Hello everyone, as all of you well know, Mike Mette a Chicago Police Officer was unjustly tried and convicted on an Assault charge in Iowa. The tragic conclusion of that trial resulted in Mike Mette being found guilty and unjustly being sentenced to a five year jail sentence. In the Judge's written ruling, she states that Mike was not the aggressor in this incident, but is punishing him, because he should have walked away from his attacker, who had struck him three times. We definitely do not support the Judge's poor decision making skills, but we strongly support our friend Mike Mette and with that, stand firm in our support of the Mette Family as they continue to fight, for Mike's freedom through an appeal that they have filed. 

Because of the tremendous outpouring of support and public outcry regarding this great injustice, we the friends of the Mette family have established this fund to help them financially as they continue to try and make right a terrible wrong! If you agree with us please contribute whatever you can to this worthwhile cause!

Thanks for all you support!

Please feel free to contact us with any inquiries.

                            04/04/2008

         MIKE'S ADDRESS

Mike can receive cards and letters only at the following address:

New Mailing Address:

Michael A. METTE # 6520284

North Central Correctional

313 Lanedale

Rockwell City, Iowa 50579 

  

 

                  

                     UPDATE

          4/4/2008 

We received an email this morning this morning from Mike's sister Jen, who was very upset. It turns out that the Iowa Board of Parole, who was to hear Mike's request for parole on April 16th, 2008, has now thrown another wrench into matters. They told Mike's counselor that Mike needs to attend, what seems to us, a B.S. victim sensitivity class that does not start until August. The other kicker is that the class runs for six months, which would push Mike's parole hearing back further. Once again Mike has received another royal shafting by the State of Iowa. It is not that MMDF is insensitive to legit victim's of crimes, but in this case Mike Mette is the victim here, not Jake Gothard, who attacked Mike, was highly intoxicated at the time of the attack and since was convicted of DUI, in Iowa in December of 2007. Someone please tell me, who needs further counseling. As we have contended all along in Mike's case, political influence an other means has played a huge factor in his case and it continues on. We the members of the MMDF will not sit back and watch while Iowa treats Mike and his family like some hard core, career criminal. Even those people are being treated better, according to a recent Iowa article where a judge sentenced an offender to attend church! With that said the MMDF will be scheduling a one day bus trip to Dubuque, tenatively set for July 22nd, 2008, which will coincide with the opening festivities at the Dubuque County Fair! The exact meeting place and time will be posted in the near future on this site. If Mike cannot be heard, then we will speak out for Mike!

If you want to join us, please email us at: cmdrmac@yahoo.com

As always please boycott Iowa for vacations, business and colleges.

                 

                 4/7/2008

 

Everyone,

Visited Mike over the weekend and he is in surprisingly good spirits considering the Iowa powers to be keep walking on his rights and messing with him. 

Going back to his trial, the pre-sentencing investigator completed a ten page report saying there is no way Mike deserved to go to jail on this case.  Of course the judge, prosecutor Gallagher and Jacob's father Curtis Gothard saw it differently.

His counselor in jail said he couldn't file for parole until he finished an anger management class where he was taught he shouldn't respond with force unless he was in danger of being attacked or as in his case he was hit three times before he responded with one punch as pointed out in the judge's ruling.  He finished the course and his counselor put him in for a parole hearing on 4-16-2008.

The parole board sent Mike a letter saying: "They didn't feel he was able or willing to full fill his obligations as a law abiding citizen.  They didn't feel it was fair to society to release him on parole."   How do they come to these conclusions having never interviewed Mike or looked into the facts of the case?  They now want him to complete a victim impact course which doesn't start til August 2008 and in six months they will again consider him for parole.  Who are they kidding?  How many more times can the State of Iowa Violate Mike's Rights?

Victim(that would be Jacob Gothard) impact class.  Let's see.  Since this incident, Jacob Gothard has spent a total of four days in the hospital where they released him after finding nothing seriously wrong with him and had to do no surgeries on any of his minor injuries.

Since then Jacob has gotten and been convicted of a DUI after leaving the scene of a barroom fight in 2006.  Daddy, Curtis Gothard, rewarded him by getting him a house and a 2001 BMW.  Last year in July Jacob received his second DUI in less than two years and was convicted in December 2007.  But guess what?  He still has a driver's license.  So while Mike, a college graduate with no criminal past, can't be released into society; Jacob Gothard continues to drink and drive.     

