Ezekiel
Member
Were such to occur, this would be the first case of which I am aware: only underscoring the point that the cop is not being treated as a "super citizen" in this case.
What we're seeing is typical process.
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CCW holder shoots off-duty cop (brother-in-law)
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Were such to occur, this would be the first case of which I am aware: only underscoring the point that the cop is not being treated as a "super citizen" in this case.
What we're seeing is typical process.
In keeping up with this story I found this article which tells how many more violations Beitko received but never was punished for. HOW can someone be a cop, pull people over for drunk driving, wife beating and other crimes but not himself see any punishment for committing the same offenses? Seems to me that someone should be looking DEEP into the Akron Police Department and see what other "blue crimes" have been committed and are being covered up. I think people would be shocked if they knew the truth. Police protect their own.
As for Suzanne Beitko, she KNOWS the truth but there's a stigma of shame attached to being a beaten wife. Her kids will find out the "truth" later but NOT from her and sadly those kids will be the ones paying the price for the rest of their lives.
Jake has been punished enough---he lost a brother-in-law while trying to protect his sister-in-law (isnt that ironic?), he lost his 4 nieces and there's a definite seperation of family. His life has been shot to hell and I can honestly say had I been in his shoes I would've done the exact same thing he did.
Documents detail history of violence
Akron Beacon Journal
By Ed Meyer and Andale Gross
August 01, 2006
I don't think Mike Beitko was given any preferential treatment. An off-duty Akron police detective fatally shot during a family gathering last week had numerous problems with violent outbursts and arrests for alcohol-related incidents, and Akron police were well aware of them, Summit County court records show.
Records concerning Michael S. Beitko date back to 1992.
Akron Police Chief Michael Matulavich said he chose to suspend Beitko for 30 days in 2001 after an incident in November 2000. He decided to not fire him because Beitko was off-duty, and his wife gave inconsistent statements and didn't want to press charges. (*typical beaten wife syndrome, they don't give consistant facts*)
'We have strict rules and regulations, and we certainly apply them when we can prove this is the case,' Matulavich said. 'Some people say, `Well, he should have been fired after the 2001 (suspension). I made a decision back in 2001, and I stick by it. I don't look back.'
In November 2000, an Akron police captain put in a call to the SWAT team to respond to an incident at Beitko's Cliffside Drive home on the city's west side.
According to those records, Beitko assaulted his wife, 'choking her until she went limp,' after coming home drunk at 2 p.m. carrying his service weapon.
Nine Akron officers and police supervisors responded to the call from his wife. The SWAT team eventually was called off after Beitko was persuaded to calm down.
Although Ohio law says 'preferred arrest' is the proper course if the responding officer finds probable cause that domestic violence has occurred, records show Beitko's police career continued because he was not criminally charged.
If he had been charged and convicted, he would not have been able to carry a gun, thus ending his career as an officer.
Ohio law states that an officer can make an arrest for domestic violence without the victim's consent.
'We're not shy when it comes to arresting our own police officers,' Matulavich said. 'I don't think Mike Beitko was given any preferential treatment.'
Incident in 2005
Matulavich said that after the 2001 suspension, he was aware of no further incidents until November 2005, when officers went to the Beitko home for a domestic incident call and found his wife with bruises, which she blamed on a fall. The chief said Beitko had been drinking.
Beitko was not suspended but was ordered to attend a substance-use evaluation at a local hospital in January. Matulavich declined to name the hospital.
According to Matulavich, a chemical dependency counselor said Beitko 'exhibited a low probability of a substance dependence disorder' and dependency treatment was not necessary.
'We tried to get this officer help,' Matulavich said. 'I think we did everything we could as a police department.... There's nothing that I could have done that maybe would have prevented this. It would have been different if I didn't take any action at all.
'Your most valuable resources are your employees. And I think we have an obligation, as does any employer, to get help for them when they need it. And that's what we did.'
Beitko, 41, was fatally shot Wednesday night at his sister's home in New Franklin when her husband intervened after the detective hit his wife and attempted to choke her, tape recordings of the 911 calls show.
The 911 calls were made to the New Franklin Police Department shortly before 9:30 p.m. by Beitko's sister, Jenny Carlson, who told the dispatcher Beitko was 'very drunk and hitting his wife.'
Carlson's husband, Jacob A. Carlson, 32, was charged with murder. He is to be arraigned in Barberton Municipal Court at 1 p.m. Wednesday.
