Owner of Des Moines metro taverns, pizzeria faces new charges, probation violation
Des Moines police Tuesday arrested the well-known owner of two taverns and a pizzeria in Des Moines who is still on probation for his conviction in the beating of an ex-girlfriend.
Steve McFadden, 52, a West Des Moines businessman whose properties include the Grumpy Goat and Tipsy Crow taverns as well as Dough Mama's Pizzeria, faces a Jan. 24 preliminary hearing in the alleged harassment of an Ankeny woman and contempt for allegedly violating his probation.
He could not be reached Wednesday for comment.
A criminal complaint said McFadden began tracking the woman with a global positioning device on Dec. 19, confronting her when he would not have known her location without the tracking device. Another incident happened on New Year’s Eve, when a friend of McFadden allegedly watched the woman while she was at a dog park talking on her phone.
“The friend had no reason to be at the dog park and would not have known the victim’s location,” the criminal complaint said.
After the two incidents, the woman found the Invoxia GPS tracking device in her vehicle when she was parked at a Residence Inn in Ankeny. McFadden allegedly called the hotel Jan. 1 and asked to speak to the woman. He was identified by the incoming phone number, the complaint said.
Assistant Polk County Attorney Shannon Bogolin approved the harassment charge and recommended issuing a no-contact order before McFadden's release from jail.
McFadden pleaded guilty in January 2022 to assault causing injury and received a deferred judgment and one year of probation on charges that he beat and injured his ex-girlfriend.
McFadden originally faced felony charges after West Des Moines police said that in a dispute at his home in September 2021, he knocked the woman to the floor and put pressure on her throat, causing her to lose consciousness. He was also accused of kicking her and dragging her across the floor by her hair. The woman was able to flee the house.
“The defendant drug the victim around his residence by her hair, causing her hair extensions to be ripped from her scalp and the defendant did kick the victim in the stomach, causing her to vomit,” said a criminal complaint filed in the case. The woman told police she was afraid for her life and escaped by running to her car.
McFadden earlier encountered controversy in 2017, when he announced a dress code at Tipsy Crow that barred patrons from wearing clothing such as baggy jeans, plain T-shirts and construction boots. The dress code sign was removed after a firestorm of criticism on social media called it racist, saying it targeted apparel commonly worn by young African-American men.
It is not clear whether a probation violation conviction would affect the liquor licenses of McFadden's businesses.
Last spring, McFadden filed lawsuits against at least 11 people, accusing them of defamation and invasion of privacy related to comments made about him on Facebook.
Those cases are still pending and not set for trial until 2024.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Des Moines restaurant owner Steve McFadden arrested again
