No decisions made on charges in alleged beating 

The Jefferson County Attorney is continuing to look into filing possible charges in an alleged beating of a 41-year-old Arab-American filmmaker.

Usama Alshaibi of Fairfield claims he was beaten and called derogatory racial names after he walked into a party the early morning of March 6.

The Ledger received information that the party Alshaibi claims to have went to was a social gathering of teenagers on the second-floor of a private residence, where a parent was home sleeping.

Assistant county attorney Pat McAvan said all the information gathered by Fairfield police and Iowa Department of Criminal Investigation officers is in the attorney?s office for a decision on whether or not to file any charges, but because county attorney Tim Dille has been involved in a jury trial this week, no progress has been made on the decision.

?It?s not going as quick as everyone would like, but we want to do it right,? said McAvan.

McAvan said once a decision is reached, a detailed press release would be provided to media.

Alshaibi said as he was walking home from Vivo?s Restaurant March 6, he entered a home looking for a party after a blonde woman outside told him it was upstairs. He claims that after he told partygoers that his name was Usama, he was punched in the face, kicked in the head and beaten by four men before he was able to get away to the Family Video parking lot at Burlington Avenue and Ninth Street. The Family Video manager called 911.

Alshaibi told police he could not remember which house he had been in, but investigators located it after questioning neighbors in a four-block area near the store.

Investigators followed up by interviewing the people involved, and turned the information over to the county attorney for a decision on filing charges.

Alshaibi, his wife Kristie, his friend and fellow filmmaker Manuel Tsingaris and Kartemquin Films all said the report is not a publicity stunt for his new film.