really is nothing," Van Iveren insisted, "nothing but a mistake."

Was Van Iveren a little overzealous?

Perhaps. A call to police was in order, not breaking down a door. He couldn't make that call so he decided to take action.

What if someone had been screaming for help and he ignored the cries?

Would that have been the right thing to do?

I don't think so.

Van Iveren is quoted as saying, "Now I feel stupid."

He shouldn't.

If anyone should feel stupid it's the porn guy, Bret Stieghorst.


"She was enjoying it."

Watch this video of Stieghorst.

Stieghorst comes off like a weirdo.

He said, "I came back from the bar and decided to take care of business."

He put on some porn with the sound turned up loud, VERY loud.

Stieghorst describes the woman in the DVD, "She was enjoying it. At least that's what she looks like on the movie. hehehe."

YUCK!!!

The fact that he watches porn isn't troubling to me. It's the description and the bragging about his personal viewing habits that I find disturbing.

I can't believe that this guy would go on TV and talk about " doing his business."

Stieghorst obviously has no qualms about letting thousands and thousands of people know that he likes his porn and he uses it after bar time.

Why would he agree to be interviewed about this?

He's sitting there in his comfy blue chair, a rocker, bobbing back and forth, calmly relaying the story of his downstairs neighbor busting in on him.

I guess he felt violated that his "business session" was so rudely interrupted.

Another thing, does Stieghorst have a job?

If he does, I wonder what his boss thinks about his employee telling the world about his sleazy taste in movies.

I hope Stieghorst doesn't drive a school bus for a living.

Of course, no one should be breaking down doors and making demands while wielding a three foot sword.

But it does appear to be just a misunderstanding; and to his credit, Stieghorst was understanding about the episode.

I'm sure more details will emerge. At this point, I hope the charges against Van Iveren are dropped.

What's very clear right now is that Stieghorst likes his porn loud and he's proud.

My skin is crawling.