Oct 10, 2008 9:31 am US/Central
Mette Says He's Considering Career In Law
Chicago Police Officer Was Released From Iowa Prison, Conviction Was Overturned
CHICAGO (CBS) ―
Back home after spending nearly a year in prison, Michael Mette says he is excited to return to the Chicago Police force, and may be considering a future career as an attorney.
Mette, 31, was released on Wednesday afternoon, and returned to his parents' house in Plainfield the following day, after spending about a year at a state prison in Rockwell City, Iowa.
He was convicted of assault causing serious injury in a 2005 altercation in Dubuque, in which he punched another man in what he always said was self-defense. The Iowa Court of Appeals overturned the conviction last week.
Mette said he remains angry at the handling of his case.
"I'm not bitter, I'm angry," Mette told CBS 2's Mike Parker. "I'd love to make sure that it doesn't happen to anybody else, and I still have a lot of questions I'd like to ask the people in the Dubuque Courthouse."
No one disputes that during the 2005 confrontation Mette punched Jake Gothard, fracturing his nose, cheek and jaw. But Mette's attorney maintained that the police officer only struck back after Gothard followed him from a party and pushed him three times.
Although both men had been drinking, Mette's family and supporters point out that Gothard's blood alcohol level was more than three times the legal limit to drive. And they note that Mette, in Dubuque to celebrate his brother's 25th birthday, tried to avoid a fight.
Prominent Illinois officials, including Richard M. Daley, Cook County State's Attorney Richard Devine and Chicago Police Superintendent Jody Weis, called for Mette's release.
The Iowa Court of Appeals found that the district court judge in the case erred in ruling Mette could have retreated from the altercation.
"After being pushed and knocked backwards two or three times, there was nothing in the record to indicate Michael could have avoided Gothard's next blow, without his defensive punch," the ruling said. "While it may be possible to speculate on Michael's ability to retreat, the record is utterly void of any testimony to support that assumption."
In a live interview on CBS 2 Friday morning, Mette took issue with the amount of time it took for the Appeals Court to make its decision.
"The part that made me angry the most was, obviously, being there when I knew I was innocent. What the Appeals Court found was exactly what we'd been saying since 2005, and taking that three years to get it done is kind of a slow process, and it just kind of builds up a little on you, and being in there, there's no release point. So that's something that I have to deal with now and just try to relax and unwind."
Earlier, Weis told Mette his job as a police officer would be waiting for him when he returns. Mette said he is excited to return to the force, and will talk to Weis within the week about when he will return.
But Mette said he is also considering a career in law.
"I've been talking about that. My Aunt Linda has always said that I should ahvebeen a lwayer. But after being in this kidn of situation, seeing the corruption in my case out of the Dubuque County Courthouse, it's really gotten me lookijjg into the law. I did a lot of research on the law in Iowa; I figured maybe there was something different between Iowa law and Illinois law that I wasn't aware of , but it's not. It's just that the people didn't follow the law."
A welcome home party for Mette is planned at a Chicago Fraternal Order of Police hall Sunday.
CBS 2's Mike Parker and the Associated Press contributed to this report.
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