The parole board is either listening to the lies Curtis Gothard and prosecutor Gallagher have failed to prove in court, has no idea what this case is about or they are just playing the money game.  You see the prison gets another $18,000 June 1st 2008 if Mike is still there and another $18,000 if he is there January 1, 2009.

When are the politicians, the US Justice Department the FBI going to say enough is enough?

I have one question for all the parents out there.  If your drunken twenty year old son started a fight with someone but lost, would you use any influence at all to send the winner to jail?

I didn't think so.

RFM (Mike's Dad)

                   UPDATE

         3/2/2008

 

Everyone,

Hopefully, this will be the last favor we have to ask for Mike.  They have set April 16,2008 for Mike's first parole hearing and have requested character reference letters.  These should be sent to the parole board and be addressed to "To whom it may concern".  Please be sure to sign the letters and put a return name and address on the envelope as they won't accept them without these.  They should be mailed to:

Board of Parole

510 East 12thStreet, Suite 3

Des Moines, Iowa  50319

Also, please send a copy to Mike for his counselor at:

North Central Correctional

Michael A. Mette #6520284

313 Lanedale

Rockwell City, Iowa 50579

Again, don't forget to include Mike's inmate number and a return name and address.

Thanks again for all your help and maybe we are finally getting closer to the end of this mess.

Bob & Patti

If it's character reference letters the Mette's want let's fill those mail bags!

MMDF

            PETITION 

An email petition has been initiated to help free Mike Mette! Here is the Link!

http://www.petitiononline.com/m1977m/petition.html

             

             

                UPDATE

        2/13/2008

Bob and Patti Mette have advised us that they have finally received an eight page response back from the Iowa Attorney General's Office, regarding Mike's appeal. According to Bob and Patti the document does not challenge any points in the written brief's, submitted by Mike's attorneys, but basically supports the ruling of Judge Ackley. According to Bob and Patti, the Iowa Appeals Court can rule on the written briefs or set a hearing date for oral arguments. You ask which is better? Well after witnessing this travesty of injustice which occurred in the Dubuque County Court system, your guess is as good as mine. I myself would like to see Mike's attorney's stand before the court and let them have their say! Reading written documents and making a decision, that could possibly impact Mike's life for the next five years, just doesn't cut it! It is time for Mike's voice to be heard through his attorneys and the proper justice must prevail! We will keep you posted as things continue to progress!

Bob and Patti Mette would also like to thank all the readers who continue to support Mike and their entire family through this horrific ordeal! This past Thanksgiving and Christmas was the first time since Mike was born that they were not able to spend a holiday with Mike! They also want to thank everyone for all the cards and letters of support that Mike has received. Mike continues to remain strong because of your belief in his cause!

              

             MIKE'S REQUEST DENIED

If you have not spoken with Mike or his family lately, Dubuque County Judge Ackley  has denied a request from Mike's attorneys, to keep Mike out of prison, while efforts to obtain an appeal hearing date continue. Obviously Mike is not a flight risk, nor is he the violent felon, that Dubuque County is making him out to be....But then again we would not want him out walking in Dubuque,where he could get attacked, defend himself instead of running away, then smack some spoon fed, alcoholic punk attacker, now would we! Once again we can only hope and pray that the sitting judges of the Iowa appellate court have more common sense, experience and better judicial values, then what Mike and his attorney's have had to deal with so far! 

Mike's journey to Dubuque will begin Monday October 29th, 2007 at approximately 0700 hrs when members of his family along with some MMDF committee members will escort him out to Iowa. He has a reporting time of 1200 hrs.  On behalf of Mike and his family, we the members of the MMDF Committee, want to thank all of you, who have supported the cause. We will continue to keep you updated on Mike's fight and appeal process. We will supply you with a mailing address for Mike as soon as we obtain it.

Please keep Mike and his family in your thoughts and prayers.