In the 2000 incident, detailed Akron police records state the first officer responding to Beitko's home was met at the front door by his wife, Suzanne, who was holding one of her children.
Three-page report
Officer Christopher Brown, now a sergeant, wrote a three-page report about his encounter with Suzanne Beitko, stating: 'I observed that she was crying and visibly upset. I asked her what was going on. She stated: `Chris, Mike's got his gun and he's gonna shoot anyone who comes into the house.' '
After seeing to it that Suzanne Beitko and her two children were safe in his police cruiser, Brown began talking to Michael Beitko to calm him as police supervisors arrived.
They found his 'unloaded pistol sitting on the kitchen table,' Brown wrote.
Later, after the SWAT team had been called off, Lt. Sylvia Trundle, now a captain, began talking to Suzanne Beitko to find out what had happened.
Trundle wrote: 'She stated that she and Michael got into an argument about his drinking.... She said (he) was just throwing things around the house and yelling but then he put her in a choke hold and she went limp. She said that it scared her because he had never done anything like that before and that was why she called the police.'
Ultimately, she insisted that she did not want her husband charged, telling Trundle, 'He needs help, not charges.'
Michael Beitko was taken out of the home that night and driven to his father's house in Manchester.
But before the night was out, a police captain conferred with the department's legal adviser, an assistant Akron city prosecutor, who 'agreed with me as to how we had handled the situation.... '
Records show Beitko's troubles with the department began in 1992, six months after he graduated from the police academy.
In November of that year, he was stopped in his car by Cuyahoga Falls police for going 74 mph in a 35 mph zone. An Akron police sergeant was summoned and found Beitko 'to be highly intoxicated.'
The sergeant wrote in his report that he found 'several open containers of alcohol on the front seat and in a cup holder,' as well as his service weapon.
For that incident, Beitko was convicted of DUI, sentenced to 10 days in rehabilitation at Oriana House and suspended for 10 days for violating department regulations.
His city disciplinary notice concluded with the warning: 'Any continuation of these violations will result in further disciplinary action, which may include discharge.'
Four months after his DUI conviction, Beitko was in trouble for striking a suspect who had been handcuffed behind another officer's patrol car.
That officer said he had to pull Beitko off the suspect after Beitko 'had his hands around the subject's neck.' Beitko was suspended for 90 days in connection with that incident.
Copyright © 2006 Akron Beacon Journal, All Rights Reserved.
Hosted by: Topix.net Publisher Platform (bet
As for Suzanne Beitko, she KNOWS the truth but there's a stigma of shame attached to being a beaten wife. Her kids will find out the "truth" later but NOT from her and sadly those kids will be the ones paying the price for the rest of their lives.
Jake has been punished enough---he lost a brother-in-law while trying to protect his sister-in-law (isnt that ironic?), he lost his 4 nieces and there's a definite seperation of family. His life has been shot to hell and I can honestly say had I been in his shoes I would've done the exact same thing he did.
Documents detail history of violence
Akron Beacon Journal
By Ed Meyer and Andale Gross
August 01, 2006
I don't think Mike Beitko was given any preferential treatment. An off-duty Akron police detective fatally shot during a family gathering last week had numerous problems with violent outbursts and arrests for alcohol-related incidents, and Akron police were well aware of them, Summit County court records show.
Records concerning Michael S. Beitko date back to 1992.
Akron Police Chief Michael Matulavich said he chose to suspend Beitko for 30 days in 2001 after an incident in November 2000. He decided to not fire him because Beitko was off-duty, and his wife gave inconsistent statements and didn't want to press charges. (*typical beaten wife syndrome, they don't give consistant facts*)
'We have strict rules and regulations, and we certainly apply them when we can prove this is the case,' Matulavich said. 'Some people say, `Well, he should have been fired after the 2001 (suspension). I made a decision back in 2001, and I stick by it. I don't look back.'
In November 2000, an Akron police captain put in a call to the SWAT team to respond to an incident at Beitko's Cliffside Drive home on the city's west side.
According to those records, Beitko assaulted his wife, 'choking her until she went limp,' after coming home drunk at 2 p.m. carrying his service weapon.
Nine Akron officers and police supervisors responded to the call from his wife. The SWAT team eventually was called off after Beitko was persuaded to calm down.
Although Ohio law says 'preferred arrest' is the proper course if the responding officer finds probable cause that domestic violence has occurred, records show Beitko's police career continued because he was not criminally charged.
