arabic news paper: Renteria, McCampbell have legal issues

published online: 10/23/2011

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Two candidates seeking election to the Burlington City Council are more familiar than they'd like with the inside of a courtroom.

Shane McCampbell was convicted more than a decade ago of second-offense drunken driving, has some small-claims actions against him related to medical issues and was arrested earlier this year for failing to show up for a truancy hearing involving his daughter.

The other is Eric Renteria, who, in addition to several small claims court judgments against him, sued the state for $11 million, claiming slander and tortious interference in connection with a child custody matter.

A check of Iowa court records for the other two candidates, Becky Anderson and Chuck Griffin, revealed nothing more serious than traffic tickets.

Divorce and a failed business

Renteria has said he is running to push for fiscal reform in government.

"It's about getting our fiscal house in order and re-establishing municipal control - instead of state and federal control - of issues that are significant to the people in this town," Renteria said.

He hopes voters will judge him on the merit of his ideas, not his past troubles.

In an interview, Renteria blamed his problems on a divorce and failed ice cream business, Renteria's Dairy Treats, which had locations in West Burlington and Mediapolis.

"I had a horrible divorce. My ex-wife emptied out my bank accounts. I lost six figures in cash. I lost my life savings. I lost my house. And I was given all the debt from the marriage, every single dime of it. And I pay every month on that," Renteria said. "Up until my divorce, I had never been in a courtroom, never been involved in any legal matter."

In Iowa, Renteria has four small claims judgments against him and one against Renteria's Dairy Treats, totaling more than $6,700, according to court documents. Outstanding judgments include: $425.55 to Brockway Co. of Burlington; $2,268.16 to Capital One Bank; $3,368.05 to American Food Service Equipment of Davenport; and $641.29 to Ertz Carpets of Mediapolis. Each comes with 4.05 percent interest and court costs.

He has paid off one judgment, $3,652.41 to Discover Bank.

Renteria said he is working to repay the others and writes about $1,000 in checks a month to his creditors.

"I am not scamming anybody out of any money," he said. "I've paid out thousands of dollars on these debts."

He also said he repaid Ertz Carpets.

But co-owner Denice Ertz called that a "bold-faced lie." He still owes the company the judgment amount, Ertz said.

Ertz said she tried to contact Renteria to set up a payment schedule, but he would not answer her phone calls. She also tried to have his checking account garnisheed, but he emptied the account before she was able.

Matt Brockway of Brockway Co. also said Renteria has made no effort to repay his debt.

"He didn't even show up for his small claims court date," Brockway said. "He has been completely unresponsive to any of our letters."

Renteria said he learned a lot. He said he's applied those lessons to his new business, Green Line Armor, a biocomposite pallet manufacturing company based in West Burlington.

'You can't sue the king'

Renteria's unsuccessful attempt to sue the state stemmed from a custody dispute with his ex-wife, Lori Wertish, who lives in Florida.

The couple had agreed their two daughters would stay one month with Renteria during the summer, which could be extended with 48 hours notice, he said.

In 2007, Renteria said he did that, but Wertish contacted local officials.

"When I was at work, the sheriff's department came to the Dairy Treat while my ex-wife, and I'm not sure who was all there from the sheriff's department, went to my house and took my daughter, who I believe at the time was 13," Renteria said. "They told me if I didn't cooperate, they were going to take me to jail."

His other daughter was at work with him and left with the deputy to be turned over to her mother.

Renteria blamed the situation for the failure of his Mediapolis business.

"During this time, I was a wreck. I did not want to work. I did not want to go to the Dairy Treat. Every time I went there, I saw my daughter being taken away from me," Renteria said. "The Dairy Treat suffered tremendously during that time, and it never recovered."

Renteria complained to County Attorney Pat Jackson, who told Renteria his only recourse was through the Florida court system.

"The county attorney's office and the sheriff's department was now complicit in that kidnapping, because they came and did it without any authority to do so," Renteria said. "They came and they took my kids, and by definition in Iowa law, that is kidnapping."

A message left with Jackson's office for comment was not returned.

Renteria filed contempt charges against his ex-wife in Florida. Meanwhile, Jackson sought an independent review through the Attorney General's office, and Assistant Attorney General Robert Glaser, who was assigned to the case.

"(Glaser) called the state of Florida and told them I was an unfit parent," Renteria said.

The comments contributed to the contempt filing against Wertish being dismissed, he said.

Angered by what he saw as inappropriate interference, Renteria sued. The $11 million was arbitrarily chosen to get attention, he said.

Renteria acted as his own attorney, and his first attempt at the tort suit was dismissed due to filing errors.

