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Title: Skater charged with assault on officer
Source:
The Dallas Morning News
URL Source: http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcon ... 31706dnmetskater.304e63a6.html
Published: Mar 16, 2006
Author: ROBERT THARP
Post Date: 2006-03-18 02:02:18 by Starwind
Keywords: charged, assault, officer
Views: 4012
Comments: 228
Witnesses denied she was aggressor; internal investigation continuing 09:38 PM CST on Thursday, March 16, 2006 By ROBERT THARP / The Dallas Morning News A Dallas Roller Derby skater was indicted Thursday on a felony charge of assaulting a Dallas police officer stemming from a January incident in which she and several witnesses say the officer was the aggressor and used excessive force. Reports related to the indictment charge that Michelle Metzinger, 25, was belligerent and fought with Officer Ceaphus Gordon after the officer asked to see her identification because, he said, she had been roller skating recklessly through traffic on Elm Street in Deep Ellum. Michelle Metzinger According to Officer Gordon's report, Ms. Metzinger tried to gouge his eye with her fingers when he tried to handcuff and arrest her on a charge of public intoxication. The officer then tried to force Ms. Metzinger to the sidewalk using a "straight arm bar take down," but instead, she "rolled from the police car to the ground," his report says. Ms. Metzinger continued scratching and kicking the officer on the ground, the report says. Officer Gordon described his injuries as three 1/8th-inch scratches near his right eye and scratches and bruises on his chin. He described Ms. Metzinger's injury as a "small laceration that required a stitch," although his report indicates that she spent five hours at Parkland Memorial Hospital before she was taken to jail. Kevin Clancy, Ms. Metzinger's attorney, said he was disappointed that he was not allowed to present evidence to the grand jury that would have offered a different account of what happened. Eight witnesses to the arrest have filed affidavits saying that Ms. Metzinger was not intoxicated and that she did not resist the officer. The witnesses state that after Ms. Metzinger was forced to the ground, Officer Gordon put his knee on her back or neck while he was handcuffing her, which is not described in the officer's reports. "I think it's a travesty that this poor girl was charged with this," Mr. Clancy said. "I really do think that the grand jury did not look at the evidence." A separate investigation into the incident by Dallas police internal affairs is ongoing. Mr. Clancy said Dallas police have so far not interviewed any of the witnesses. Officer Gordon has had 27 complaints filed against him in his 14-year career, most of which were ruled "unfounded" or "inconclusive." Of those inconclusive complaints, at least two involved allegations of excessive force. E-mail rtharp@dallasnews.com
Poster Comment: ------ see also: (Dallas) Police Deny Excessive Force In Bloody Arrest (black cop, white girl) 
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#39. To: ruthie (#38)
Because police work brings with it a fraternity-like attitude that discourages his colleagues from exposing him. In the end the public suffers, as you can see.
in the case of a rogue policeman, it isn't just the public that suffers - the reputation of his colleagues and his employers is damaged. and the politicians in charge of the police are also tarnished if they take no action. for goodness sake, this is about upholding the law and standards of professional conduct. Ceaphus Gordon should be suspended while a disciplinary investigation looks into his actions. if he has acted beyond what his employers require, he should face the consequences like a man and accept the consequences. but i'm not sure that he knows about honour and professionalism - so far he has behaved like a bully and a coward...and those who cover for him deserve the same contempt :( (still seething about this - apologies!) ruthie
I hear you, but here’s the city’s dilemma. Do they suspend CG, thus admitting he performed wrongly, or roll the dice with a rubber stamp grand jury and a trial? If they suspend him, Michelle has a solid start to a civil case with a large punitive award. OTOH, if they roll the dice as they are, the grand jury will indict (it did and normally does). Now Michelle is forced to hire representation and go through all the possible mind games that the system will toss her way. IMO, what the city is hoping for is for Michelle to take a lesser plea, thereby avoiding trial and possible prison time. These are the facts of life, and they aren’t about right or wrong. The system really, really sucks.
I'm high on life! And a Red Bull will do the trick with a couple of one of the many types of energy capsules when you got to be jacked up. The rope is my department. ;0)
“If a nation or an individual values anything more than freedom, it will lose its freedom; and the irony is that if it is comfort or money it values more, it will lose that too.” W. Somerset Maugham
Yes, ready the rope. It's our last, best hope :)
Indie, the guy has NO bedside manner, or any manners at all it would seem. These lunkheads are nothing more than Neanderthal throwbacks (and that might be an insult to the Neanderthal). A little finesse goes a long way. And besides, they are out there IN PUBLIC, not at all like I was when doing the concert security gig in a private setting which was under contract when a patron purchased a ticket. These thugs need to be put under a microscope and the disinfectant of sunlight made to shine brightly upon them. This would destroy them just as surely as sunlight destroys a vampire. These quasi-criminals who operate under color of law and color of office are a blight upon the body politic and need to be cut away just as a cancer is cut from the flesh.