If he had been charged and convicted, he would not have been able to carry a gun, thus ending his career as an officer.
Ohio law states that an officer can make an arrest for domestic violence without the victim's consent.
'We're not shy when it comes to arresting our own police officers,' Matulavich said. 'I don't think Mike Beitko was given any preferential treatment.'
Incident in 2005
Matulavich said that after the 2001 suspension, he was aware of no further incidents until November 2005, when officers went to the Beitko home for a domestic incident call and found his wife with bruises, which she blamed on a fall. The chief said Beitko had been drinking.
Beitko was not suspended but was ordered to attend a substance-use evaluation at a local hospital in January. Matulavich declined to name the hospital.
According to Matulavich, a chemical dependency counselor said Beitko 'exhibited a low probability of a substance dependence disorder' and dependency treatment was not necessary.
'We tried to get this officer help,' Matulavich said. 'I think we did everything we could as a police department.... There's nothing that I could have done that maybe would have prevented this. It would have been different if I didn't take any action at all.
'Your most valuable resources are your employees. And I think we have an obligation, as does any employer, to get help for them when they need it. And that's what we did.'
Beitko, 41, was fatally shot Wednesday night at his sister's home in New Franklin when her husband intervened after the detective hit his wife and attempted to choke her, tape recordings of the 911 calls show.
The 911 calls were made to the New Franklin Police Department shortly before 9:30 p.m. by Beitko's sister, Jenny Carlson, who told the dispatcher Beitko was 'very drunk and hitting his wife.'
Carlson's husband, Jacob A. Carlson, 32, was charged with murder. He is to be arraigned in Barberton Municipal Court at 1 p.m. Wednesday.
In the 2000 incident, detailed Akron police records state the first officer responding to Beitko's home was met at the front door by his wife, Suzanne, who was holding one of her children.
Three-page report
Officer Christopher Brown, now a sergeant, wrote a three-page report about his encounter with Suzanne Beitko, stating: 'I observed that she was crying and visibly upset. I asked her what was going on. She stated: `Chris, Mike's got his gun and he's gonna shoot anyone who comes into the house.' '
After seeing to it that Suzanne Beitko and her two children were safe in his police cruiser, Brown began talking to Michael Beitko to calm him as police supervisors arrived.
They found his 'unloaded pistol sitting on the kitchen table,' Brown wrote.
Later, after the SWAT team had been called off, Lt. Sylvia Trundle, now a captain, began talking to Suzanne Beitko to find out what had happened.
Trundle wrote: 'She stated that she and Michael got into an argument about his drinking.... She said (he) was just throwing things around the house and yelling but then he put her in a choke hold and she went limp. She said that it scared her because he had never done anything like that before and that was why she called the police.'
Ultimately, she insisted that she did not want her husband charged, telling Trundle, 'He needs help, not charges.'
Michael Beitko was taken out of the home that night and driven to his father's house in Manchester.
But before the night was out, a police captain conferred with the department's legal adviser, an assistant Akron city prosecutor, who 'agreed with me as to how we had handled the situation.... '
Records show Beitko's troubles with the department began in 1992, six months after he graduated from the police academy.
In November of that year, he was stopped in his car by Cuyahoga Falls police for going 74 mph in a 35 mph zone. An Akron police sergeant was summoned and found Beitko 'to be highly intoxicated.'
The sergeant wrote in his report that he found 'several open containers of alcohol on the front seat and in a cup holder,' as well as his service weapon.
For that incident, Beitko was convicted of DUI, sentenced to 10 days in rehabilitation at Oriana House and suspended for 10 days for violating department regulations.
His city disciplinary notice concluded with the warning: 'Any continuation of these violations will result in further disciplinary action, which may include discharge.'
Four months after his DUI conviction, Beitko was in trouble for striking a suspect who had been handcuffed behind another officer's patrol car.
That officer said he had to pull Beitko off the suspect after Beitko 'had his hands around the subject's neck.' Beitko was suspended for 90 days in connection with that incident.
Copyright © 2006 Akron Beacon Journal, All Rights Reserved.
Hosted by: Topix.net Publisher Platform (bet
With any luck, the shooter was aware of this so his knowledge of the decedent's prior acts will be considered as part of the reason he fired.
With any luck, the officials who protected the decedent beyond any rhyme or reason will see their careers suffer a similar end.
