Cop In Mel Gibson Arrest Claims Harassment

Sheriff's Deputy Says He Is Focus Of Probe Into How Star's Arrest Report Was Leaked

(CBS/AP)  The sheriff's deputy who arrested Mel Gibson for drunken driving six months ago says his superiors have harassed him ever since a report detailing the star's anti-Semitic tirade was leaked to the media.

Deputy James Mee was transferred to another assignment and interrogated by sheriff's officials about the arrest for several hours, his attorney told the Los Angeles Times Wednesday. Following his transfer, investigators seized a computer and phone records during a search of his home.

Mee arrested Gibson July 29 in Malibu for driving under the influence of alcohol. An arrest report signed by Mee and posted on the celebrity news Web site TMZ said Gibson was belligerent and quoted him as saying, "The Jews are responsible for all the wars in the world."

The actor-director later apologized to the Jewish community and pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor charge of drunken driving.

"His life and career would be a lot different had he not made that arrest," his attorney, Richard Shinee, said in a Times story on its Web site.

Sheriff's officials rejected the accusations.

"I disagree with the assessment that personnel in the department or at the station have been relating to him or supervising him in an unfair manner," said Neal Tyler, a division chief who oversees the sheriff's station where Gibson was booked.

Tyler denied Mee was being singled out and said he did not know of any problems with Mee's treatment. He declined to discuss Mee's specific complaints because of confidentiality rules.

After Gibson's much-publicized arrest, investigations were opened into whether Gibson received preferential treatment, and into who leaked Mee's report to TMZ.

Shinee said a few days after Gibson's arrest, investigators asked Mee why he included Gibson's inflammatory comments in his report. Mee was also told to list the exact details of how he wrote and handled the report, as well as any people he was in contact with at the time he wrote the report.

"Clearly, the focus of the investigation was the leak and not whether there were any communications between department brass concerning suppression of the report," Shinee told the Los Angeles Times. "My client has denied he gave the report to anyone."

[bluestardad]

Support the Cop!

[creeper00]

Boy, idunno dad. Looks to me like they're both slimy pieces of work.

Once in a rare while it's better not to take a side. I think this is one of those times.

[plowhandle]

Mel Gibson's career, as it was, finished itself off when he lost control of his mind and actually started to think he WAS Martin Riggs, the devil-may-care, afraid of nothing and no-one cop.

Oh yeah - there are still some bible-banging, green-teeth fundamentalist 'Christians' that think Mel hung the moon because of his bloody epic *** "Passion of the Christ," but most thinking people that saw it were revolted by the gore, offended by its assertion of Jewish guilt, and confused by the impenetrable babble of its "dialog."

Those idiots that still defend him are actually going to see his latest foreign-language ***, "Jabberwocky," or whatever he called it. Again - no one with a brain will give this fake Aussie racist (born in Schenectady...look it up) any of their hard-earned entertainment money.

So Mel - go away...to your fake cathedral project in California with your screwy Dad and your band of fundamewntalist whacks. Leave us alone.

"What're you lookin' at, Sugar **** ?"

[canaima]

Lot of self-righteous hate-monger comments here. They make Gibson's inexcusable conduct during his arrest look almost tame.

[kphx]

Oh the Cop is being investigated as to why he included the remarks in his report ? Is LAPD anti-semitic or what. The cops home is raided and his computer is taken away ??? For doing his job and including everything that happened in the report ???

[coren67]

Mel's sad remarks are what they are, but to see such intolerance and hate in some of these comments shows he's not alone and people in glass houses shouldn't be tossing any stones.

[bleakview]

Apparently deputy Mee was supposed to see that it was a celebrity he'd pulled over and look the other way. Personally, I don't care what kind of status a person thinks s/he has, anyone who drives drunk is a danger to everyone around him/her and should be taken off the road.

Shame on the sheriff's department for harassing a deputy for doing his job.

As for Mel Gibson, I guess the old saying is true: "The nut doesn't fall far from the tree."

BTW, kphx, there's a great deal of difference between LAPD and the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department.

KEEP UP THE GREAT WORK,DEPUTY MEE,THE L.A. TIMES ARE PARTLY TO BLAME FOR THE HARRASEMENT THIS DEPUTY HAS HAD TO FACE,THE PAPER HAS KEPT THIS STORY ALIVE FOR MANY MONTHS THAT IT WAS WORTHY,MY COMPANY USED TO ADVERTISE WITH THIS PAPER AND I GO OUT OF MY WAY NOT TO DO SO ANYMORE, THEY'RE HATE POLICY ON ISRAEL HAS SOMETHING TO DO WITH THIS DEPUTY'S HARASSEMENT ,MAYBE THE OIL COMPANIES IN IRAN CAN KEEP UP THE ADVERTISING REVENUES ,KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK DEPUTY MEE

[lieberman18]

bullsh*t

This is harassment, plain and simple of deputy Mee. But what do you expect from a Sheriff's department that has changed much from when Sherm Block left? The new sheriff talked tough when Deputy March was murdered by an ILLEGAL who promptly fled to Me-i-j-co, but has done absolutely nothing to get the thug extradited.

I just wonder what they'll do to another Sheriff's deputy - a high ranking officer I know - when they find out he's been to Israel and has spoken warmly about Jews and Israelis???

Oh, by the way, while I think Gibson deserved the reception he got for his comments, I don't totally blame the guy. It's his b*stard father - one of these "whites only" types who fled American in the mid-1960s after the Civil Rights Act was passed. There were quite a few of them back then...Mel had to live in the atmosphere of sheer hate - but if anything Jimmy Carter and James Baker are much more worse and bigoted than Gibson could ever be.

