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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: 3595
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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#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? ruthie
Now why am I not surprised HOUNDDAWG .. ;) Maybe that's what the officer was trying to do... just wrestle her to the ground? ;P
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
ruthie Yes.. I think it'd be helpful.. thanks ruthie!
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
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 ruthie
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)
(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.
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)
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
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!
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.
Those internal investigations are user friendly.
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#54. To: HOUNDDAWG (#48)
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)
XXXXXX
#56. To: ruthie (#55)
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)
XXXXXX
#58. To: All (#57)
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?
XXXXXX
#59. To: All (#58)
#60. To: All (#59)
#61. To: All (#60)
#62. To: All (#61)
XXXXXX
#63. To: ruthie, christine, Jethro Tull, IndieTX, Starwind (#62)
#64. To: ruthie (#62)
#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).
#79. To: Starwind (#75)
umm, err...how is this done please? ruthieRuthie, perhaps you'd like to start a ping list that folks could subscribe to so as to be notified when you have new information?
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#80. To: Zipporah (#73)
i'll email her but she might want to keep a low profile while things are in the courts. and its only fair to give her space - this is all so rotten for her to deal with... love ruthiehey 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!
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#81. To: ruthie (#80)
love Great.. her lawyer would probably want her to wait til this is over but after.. it would be great to hear her side of this in her own words.. Thanks ruthie for being so tenacious on this..!
i'll email her but she might want to keep a low profile while things are in the courts. and its only fair to give her space - this is all so rotten for her to deal with...
#82. To: Starwind (#77)
that's awful - surely they wouldn't try to justify what he did? how is Public Intoxication measured btw - is it by blood or urine tests...or just the opinion of a police officer? love ruthieThe 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).
XXXXXX
http://www.myspace.com/ruthiesb69
#83. To: ruthie (#79)
Go to: http://freedom4um.com/cgi-bin/setupping.cgi? Note as you scroll down the list you can see all the current defined ping lists. Note the names and the descriptions folks have used. At the bottom (Create New Ping List:) are fields where you can fill in to create a new ping list. Pick a name (like "Metzinger News" or "Skategate" or "Roller Derby Girl") whatever apeals to you and Michelle, fill in a description of what the list is for ("news about excessive police force and charges against Michelle Metzinger" or whatever you feel is best). Hit save. Voila' :) You become the owner of the list, giving you authority to add co-owners (who can then also ping the list members), or you can also change the name of the list and it's description later. When you make a post of an article or a comment, your new ping list will appear in the drop down menu, and if you select it then everyone who subscribes to your ping list will see the new entry without you having to remember and type in (with correct spelling) their names. Anyone you make as a co-owner can then do the same.
umm, err...how is this done please?
(The Gospel of Jesus Christ is the only true good news)
#84. To: Starwind (#83)
wow - that was quick! i'll give it a go :) love ruthie
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#85. To: ruthie, Jehro Tull, indieTx, BTP Holdings (#82)
They sure would. If they can show that PI is a problem in Deep Ellum and Michelle was part of the problem, it may help them get a conviction which in turn helps them defend against a civil suit which could cost them a lot of money and bad PR. Deep Ellum does seem to have a PI problem. Was Michelle part of it? Don't know. Her witnesses say she wasn't. But would Dallas conduct a few PI raids to save a couple million bucks? Yep. Don't know. We've kicked that around a little. Maybe some others can dig out the facts of what proof is required of PI in Dallas?
surely they wouldn't try to justify what he did?
how is Public Intoxication measured btw - is it by blood or urine tests...or just the opinion of a police officer?
(The Gospel of Jesus Christ is the only true good news)
#86. To: Jethro Tull, calling all LEOs (#85)
I typo'd your nick on my last
(The Gospel of Jesus Christ is the only true good news)
#87. To: Starwind (#85)
thank you for helping me with the "ping-thing" :) (i hope its working now)
love
ruthie
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http://www.myspace.com/ruthiesb69
#88. To: ruthie, robin, BTP Holdings, ruthie, indie TX, christine, zipporah, Neil McIver, Tom007, Dakmar, *Muff Thumper News* (#87)
Heads up all y'all. New ping list *Muff Thumper News* setup by ruthie.
(The Gospel of Jesus Christ is the only true good news)
#89. To: ruthie (#87)
It's working fine. You did good. Now you can also check periodically to see who signs up.
(i hope its working now)
(The Gospel of Jesus Christ is the only true good news)
#90. To: All, *Muff Thumper News*, Elliott Jackalope, HOUNDDAWG, markm0722, Jethro Tull, Red Jones, siagiah (#75)
I copied the following from Cyerbina's website at http://cyberina.livejournal.com/518608.html?view=1715664#t1715664 *** Many suggested that the girl mouthed off to the officer. In the state of Texas, any officer of the law cannot legally respond in any way, shape, or form to any verbal insults. While I wouldn't suggest it, you can tell off a cop in any manner at any time without legal repurcussion. *** Someone suggested her face was possibly bloodied by her falling on her rollerskates. First, I would like to point out (even though you can't see them now) that the place where her face was against the pavement when he was using his knee to pin her down by her neck is the exact same place that was bloodied in the following photographs. It is quite possible that she got on the ground in the first place by falling, though. It is still unforgivable that, as you could clearly see in the picture, he held her down by the neck with his knee. I know 100%, beyond a shadow of a doubt that the officer most definitely received detailed lecture and hands-on training in a multitude of more humane and more effective methods of restraining and cuffing her. In fact, he received specific training on how NOT to handle her as well. *** Someone suggested the roller girl clawed at the officer. Who knows was form of resistance she gave? What I do know, though, is that an officer is only legally allowed to exact equal force, and only the force necessary to undertake the arrest. The officer was easily twice the size of the rollergirl. Pinner down her torso by her neck was certainly not equal force, nor was it a necessary move to detain her. Hello officer? Here's a tip: She's face down on the pavement. Sit on her legs instead of her neck, and bring her arms behind her back. Her muscular force cannot match your resistance. I promise. *** By all accounts of the incident, there were a very large number of officers present on the scene. Police are trained to, when necessary, use as many officers as possible to detain an arestee. Cases of police brutality most commonly occur when one officer has to do too much to detain someone. Two officers can more easily detain an arestee with far less risk of anyone getting hurt. If she was truly putting up a big fight for a little girl, more than one of those present officers should have pitched in to detain her. I also left a post there asking if her boy friend might either there (or here) post an explanation of how Public Intoxication is determined in Dallas/Deep Ellum. Otherwise, kindly note ruthie has setup a *Muff Thumper News* ping list, if you wish to subscribe. I'll not be pinging individuals further.
As far as what can be accurately assessed by those pictures? I've discussed it in detail with my boyfriend, who has been trained and licensed as a police officer in Texas. Allow me to point out a few items:
(The Gospel of Jesus Christ is the only true good news)
#91. To: All, *Muff Thumper News* (#89)
a pic with some of Muff Thumper's supporters, and 2 with Michelle in...
love
ruthie
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http://www.myspace.com/ruthiesb69
#92. To: Starwind (#88)
New ping list *Muff Thumper News* setup by ruthie. Starwind.. that was very sweet of you..thanks.. :)
Heads up all y'all.
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