With any luck, the officials who protected the decedent beyond any rhyme or reason will see their careers suffer a similar end.
hoppinglark
Member
Is there a legal defense fund or anything we can do to help?
johnvid
Member
I just heard a news report on the radio. No charges will be filed.
C96
Member
AKRRON -- A grand jury today declined to issue an indictment against 32-year-old Jacob Carlson.
Carlson was arrested last month, after shooting his brother-in-law during a family gathering in Franklin Township.
41-year-old Michael Bietko was an Akron Police detective.
Bietko's sister called 911 after he allegedly struck his wife.
The grand jury heard testimony from several witnesses, and reviewed evidence over several days, before making the decision.
"The family continues to grieve over this tragic situation. Our hearts and prayers are with them as they begin the healing process over this terrible incident", said Summit County Prosecutor Sherri Bevan Walsh.
http://www.wkyc.com/news/news_article.aspx?storyid=55665
Carlson was arrested last month, after shooting his brother-in-law during a family gathering in Franklin Township.
41-year-old Michael Bietko was an Akron Police detective.
Bietko's sister called 911 after he allegedly struck his wife.
The grand jury heard testimony from several witnesses, and reviewed evidence over several days, before making the decision.
"The family continues to grieve over this tragic situation. Our hearts and prayers are with them as they begin the healing process over this terrible incident", said Summit County Prosecutor Sherri Bevan Walsh.
http://www.wkyc.com/news/news_article.aspx?storyid=55665
NineseveN
member
*cheers*
That's how it should be. It's a shame that he had to live with the fear that he might be jailed and undure the added stress of this whole predicament, but in the end, the grand jury did right.
That's how it should be. It's a shame that he had to live with the fear that he might be jailed and undure the added stress of this whole predicament, but in the end, the grand jury did right.
EVIL5LITER
Member
Thank the good Lord that another innocent man did not have to go to jail for protecting himself or his family.
Rotorflyr
Member
GREAT NEWS! 
My best wishes go out to both sides of the family and hopefully with time, they can move past this tragic incident.
I also hope Sue Beitko get's additional help to get beyond being a battered wife, and finds the strength to never let it happen to her again.
My best wishes go out to both sides of the family and hopefully with time, they can move past this tragic incident.
I also hope Sue Beitko get's additional help to get beyond being a battered wife, and finds the strength to never let it happen to her again.
Aguila Blanca
Member
Thank God for the grand jury doing what was right.
I can only pray that Jacob Carlson's wife sides with her husband and doesn't hold the death of her brother against him. IIRC Mr. Carlson finally shot Beitko when he released his own wife from the choke hold and went after his sister.
I can only pray that Jacob Carlson's wife sides with her husband and doesn't hold the death of her brother against him. IIRC Mr. Carlson finally shot Beitko when he released his own wife from the choke hold and went after his sister.
Ironically enough, Jenny doesnt blame her husband. She knew that her brother (Mike) had a violent temper. Sadly though, Suzanne Beitko holds Carlson personally responsible and this will end up in court. She will sue for damages, pain and suffering etc, that you can count on. Suzanne Beitko will never see her husband as having done anything out of line. I hope she gets some much needed psychological help/counseling as well as her children. They grew up with the mentality that its OK to abuse, drink and lose control and Moms are supposed to "look the other way".
The Beacon Journal Article.
http://www.ohio.com/mld/ohio/15293435.htm
The Grand Jury Says No.
The Summit County grand jury has declined to indict a man who shot and killed an off-duty Akron police detective during a family quarrel.
The decision announced Wednesday disappointed Akron police officers, many of whom wanted Jacob Carlson to stand trial for the shooting death of Detective Michael Beitko.
Carlson, who met with reporters hours after learning a murder charge would be dismissed, said he was relieved.
Carlson, 32, spent nearly a week in jail after being charged by New Franklin police in the July 26 shooting. Beitko was Carlson's brother-in-law.
The pharmaceutical salesman and father of two told reporters that he acted in defense of himself and his wife when an intoxicated Beitko became enraged near the end of a family get-together at the Carlsons' home.
Beitko attacked his wife and Carlson's wife before Carlson shot him four times around the chest.
Beitko was a 14-year police veteran and a father of four.
``I had no other option but to do what I did,'' Carlson said Wednesday with his wife beside him. ``We're both saddened at the way things turned out. We did not want it to turn out that way. It was just a terrible situation, but I really had no other option.''