A second suit also was dismissed. The judge ruled Glaser, who since has retired, was acting within the scope of his job. Also, the judge said Renteria failed to present his claim to the State Appeal Board or exhaust the administrative review process, which Iowa law requires before allowing district courts to hear tort claims against the state.

Renteria sees things differently.

"Judge (William) Dowell dismissed the case against the state because you can't sue the king, which is a bunch of crap," Renteria said.

He then pushed to have his case heard by a grand jury, but failed.

"At that point, I was done. I had lost everything," Renteria said.

Attorney General's Office spokesman Jeff Greenwood declined Friday to comment on the case.

"The judge dismissed the suit, and that speaks for itself," Greenwood said.

The West Burlington Dairy Treat failed about the same time.

To open the West Burlington store, Renteria made an agreement with Mary Dehner, who rented him space, provided $50,000 in capital and agreed to work as a manager.

But the ice cream shop made less money than expected, and no money was set aside to get it through the lean winter months, Renteria said.

"Selling ice cream in January in Burlington is tough," Renteria said.

After the West Burlington establishment closed in 2008, Renteria reached an agreement with Dehner. Dehner declined to talk on the record about the matter.

No secret

McCampbell, a pastor at Shinar Cumberland Presbyterian Church in Pleasant Grove and New Fellowship Christian Church in Burlington, has made no secret of his past legal troubles.

"Every misstep I have ever made, was made right here in this town. I've never gone anywhere, and I'm not leaving," he said. "I'm not perfect. But I have grown. I am a better person for what has happened.

"This might be new information for some, but everybody at my church knows about it. Because I remind them on a regular basis," he continued. "I'm not better than them. I'm not preaching at them. I'm preaching to me, and they get the benefit."

Most recently, McCampbell was arrested April 17 for failure to appear for a hearing related to his daughter's school absences. It is the only previous legal problem he said he would change if he could.

Students with more than six unexcused absences are considered truant, and their parents are required to go through a mediation process or face arrest.

McCampbell's daughter has diabetes, and he said the resulting health issues led to her absences.

During a March 17, 2010, mediation with the Des Moines County Attorney's office, McCampbell signed an agreement stating his daughter would have no more unexcused absences for the rest of the school year and into the ensuing school year. Yet by January, she had two more unexcused absences.

McCampbell was issued a summons to appear in court April 5, but he failed to show, and a warrant was issued for his arrest. He ended up being fined $65 plus $106.28 in costs and surcharges.

McCampbell said he was unaware the meeting represented a court appearance and missing it could lead to his arrest. He believes the matter was grossly mishandled by the school district, county attorney's office and truancy officer.

"She has always missed days," he said. "There is nothing new that has happened, except she went to a different school."

On July 1, 2000, McCampbell was arrested for second-offense drunken driving, having an open container and driving left of center. He pleaded guilty to the drunken driving and open container charges in exchange for the dismissal of driving left of center.

McCampbell accepts responsibility and the consequences. He does not make excuses for the incident, but explained the arrest came at a low point in his life.

He recently had recovered from spinal meningitis, the swelling of membranes covering the brain and spinal cord, which put him in the hospital for three weeks. His job selling tires had just been downsized. His marriage had fallen apart. His house burned down. And only a year earlier his youngest child fell seriously ill and had to be flown to University of Iowa Hospitals.

It is from those life experiences McCampbell draws his inspiration.

"God had to humble me to prepare me for the ministry," McCampbell said. "God allowed me to get bent, but not broken. I began to study even more so. And I was reminded, before Moses was the deliverer he was a murderer. God called David a man after his own heart, and he fornicated with a woman and had her husband killed in battle."

To explain his philosophy, McCampbell quoted 1 Peter 1:7.

"That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honor and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ," he said. "You have to be tried by fire to come out as pure gold. I kept coming back to that Scripture because I knew God didn't bring me to that point just for me to walk away from everything. I knew there was a reason."

McCampbell's first drunken driving conviction was 20 years ago when he was 21 and "young and stupid," he said.

McCampbell's other legal problems are money-related.

He has more than $5,000 in small claims judgments, most related to medical bills. McCampbell said he plans to pay off the debt, except for two: a $1,166.12 judgment awarded to Capital One Bank for an unpaid credit card, which McCampbell said he did not take out, and a medical bill for about $1,000 for what he called a botched spinal tap.

"That is poverty. Welcome to my world. When you have the opportunity to pay $25, and they say, 'No, we need $116.' And the kids still need clothes, and you have to eat. It really isn't an option for me. I'm paying my rent. I'm paying my utilities. I'm making sure my kids get the stuff they need," he said. "I don't plan on being poor forever, and when I'm not, they're going to get it. I guarantee you, they are going to get their money."

McCampbell said he earned about $10,000 last year as a minister. But his work isn't about money, it's about commitment and service, he said.

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