[nobelle1]

As a native of southern California, it is hard for me to imagine anyone randomly making comments like Mr. Gibson%u2019s upon being pulled over by the police. Since his DUI arrest, I have wondered about the other side of this now infamous conversation.

I and many others have long suspected that Mr. Gibson has had antisemitic feelings, particularly in light of his refusal to contradict his father%u2019s insane babbling. What I think happened in the case of Mel%u2019s arrest is that this cop saw that the suspect was Mr. Gibson, said an inner %u201CLookie what we got here%u201D and proceeded to harass Mr. Gibson about his being an antisemitic bigot. I believe it was this harassment that prompted an inebriated Gibson to make his idiotic comments.

I also believe that it was Deputy Mee who leaked the report%u2013or at least gave it to someone he knew would do so. Mel Gibson is a bigot, no doubt about it. But, does every bigot in southern California get his or her statements leaked to the media when pulled over for DUI%u2013or only those whose public embarrassment can validate the feelings of whoever does the leaking? Since it is unlikely that Gibson represents the only intoxicated bigot in southern California, we have to assume that someone felt that there was some particular gain to be made by leaking the content of this particular arrest report.

[nobelle1]

As a native of southern California, it is hard for me to imagine anyone randomly making comments like Mr. Gibson%u2019s upon being pulled over by the police. Since his DUI arrest, I have wondered about the other side of this now infamous conversation.

I and many others have long suspected that Mr. Gibson has had antisemitic feelings, particularly in light of his refusal to contradict his father%u2019s insane babbling. What I think happened in the case of Mel%u2019s arrest is that this cop saw that the suspect was Mr. Gibson, said an inner %u201CLookie what we got here%u201D and proceeded to harass Mr. Gibson about his being an antisemitic bigot. I believe it was this harassment that prompted an inebriated Gibson to make his idiotic comments.

I also believe that it was Deputy Mee who leaked the report%u2013or at least gave it to someone he knew would do so. Mel Gibson is a bigot, no doubt about it. But, does every bigot in southern California get his or her statements leaked to the media when pulled over for DUI%u2013or only those whose public embarrassment can validate the feelings of whoever does the leaking? Since it is unlikely that Gibson represents the only intoxicated bigot in southern California, we have to assume that someone felt that there was some particular gain to be made by leaking the content of this particular arrest report.

[mulisha06]

I think people are looking too deeply into what was a drunken rant. His words may not have depicted him as a person of tolerence, however his actions do. I have never seen or heard of him at a anti semetic rally. He lives under a microscope because he is famous, and its a shame that people are unable to give him the benefit of the doubt. Since none of us were there, we only know what we read. This wont even be a speed bump in his great career.

[maxgottesman]

Mel Gibson is nothing more than another fanatical Christian. We have already seen the effects that right wing conservative Christianity has had on our country. Stem cell research has been stifled. Homosexuals are treated as second class citizens. And let's not forget the pharmacist who refused to dispense birth control pills because of his religious beliefs and actually won the case that was brought against him!
When a person is drunk they tend to say things that they feel subconciously. Gibson's anti-semetic tirade was an expression of how he really sees things. That cop should be given a medal for exposing him....'Nuff said....

[dgshiner]

it is obvious that whom ever reported this wanted to get their shot of fame so that is just hogwash!
The police don't share every detail of heinous crimes, to the media, but because it was Mel well there is the story! And sorry if the public does not view that you should get any glory!
Whether he was right or wrong for sayin what he said the police did not have to let any of this leak out but we know they like a lil glory too!
To bad you could not pick something better to expose.

[nobelle1]

"Mel Gibson is nothing more than another fanatical Christian. We have already seen the effects that right wing conservative Christianity has had on our country. Stem cell research has been stifled. Homosexuals are treated as second class citizens. And let's not forget the pharmacist who refused to dispense birth control pills because of his religious beliefs and actually won the case that was brought against him!"

What does ANY of that have to do with the conduct of a suspect and a sheriff's deputy during a run-of-the mill DUI arrest? Why should Mel Gibson's opinions be an issue?

It isn't illegal to be stupid--even if that means antisemitic-stupid. If that were the case, our jails would be even more crowded than they already are. If this sheriff's deputy acted in any way that was inappropriate, he should be taken to task over it. The fact that Mel Gibson is a religious Christian (and/or an antisemite) should have nothing to do with the enforcement of the law.

[bigjohn671]

I guess next he will write a book about his tragedy,s of being harassed for the arrest of the century,I hope he is proud of his actions,I am sure that Mel was pravolked by this man and although he should not have reacted the way he did we never heard the whole story I am sure ,besides he looks like another bully with a badge to me,I hope he doesn`t benifit from this as he has hoped to .

[catt42701]

It's easy for a reporter to look at a desk accidently and read something he had no right reading but knew was there because Mel Gibson was probably followed by photographers from the time he got in the car until he was charged. We will never know what started the rant but knowing drunking people it may have been Mee's nose or nothing. Drunk's have loose lips and a damaged version of reality. I don't blame Mee for what Gibson did nor do I blame him or anyone on the police department for the leak. S**t happens and Mee is probably getting a hard time for something he didn't do. Not all cops are bad or rude or leading but some are, I've met them just out in the world without breaking the law but it is the exception rather than the rule.

[tdp1001]

It is interesting to see that although most of these posts are blatantly anti-Christian and pro-Jewish, and most defend a cop who violated his public trust, and some are duplicates under different names,

that my posts trying to address this issue in a rational and truthful way, were immediately deleted.

It is sad that the information that one gets from the major media comes with a serious bias.

Hopefully wiki-media will triumph, democracy will rule, and controlled media will fade away.