Akron police union President Paul Hlynsky blamed Prosecutor Sherri Bevan Walsh's office for returning from the grand jury without a murder or manslaughter charge. He said the case exemplifies a double standard by which police officers must abide.
``The reaction around the station is one of disappointment and amazement,'' Hlynsky said. ``If the situation were reversed, the prosecutor would have been falling all over herself to overcharge the officer to avoid public criticism. We don't feel that justice was served in any way.''
Walsh declined to comment on Hlynsky's criticism. She said her office treated the grand jury proceedings like any other case.
She said two top assistants presented the evidence and let the grand jury decide. The presentation took place over several days and included the eyewitness testimony of Jenny Carlson and Beitko's widow, Sue.
New Franklin police and its legal adviser, lawyer David Fish, examined essentially the same evidence and charged Carlson with murder on the night of the shooting.
Tape of 911 call a factor
Walsh said that even if an indictment had been returned, the case would have been difficult for prosecutors to win. She cited the 911 call that Jenny Carlson, 34, made shortly before her husband shot her brother. In the call, she said her brother was ``very drunk and hitting his wife.''
Then, according to the 911 tape, she told the dispatcher had his wife ``in a headlock'' and she was having trouble breathing. Shortly afterward, police said, Jacob Carlson is heard shouting: ``Let go of her... or I'll kill you!''
Before the grand jury met, defense lawyer James Burdon seemed to have rallied public support, telling reporters that Jacob Carlson, then in jail awaiting bond, was acting in self-defense and in defense of his wife.
``The grand jury has indicated it is not'' a crime, Walsh said. ``Nothing was handled any differently. The grand jurors don't indict every case. And, I think there were certainly some unique circumstances in this case, particularly the fact that it was on tape in a 911 call.''
Jenny Carlson's account
Jenny Carlson told police that Beitko, his wife, and their four children came to the Carlsons' Clement Avenue home about 2 p.m. Around dark, Beitko became belligerent after much drinking.
Outside the home, Beitko, 41, pushed his wife and put her in a hold. Jenny Carlson then called 911. Beitko tried to leave, and Jenny Carlson tried to blocked his way. He pushed her away, then grabbed her and put her in a hold, according to her statement to police.
``This is when I heard Jake yelling for Mike to get off me,'' Jenny Carlson wrote in her statement to police. ``Mike let go of me and then went toward Jake. Jake fired one shot, down I think, telling Mike to stop. Mike didn't stop. Jake shot him. Mike fell. Sue screamed.''
Burdon would not allow the Carlsons to recount the events in the session with reporters. Jenny Carlson did tell reporters that she was terrified of her brother. ``I thought he was going to kill somebody,'' she said.
Sue Beitko, who Akron police say wanted Jacob Carlson charged, could not be reached for comment. Her lawyer, Brian Pierce, declined to comment.
Sue Beitko, an emergency room nurse, gave police a statement with nearly the same account as that offered by Jenny Carlson.
``He yelled to Mike to stop (and) pulled a gun from his waist band,'' Sue Beitko wrote of Jacob Carlson in her statement to police. ``And I heard four gun shots.''
Jacob Carlson's view
Jacob Carlson told reporters he was no match for the much bigger Beitko. Carlson was also recovering from a fractured vertebra in his neck.
``As the events unfolded, it became very clear to me that my options were narrowing,'' he said. ``I tried to get Mike to respond in a way to resolve the situation without anyone getting hurt. But as that became impossible, I had only one option left.''
As police arrived, Beitko lay in the driveway while his wife of nine years performed CPR.
According to Akron police and Summit County court records, Beitko had been suspended three times, including once for assaulting his wife.
``I loved my brother-in-law, and I still do,'' Jacob Carlson said. ``I've been praying for him, his wife and children every day since this happened.
``Mike did have a lot of good qualities. He did a lot of good things for people, myself included. I just want people to know that, and I hope he's in a better place now.''
http://www.ohio.com/mld/ohio/15293435.htm
The Grand Jury Says No.
The Summit County grand jury has declined to indict a man who shot and killed an off-duty Akron police detective during a family quarrel.
The decision announced Wednesday disappointed Akron police officers, many of whom wanted Jacob Carlson to stand trial for the shooting death of Detective Michael Beitko.
Carlson, who met with reporters hours after learning a murder charge would be dismissed, said he was relieved.