“If a nation or an individual values anything more than freedom, it will lose its freedom; and the irony is that if it is comfort or money it values more, it will lose that too.” W. Somerset Maugham
What troubles me is that the system is in the process of railroading a kid because some oaf in blue was having a bad night. That phony tacked on “assault” charge is so over the top. The guy was huge and the kid was tiny, female and on fucking roller skates. Cut me a break. My guess? This case gets tossed and Michelle becomes Deep Ellum’s newest member of the millionaire club.
We need the Phineas Priesthood to make a comeback. The link goes to a google search. You can see that the usual "hate" groups are harping about this. This tells me that they are deathly afraid of this Christian ideal of times gone by. And then there is the power of imprecatory prayer, which is essentially a prayer for evil to befall your adversaries and enemies. I tried this once on El Pee and it scared hell out of the bots. They just would not touch it. The Bible does call for "stoning" as a penalty for treason. Who is to say that the stones could not be made of lead? A firing squad would be in order. Also, the rope is in line with this as a hanging is what is the penalty in the statutes for treason.
“If a nation or an individual values anything more than freedom, it will lose its freedom; and the irony is that if it is comfort or money it values more, it will lose that too.” W. Somerset Maugham
I think they cooked these charges up because these photos are all over the web. What they seem to have forgotten, is their comparative sizes, as you mention, and the precarious footing that even a competent skater has. That the same officer has priors makes this only worse for the city, which will stand behind him, because settling a lawsuit will be expensive and controversial. And just wait until troops from Iraq return and take jobs in law enforcement.
Why should we hear about body bags, and deaths...I mean, it's not relevant. So why should I waste my beautiful mind on something like that? ~Barbara Bush on ABC's "Good Morning America," March 18, 2003.
No woman with thighs as delicious and juicy as hers should ever be slammed to the ground unless one intends to make love to her. When I saw the pix (OMG) I was immediately sympathetic to this poor girl!
I’d bet the farm on two things regarding this matter; 1) The cop wasn’t
assaulted, and I wish there were still investigative reporters working for our
local fish wraps (Jimmy Breslin and Pete Hamill were wonderful in NYC). This
tacked on “assault” charge is SOP in these matters. The number of times it's
added to a routine arrest would make for a wonderful series of articles. Given
the disparity in their size and armament, to think that she assaulted him is
laughable.
Last paragraph of this article.
Why should we hear about body bags, and deaths...I mean, it's not relevant. So why should I waste my beautiful mind on something like that? ~Barbara Bush on ABC's "Good Morning America," March 18, 2003.
So that's app. one complaint every six months (that we know of - many aren't reported) for the past 14 years. Officer Gordon is trouble with a capital T. Oh, btw, disregard most of the dismissed charges. Those internal investigations are user friendly.
I tried this once on El Pee and it scared hell out of the bots. They just would not touch it. BWAHAHAHA!!! I wish I could have seen THAT one!! And JT, if she does become a member of the millionaire club, we'll have to look her up and send her these posts...and maybe she'll give us..her autograph. ;-)
how can his colleagues bear to work with somebody who stoops so low?
#40. To: Jethro Tull (#39)
In the end the public suffers, as you can see.
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#41. To: ruthie, starwind, BTP Holdings, all (#40)
#42. To: Jethro Tull, Esso (#12)
But we're all on something, be it legal or not. Two Red Bulls could set off one of these uber-officers today. Nothing short of rope will fix this mess.
#43. To: BTP Holdings (#42)
#44. To: IndieTX, Jethro Tull, ruthie (#21)
He handled it wrong. Had it been me, I'd have waved her over and said "Hey darlin'..I really don't want to see a beautiful woman smashed up by any cars..could you please keep it on the sidewalk? And BTW, would you like to have dinner sometime? ;-) What you're a roller derby babe? Could I have your autograph?" ...and that's how I did my job.
Besides, I hated paperwork. Stupid arrests mean paperwork. What a waste of time this was...besides...who ISN'T drunk in Deep Ellum? She had the smarts to skate instead of drive even!! Sheesh..
#45. To: BTP Holdings, IndieTX, ruthie, Richard the Lurker. (#44)
#46. To: Jethro Tull (#43)
Yes, ready the rope. It's our last, best hope :)
#47. To: Jethro Tull (#45)
#48. To: Starwind, christine, zipporah, bluegrass (#0)
#49. To: robin, BTP Holdings, ruthie, indie TX, starwind (#47)
2) the police officer has a previous history of assault, not
Michelle.
#50. To: Jethro Tull (#49)
Officer Gordon has had 27 complaints filed against him in his 14-year career, most of which were ruled "unfounded" or "inconclusive." Of those inconclusive complaints, at least two involved allegations of excessive force.
