Details emerge of accused shooter's family troubles

Court records surrounding Scott Michael Greene show a host of family troubles that culminated with Greene being ordered to move from his mother's basement just one day before he allegedly ambushed two Des Moines metro officers.

Greene had a dispute with his mother, Patricia Greene, on Oct. 16 that resulted in her being charged with domestic assault for allegedly slapping her son.

That dispute prompted Patricia Greene to ask Polk County court officials to remove her son from her home.

On Tuesday, Polk County District Court Judge Carla Schemmel ordered Scott Greene to move out of his mother's basement by Nov. 6, finding that he had hit and financially exploited her, records obtained Thursday by The Des Moines Register show.

The domestic charge against Patricia Greene was dropped Thursday by Assistant Polk County Attorney Mark Sandon, who said there was insufficient evidence to proceed. A no-contact order that barred Patricia Greene from being in contact with her son was also lifted Thursday.

Greene, 46, is charged with two counts of first-degree murder in the slayings of Urbandale Police Officer Justin Martin and Des Moines Police Sgt. Anthony “Tony” Beminio. He is accused of gunning down both officers in their cars in separate shootings early Wednesday morning.

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A troubled relationship

Public records and firsthand accounts of Greene indicate he has struggled with erratic and volatile behavior.

Dim Allen said those issues developed years before Wednesday’s shootings.

Allen’s daughter, Joy Allen, was in a 16-year relationship with Greene. The couple lived together in Urbandale during much of their relationship.

Dim Allen described Greene as antisocial and she felt uneasy about her daughter's safety, although she said she was not aware of any physical abuse.

Joy Allen and Greene had a daughter who is now a teenager, but they never married. Greene has a daughter and son from a prior relationship. Both are now adults.

When the couple split about eight years ago, Dim Allen said she warned Greene to stay away, claiming he was controlling and angry.

“I told him: ‘You leave her alone, or I’ll call the cops on you,'” Dim Allen said.

However, Greene had custody of his younger daughter — Dim Allen’s granddaughter — up until Wednesday's shootings. Joy Allen paid child support, her mother said.

Joy Allen declined to comment Thursday.

Mark Egly, a longtime child advocate, said he temporarily fostered Greene’s oldest daughter about a decade ago. He said back then, Greene "tried to do what’s best for his children, knowing he had some challenges.”

“At that point and time, he was OK with staying within the borders of the law," Egly said. "Yesterday, things changed.”

Trouble at work

Greene and Joy Allen met when he worked in West Des Moines as a mechanic, Dim Allen said.

Greene worked at Pigott, a Des Moines furniture store, from June 2006 through August of 2013, the business confirmed Wednesday.

But much of his recent work history is unknown. He worked at Central Iowa Fencing for about three days in October, according to Sara Nicklin, a manager of the Ankeny business.

In an online video posted Oct. 27, presumably by Greene, he claimed he was fired for reporting a workplace safety violation. But Nicklin on Thursday said Greene "refused to work" and didn't come back after being given another chance to return with a different crew.

“We just knew that he wasn’t a fit here," Nicklin said.

Although investigators were looking into reports that Greene was in the military, three government agencies told the Register on Thursday they had found no record that Greene had served in any branch of the military, despite acquaintances reporting that he had claimed to suffer from  post-traumatic stress.

The FBI, the Iowa National Guard and the National Personnel Records Center, which houses the federal government’s military and civil service records, all said they had no record of military service by Greene.

Paul Wilson, a guitar store owner from Urbandale, on  Wednesday said Greene had recently told him “how he was armed all the time and he was a stress victim from the military.”

And he said Greene's presence made him uneasy.

“I didn’t have a good feeling about having the guy around,” Wilson said.