Carlson, 32, spent nearly a week in jail after being charged by New Franklin police in the July 26 shooting. Beitko was Carlson's brother-in-law.
The pharmaceutical salesman and father of two told reporters that he acted in defense of himself and his wife when an intoxicated Beitko became enraged near the end of a family get-together at the Carlsons' home.
Beitko attacked his wife and Carlson's wife before Carlson shot him four times around the chest.
Beitko was a 14-year police veteran and a father of four.
``I had no other option but to do what I did,'' Carlson said Wednesday with his wife beside him. ``We're both saddened at the way things turned out. We did not want it to turn out that way. It was just a terrible situation, but I really had no other option.''
Akron police union President Paul Hlynsky blamed Prosecutor Sherri Bevan Walsh's office for returning from the grand jury without a murder or manslaughter charge. He said the case exemplifies a double standard by which police officers must abide.
``The reaction around the station is one of disappointment and amazement,'' Hlynsky said. ``If the situation were reversed, the prosecutor would have been falling all over herself to overcharge the officer to avoid public criticism. We don't feel that justice was served in any way.''
Walsh declined to comment on Hlynsky's criticism. She said her office treated the grand jury proceedings like any other case.
She said two top assistants presented the evidence and let the grand jury decide. The presentation took place over several days and included the eyewitness testimony of Jenny Carlson and Beitko's widow, Sue.
New Franklin police and its legal adviser, lawyer David Fish, examined essentially the same evidence and charged Carlson with murder on the night of the shooting.
Tape of 911 call a factor
Walsh said that even if an indictment had been returned, the case would have been difficult for prosecutors to win. She cited the 911 call that Jenny Carlson, 34, made shortly before her husband shot her brother. In the call, she said her brother was ``very drunk and hitting his wife.''
Then, according to the 911 tape, she told the dispatcher had his wife ``in a headlock'' and she was having trouble breathing. Shortly afterward, police said, Jacob Carlson is heard shouting: ``Let go of her... or I'll kill you!''
Before the grand jury met, defense lawyer James Burdon seemed to have rallied public support, telling reporters that Jacob Carlson, then in jail awaiting bond, was acting in self-defense and in defense of his wife.
``The grand jury has indicated it is not'' a crime, Walsh said. ``Nothing was handled any differently. The grand jurors don't indict every case. And, I think there were certainly some unique circumstances in this case, particularly the fact that it was on tape in a 911 call.''
Jenny Carlson's account
Jenny Carlson told police that Beitko, his wife, and their four children came to the Carlsons' Clement Avenue home about 2 p.m. Around dark, Beitko became belligerent after much drinking.
Outside the home, Beitko, 41, pushed his wife and put her in a hold. Jenny Carlson then called 911. Beitko tried to leave, and Jenny Carlson tried to blocked his way. He pushed her away, then grabbed her and put her in a hold, according to her statement to police.
``This is when I heard Jake yelling for Mike to get off me,'' Jenny Carlson wrote in her statement to police. ``Mike let go of me and then went toward Jake. Jake fired one shot, down I think, telling Mike to stop. Mike didn't stop. Jake shot him. Mike fell. Sue screamed.''
Burdon would not allow the Carlsons to recount the events in the session with reporters. Jenny Carlson did tell reporters that she was terrified of her brother. ``I thought he was going to kill somebody,'' she said.
Sue Beitko, who Akron police say wanted Jacob Carlson charged, could not be reached for comment. Her lawyer, Brian Pierce, declined to comment.
Sue Beitko, an emergency room nurse, gave police a statement with nearly the same account as that offered by Jenny Carlson.
``He yelled to Mike to stop (and) pulled a gun from his waist band,'' Sue Beitko wrote of Jacob Carlson in her statement to police. ``And I heard four gun shots.''
Jacob Carlson's view
Jacob Carlson told reporters he was no match for the much bigger Beitko. Carlson was also recovering from a fractured vertebra in his neck.
``As the events unfolded, it became very clear to me that my options were narrowing,'' he said. ``I tried to get Mike to respond in a way to resolve the situation without anyone getting hurt. But as that became impossible, I had only one option left.''
As police arrived, Beitko lay in the driveway while his wife of nine years performed CPR.
According to Akron police and Summit County court records, Beitko had been suspended three times, including once for assaulting his wife.
``I loved my brother-in-law, and I still do,'' Jacob Carlson said. ``I've been praying for him, his wife and children every day since this happened.