#51. To: robin (#50)
Officer Gordon has had 27 complaints filed against him in his 14-year career
#52. To: BTP Holdings, jethro tull (#46)
imprecatory prayer, which is essentially a prayer for evil to befall your adversaries and enemies.
#53. To: Jethro Tull (#51)
umm, so the internal investigation is likely to be a white-wash? does this mean that Michelle won't get a fair trial? ruthieThose internal investigations are user friendly.
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#54. To: HOUNDDAWG (#48)
Now why am I not surprised HOUNDDAWG .. ;) Maybe that's what the officer was trying to do... just wrestle her to the ground? ;P
No woman with thighs as delicious and juicy as hers should ever be slammed to the ground unless one intends to make love to her. When I saw the pix (OMG) I was immediately sympathetic to this poor girl!
#55. To: Zipporah (#54)
umm, would it be helpful if i re-did the image enhancements to show the exact details of the leaflets in her left hand and his knee on her neck & back and posted them here again? ruthie
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#56. To: ruthie (#55)
ruthie Yes.. I think it'd be helpful.. thanks ruthie!
umm, would it be helpful if i re-did the image enhancements to show the exact details of the leaflets in her left hand and his knee on her neck & back and posted them here again?
#57. To: All (#54)
i was thinking of re-doing the enhanced photos to show more details of Michelle holding the leaflets and Ceaphus Gordon's knee on her neck and back - should i post them here or on the first forum? ruthie
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#58. To: All (#57)
ruthie XXXXXX oops - the reply just crossed over with my re-post (i thought the first one failed because my internet crashed - sorry!) - i'll work on them 2nite ruthiei was thinking of re-doing the enhanced photos to show more details of Michelle holding the leaflets and Ceaphus Gordon's knee on her neck and back - should i post them here or on the first forum?
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#59. To: All (#58)
ok, here's the enhanced images again. i added the EXIF date & time at the top
and notes that i thought might be relevant. the photos were enhanced using
irfanview and psp7. the last picture comes from http://www.helpmichelle.org and had no EXIF
data. i don't know if there are any other pictures available that can be tied in
with these. even the first picture is interesting - Michelle standing with
both hands on the car, looking in the direction of a witness across the road.
she is using her right skate to steady herself and seems in a relaxed state. we
can't see her left hand because of the wing mirror but i suspect it is holding
her ACD promotional leaflets (more on these later). Also on the front of the
police car is what looks like a folder or document holder - presumably belonging
to the police. The passenger's car door is fully open. in this shot, we do not
see any police. the time is 00:30:59...
(click to enlarge)
#60. To: All (#59)
(Click to enlarge)
the time is 1 minute 24 seconds later. the police car door is shut. the driver
can only see Officer Gordon's head. note the cycle is not parked at the front of
the car - there may have been no police witnesses to what happened during the
last 1 minute & 24 seconds... michelle is holding the ACD leaflets in her
left hand which is above her head. Officer Gordon is using both hands to cuff
her right hand. his right foot is outstretched for balance. his left knee is
pressed against Michelle's left cheek and her neck, twisting her head to the
right and forcing it against the ground. there are at least 4 witnesses - the
photographer, the 2 men on the road, the man holding the red flag.
#61. To: All (#60)
this picture was found on the http://www.helpmichelle.org site.
there was no EXIF data so i don't know which camera it came from. it gives a
different angle to the last one and shows the driver of the police car using a
radio and looking through the passenger door window. however, the height of the
door sill prevents the driver from seeing what is happening on the ground. we
can clearly see Michelle's left fingers clutching on to the ACD leaflets,
protecting them from harm. Officer Gordon is only using his left hand to hold
Michelle's right wrist. his right hand is by his right hip. we can clearly see
his left knee and shin are pressing down on Michelle at the position of her head
and neck. in neither this frame (which may be a few seconds before the last one)
nor the previous frame does he appear to be anything but in complete control -
he does not appear to be recovering his balance or disentangling himself from a
fall.
(Click to enlarge)
#62. To: All (#61)
31 seconds later... Michelle has lost hold of her ACD leaflets which are
strewn on the ground. Officer Gordon has turned her over face down and is
kneeling with his right knee on her back. he is holding the cuffs in his right
hand, and his left hand is pressing her down at the position of her neck. we can
see in this shot that the bulk of his weight is taken by the right knee and left
hand. there is no blood evident in this picture, it is possible that this is the
point when her chin was cut on the ground.
(Click to enlarge)
the later pictures show a distressed Michelle, bleeding profusely from her
wound, a policeman wearing a cycle helmet who is not apparently present at the
time of the "assault", and various witnesses incuding Michelle's fellow skater.
i can post the enhanced versions if people want but the last 4 are the most
important imho. ruthie
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#63. To: ruthie, christine, Jethro Tull, IndieTX, Starwind (#62)
FYI... Ruthie who else took an interest in Michele's story?? You may want to put their names in the "To:" so they are sure not to miss your post!
