Among Officer Mette's supporters are some high-profile Iowans, including Des Moines Register newspaper columnist John Carlson, who believes Mette was defending himself and should not have been put in jail. In an August 10 column, Mr. Carlson wrote, "The undisputed facts, the verdict and the sentence should make all of us queasy. Maybe even ashamed. Mette should be allowed to go home, with our apologies."
The case has caused a backlash in Chicago, where Cook County State's Attorney Richard Devine and Chicago Police Superintendent Jody Weis wrote to Iowa Gov. Chet Culver asking that he pardon Mette.
After returning from Thursday's hearing at the Iowa Court of Appeals in Des Moines, the "Michael Mette Defense Fund" Web site reported that "The Dubuque County prosecutor's office stood by their guns that the case was prosecuted fairly and that Mike's charges and sentencing should stand. The prosecutor once again admitted to the three sitting justices that, 'Mike was not the aggressor in this instance', but that Mike should have opted to several of the following choices:
1.He should have run away.
2. Drove away in a nearby vehicle, which he did not have the keys to.
3. Called 911, with a phone that he did not possess at the time.
4. Ran into the house and last but not least.
5. As the prosecutor put it "verbally mediated the situation".
One Justice felt that with the incident occurring so rapidly, that it was "impractical for Mike to walk away."
Mike's attorneys, Mark McCormick and Randy Rueckert, who did an outstanding job with their arguments, cited Iowa law, which basically gives an individual the right to protect himself or others from a physical attack. They cited the severity of the injuries sustained by Jake Gothard, arguing that the initial treating physician was not qualified enough and did not have the proper equipment to diagnose Jake's injuries as life threatening!
The wait is on!
As Mette's supporters wait for a ruling on his appeal, that could come as early as next week, the defrocked CPD patrolman remains jailed at North Central Correctional Facility in Rockwell, Iowa, about an hour northwest of Des Moines. The above prison photo of Mette was taken in June and provided to ABC7 Friday by state officials.
North Central houses about 475 medium and minimum custody inmates who have been classified as low-risk offenders. According to prison officials, inmates there are "assigned in general janitorial work, maintenance of the grounds, care of the extensive yard area and gardens, which produce in excess of 30,000 pounds of vegetables annually, assist the instructors in the educational programs so that other inmates can learn, act as cooks and kitchen helpers in the food service operation, and are employed in the maintenance department, as well as in outside work assignments."
In Friday's Des Moines Register column, John Carlson noted that Mette's parents Bob and Pat were heading west from Des Moines to visit him and report on how things went at the appeals court hearing.
"He'll no doubt be pleased so many from Chicago came to Iowa to show their support," Carlson wrote.
"He should also know a lot of Iowans will feel the same way when they hear his story."
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