NEWS

November 14, 2007
Panel: Warden's party exhibited poor taste

State ethics officials have concluded that a Newton prison warden's 50th birthday party was not in good taste, but it wasn't obscene and did not involve a misuse of state property.

Warden Terry Mapes, who turned 50 on July 17, was greeted two days later in the parking lot of the Newton prison by employees who provided him with a wheelchair.

The Iowa Ethics and Campaign Disclosure Board sent a letter Monday to the Iowa Department of Corrections, advising corrections Director John Baldwin that the board had reviewed the matter after receiving an anonymous complaint involving the conduct of Mapes and Deputy Warden Jill Dursky.
On the day of the party, the able-bodied Mapes was wheeled inside the prison's offices, where he was given a visor imprinted with "Old Fart." He was also photographed using a walker. He received gag gifts that included adult diapers, a package of laxatives and a book titled "Sex After 50."

Photos of the party were posted on the prison's intranet site until Mapes ordered their removal, prison officials said.

The conduct did not violate the ethics board's rule that prohibits the misuse of state property, said Charles Smithson, the board's director and legal counsel.
"The board determined that the activities, while not in good taste and certainly not condoned by the board, did not rise to the level of 'obscenity' as prohibited by the rule," Smithson said.

He said the board considers the matter closed.

Department of Corrections officials previously issued a statement that said "the perception and judgment displayed during recognition of Warden Mapes' last birthday activities were beyond the level of acceptable standards."
A Department of Corrections spokesman said Tuesday the agency did not have anything more to say on the matter.

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