#64. To: ruthie (#62)
This guy is a loose cannon; a squirrel; an asshole. He needs to be fired yesterday and I hope Michelle gets rich off of this. I will turn out for the March if I am off since I live in Dallas and I will make it apparent that us ex- Dallas PD officers who were the GOOD cops when we were there, are absolutely in HER favor on this!!!! I'm with you Michelle.
#65. To: IndieTX (#64)
yes, this isn't about being anti-police though some people (other forums) have jumped on this case to promote their own views. my uncle is a retired policeman and he always treated people fairly and had to deal with some very sad distressing things. he is disgusted when people in the police bring the service down by acting badly :( ruthie
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#66. To: All (#65)
Michelle wrote me saying to thank everyone for the support :) if anyone has any comments/thoughts/ideas that might help her please share it and i'll see its passed on to her... ruthie
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#67. To: Zipporah, christine (#54)
Now why am I not surprised HOUNDDAWG .. ;) Maybe that's what the officer was trying to do... just wrestle her to the ground? ;P I wish he hadn't. That lady is a true asset to their community (you know, like our very own beautiful, sweet beloved christine is here) and she shouldn't have been face down bleeding with some fat-assed donut gobbling cop sitting on her.
No woman with thighs as delicious and juicy as hers should ever be slammed to the ground unless one intends to make love to her. When I saw the pix (OMG) I was immediately sympathetic to this poor girl!
#68. To: HOUNDDAWG, All (#67)
hihi not only was Michelle holding the ACD leaflets in her left hand but she tells me she was also holding her yellow purse too! so she assaulted the much heavier and taller policeman with only one hand free and while she was on skates??? i really don't think so. my mother had a word for men like that - THUG :( ruthie
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#69. To: HOUNDDAWG (#67)
charmer, you. ;)
#70. To: ruthie (#68)
Don't get me started! Every time I am reminded of that unfortunate incident the Hellfire flies into me. If you speak with Ms. Michelle please give her my regards and tell her that I am thinking of her.
#71. To: christine (#69)
Hoo, mee?
charmer, you. ;)
#72. To: HOUNDDAWG (#70)
hihi Hounddawg :) Michelle knows about this thread so she might have seen your kind words. if i'm in contact with her i'll certainly mention it :) love ruthieIf you speak with Ms. Michelle please give her my regards and tell her that I am thinking of her.
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#73. To: ruthie (#72)
hey ruthie.. after all of this is over ask Michelle to post here is she can.. we'd sure like to here from her on this! Thanks!
Michelle knows about this thread so she might have seen your kind words. if i'm in contact with her i'll certainly mention it :)
#74. To: ruthie (#72)
Thank you, ruthie.
Michelle knows about this thread so she might have seen your kind words. if i'm in contact with her i'll certainly mention it :)
#75. To: All, ruthie, Jethro Tull, christine, zipporah, tom007, dakmar (#0)
Fyi, I have determined that Michelle's court records are sealed, or at least withheld from the public. Ruthie, perhaps you'd like to start a ping list that folks could subscribe to so as to be notified when you have new information?
(The Gospel of Jesus Christ is the only true good news)
#76. To: Starwind (#75)
Unreal..
Fyi, I have determined that Michelle's court records are sealed, or at least withheld from the public.
#77. To: Zipporah (#76)
I wouldn't infer too much from that at present. That could play to Michelle's benefit as well as the prosecution until such time as Michelle is allowed to present her evidence. IIRC, Michelle was not permitted to present evidence to the grand jury, which is not surprisng either. So if, as is likely at present, it is just the one-sided prosecution's allegations on file, there is little benefit for Michelle to have those unsubstantiated and unrefuted charges 'broadcast'. OTOH, nothing prevents the press and blogosphere from digging and discussing what appears to be excessive police force, and maybe even a trumped up PI allegation. The recent 'PI raids' in Deep Ellum may be an attempt to buttress prosecution arguments of an ongoing problem in Deep Ellum: in which Officer Gordon observed Metzinger to be contributing a couple months back, yada yada yada... (as I envision the prosecution argueing).
Unreal..
(The Gospel of Jesus Christ is the only true good news)
#78. To: Starwind (#77)
Ah.. okay.. I see ~ thanks!
OTOH, nothing prevents the press and blogosphere from digging and discussing what appears to be excessive police force, and maybe even a trumped up PI allegation. The recent 'PI raids' in Deep Ellum may be an attempt to buttress prosecution arguments of an ongoing problem in Deep Ellum: in which Officer Gordon observed Metzinger to be contributing a couple months back, yada yada yada... (as I envision the prosecution argueing).
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