Police say Iowa City housing employee was lookout for Ecumenical Towers shooter

A city of Iowa City Housing Authority employee was arrested last week after police said she acted as a lookout for a man who was arrested for allegedly firing shots in a downtown Iowa City apartment complex last month.

According to criminal complaints, police responded to Ecumenical Towers, 320 E. Washington Street, at 5:53 a.m. on Feb. 21 for a report of loud noises that sounded like gunshots. Officers said they found property damage to the hallway in the area where the noises were heard.

After investigation, police learned 69-year-old Stephen C. Caldwell, a resident at Ecumenical Towers, was seen with a handgun a few hours before the shots were reported and was found in the area where the hallway was damaged.

Police said it did not appear Caldwell had a specific target, and when asked about why he was firing the gun, he replied, “Who knows?” Caldwell was taken to University Hospitals in Iowa City for further evaluation.

Caldwell was charged with intimidation with a dangerous weapon, a class D felony.

After further investigation, police say Caldwell's girlfriend, 54-year-old Mary A. Abboud-Kamps, coordinator for the city's Family Self-Sufficiency Program, was with him while he fired the gun. Surveillance video shows Abboud-Kamps exiting the elevator on the first floor at 3:37 a.m. and acting as a lookout, police said.

Police said Abboud-Kamps assisted Caldwell by helping him leave the tower and conceal the weapon. Police said Abboud-Kamps also allegedly lied during an interview with investigators by failing to disclose Caldwell had a handgun in his possession as he walked her to her car after the shooting.

Abboud-Kamps was charged with being an accessory to a felony, an aggravated misdemeanor.

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