DES MOINES - A home invasion at the farm of Iowa Rep. Leonard Boswell ended when his 22-year-old grandson fetched a shotgun and aimed it at the intruder, according to a statement from the congressman's office. No one was seriously injured.
The incident started about 10:45 p.m. Saturday when an armed man came in through the front door, attacked Boswell's daughter, Cindy Brown, and demanded money, the statement said. Boswell, 77, heard his daughter's screams, came into the entryway and attempted to disarm the intruder.
As they struggled, Boswell's grandson, Mitchell Brown, got a shotgun from another room. When he pointed it at the intruder, the man fled into the fields around the house outside Lamoni.
Boswell's wife, Dody Boswell, 75, also was home during the attack. The lawmaker's spokesman, Grant Woodard, said the family was unhurt aside from scrapes and bruises.
They're shaken, but "dealing with it pretty well," he said. He referred other questions to the Decatur County Sheriff's Office, which was investigating along with the FBI and other agencies. Sheriff Herbert Muir wasn't immediately available for comment.
Boswell, a Democrat, has represented Iowa's Third District for eight terms in Congress. He is expected to face a challenge next year from Republican Rep. Tom Latham, who is moving into the district to avoid running against Republican Rep. Steve King after their territories were merged during redistricting that follows each census. Iowa is going from five to four congressional seats.
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