                                       01/22/08

The below chart is the daily statistics from the Iowa Prison system. The most important number that you will notice is the overcrowding percentage which is currently 22%. It's no wonder when you are filling up your prisons with unjust cases such as Mike's. At his trial the woman who did his pre-sentencing report, stated that Mike deserved no penitentiary time and his sentence be deferred. But no Judge Ackley felt he deserved prison time or as she states, that she is mandated by Iowa law, with mandated sentencing. Well maybe the State of Iowa, the Governor and of all the other high paid politicians should start listening to this pre-sentencing woman, who obviously has more common sense, then all of them put together and who is probably paid much less. Better yet maybe the Iowa taxpayers should start raising cain instead of corn with the politicians and do something about their stupid laws

Daily Statistics - 1/22/2008 Map of Iowa Prison Population Distribution    Institution Current Count   Capacity Med/Seg   Anamosa  1283  913  175  Luster Heights  52  88  0   Clarinda  883  750  24   Lodge  135  225  0   Fort Dodge  1113  1162  75   Mitchellville  581  443  93   Oakdale  850  687  28   Patients  18  0  23   Fort Madison  574  549  67             JBU  181  152  0             CCU  195  200  0             Farm 1  72  80  0             Farm 3  79  100  0 Mount Pleasant  936  775  44 Women's Unit  92  100  4 Newton-Medium  829  762  49 Minimum  305  182  70 Rockwell City  478  245  19 INSTITUTIONAL TOTALS 8656 7413 671   % overcrowded by 17%     Work Release  448 OWI Continuum  237   OSC  56   Out-of-State  36 FINAL TOTAL 9433 NUMBERS INCLUDED ABOVE   Females  733 CCUSO Pre-Trial  9 County Jail Contract  37   Federal Pre-Trial  106   Violator Program  132

What's New?

 A Legal Defense Fund has been established for Michael Mette at:

Northwest Community Credit Union

7400 N Waukegan Rd, Niles, Illinois 60714

Please make any contributions payable to:

Michael Mette Defense Fund

              "Guestbook 2"

              "Guestbook 1"  

  LINKS YOU MUST SEE 

"Iowa sends thug to Church while ex-cop rots in Prison"

John Kass Chicago Tribune 04/04/2008

"There's no real Justice in Iowa Politics"

John Kass Chicago Tribune 01/04/2008

"Silent Knight A Tribute to Mike"

"Bad PR for officers claims wrong man"

John Kass Chicago Tribune 11/01/2007

"Mike reports to Iowa prison"

 ABC 7 Chicago Chuck Goudie 10/29/2007

"Self Defense is inexplicably, no defense"  

John Kass Chicago Tribune October 28th, 2007

"Mette to begin serving his time"

Matt Ryno Dubuque Telegraph Herald 10/28/2007

 "AOL FOOTAGE" 

AOL

"Mike's Story-Video"

Anderson Cooper 360 

"Mike's Story" 

Anderson Cooper 360

Mr. Potter, Second Letter

Chicago Citizens

Niles Journal

 "Rally to Support Mike"

Niles Journal 8/23/07 

   "Response to Dubuque County Attorney Potter's Open Letter and Article"   7/26/07

Judge Ackley's Ruling 7/26/07

Official Court Document

 "FINALLY,WRONGED COP GETS SOME SUPPORT"

John Kass, Sunday Chicago Tribune 7/22/07

"THIS OFFICER'S SENTENCE IS HOGWASH" - John Kass, Sunday Chicago Tribune 7/15/07

"UNBELIEVABLE Verdict, Sentence for Chicago Cop"

In the line of Duty-Website

" POLICE UNION SUPPORTING MIKE METTE"

Chicago F.O.P. release

ABC7 I-TEAM INVESTIGATIVE REPORT

Chuck Goudie

CBS2 Interview with Mike Mette

Mike Parker

The committee is contemplating a march on the Dubuque County Courthouse and several other locations in Dubuque..If you are interested please email us. A date has not been set, but we are seeing what kind of interest there would be from our supporter's. 

cmdrmac@yahoo.com

  " Self defense is not a crime, so Michael Mette should do no time"!    

He’s One Of Us In Blue

Even God had fallen Angels

We cringe when one goes bad

But this wasn’t the case with Michael Mette

And that’s why it’s so sad

It’s a basic human condition

To not back down from a fight

To confront those that attack us

It’s our duty to do what’s right

In courts across our country

One’s made to swear to God

To state the truth in all the facts

And not put on façades

What happened in a court in Iowa

Can happen to us all

When judicial prudence becomes a travesty

Truth and fairness be forestalled

Michael Mette is no one famous

Why should we even care?

That he sits in prison alone to think

Why he’s even there

I’ll tell you why you should give a Damn

That he sits alone this day

It’s because he did nothing wrong

To the judge we’d like to say

Men and women have died for our country

In order for us to live free

believes in justice for all

Our forefathers meant it to be

You may think you won the battle

With your verdict unjust and not true

Still family & friends extol Mike’s bravery

He’s one of us in Blue