``Mike did have a lot of good qualities. He did a lot of good things for people, myself included. I just want people to know that, and I hope he's in a better place now.''
Given the decedent's history of having benefited from an egregious double standard, I find the bolded part hilariously funny. I'm sure the president didn't mean to say it that way, but at least he's honest. The case does indeed serve as a prime example of a double standard, and the sad consequences of what happens when said double standard emboldens and enables an abuser.
Raptor5191
Member
The guy should have been fired and prosecuted years ago. Apparently he was a disgrace to the badge and uniform.
Thank God the Grand Jury did the right thing.
Thank God the Grand Jury did the right thing.
Henry Bowman
Senior Member
I doubt it, but the rest of you are.
It's a shame that the now-liberated widow will have no trouble finding a lawyer who will assure her that she has a great case against Carlson. Sadly he will be put through more agony and expense, but prevail. Hopefully, the widow does get mental help in time to break the cycle for her kids and not jump into another abuser's arms.
I'd be worried about the other officers who appear to still be defending his dangerously-abusive behavior.
ebd10
Member
+1.
If Jacob Carlson has the means, he should move away as soon as possible. The fact that he escaped prosecution just means that he will never have a moment's peace on the highways around his area ever again. Cops are not very forgiving.
hoppinglark
Member
*sarcasim on*
Of Coarse not! he should have waited till he choked her to death, then called the cops and have them arrest him, he's a civilian and has no business shooting someone who is attempting murder!
*sarcasim off*
:banghead:
Has Ohio not passed the "castle Doctrine law"yet. If so wouldn't the guy be not liable in civil court? If not this is one of the main reasons these laws need to be passed. We have a sick so called Justice System where you can not have commited a crime but can be sued anyway and loose. SICK. The laws need to be changed pronto. Not just in the case of self-defense but in alot of other areas as well. 
Well, it's apparent that what happened to Beitko is wrong according to the APD but strangling and beating women is OK and they just "look the other way".
Carlson shouldn't drive through Akron again, thats for sure and Suzanne Beitko will receive widows benefits to fund a decent attorney to continue her legal fight against Carlson---its a no win situation.
And Buzz Knox I found the "double standard" comment pretty funny as well---typical, huh?
Carlson shouldn't drive through Akron again, thats for sure and Suzanne Beitko will receive widows benefits to fund a decent attorney to continue her legal fight against Carlson---its a no win situation.
And Buzz Knox I found the "double standard" comment pretty funny as well---typical, huh?
Aggie's Revenge
Member
I am thinking more along the lines of the Feds investigating Akron PD. Seems to me that some shady stuff was going on. Maybe a few civil rights violations included. All I can say is that officer is a disgrace and would have been fired and arrested years ago had he been at my department.
silverlance
Member
yikes
and they say that los angeles cops are crooked.
seriously, this is quite scary to me - and I live and work in one of the most reviled cities in the nation, so I'm no stranger to violence / cops.
i have friends who are beligerent drunks. when out with them, we watch VERY carefully the amount of alcohol they drink, because if we don't, the evening rapidly turns into "quick get eddie back to the hotel room before something goes down".
i would have thought that here on thr with all you rough and tumble sorts you would have had lots of exp with belig drunks, and how much of a serious powderkeg this type of person is. the belig drunks are real friends of mine, i like them a lot, would trust them with my car - but only because i know they're honorable and would pay for a replacement. i however would not trust them with my kids, wife, etc...
reading this has taught me two things.
a. one ought to be leery of akron, ohio.
b. post on a public forum is exactly what it is. dont' say anything that you might regret later, because people you might not expect to read it, do.
hope all the families come out well.
the akron union pres' statement is outrageous. why they have chosen to throw in their lot behind such an untenable character is beyond me.
it is equally outrageous that the wife is suing the man who may very well have saved her life.
i wonder how much money j.carlson has spent on keeping himself clear of jail?
and they say that los angeles cops are crooked.
seriously, this is quite scary to me - and I live and work in one of the most reviled cities in the nation, so I'm no stranger to violence / cops.
i have friends who are beligerent drunks. when out with them, we watch VERY carefully the amount of alcohol they drink, because if we don't, the evening rapidly turns into "quick get eddie back to the hotel room before something goes down".
i would have thought that here on thr with all you rough and tumble sorts you would have had lots of exp with belig drunks, and how much of a serious powderkeg this type of person is. the belig drunks are real friends of mine, i like them a lot, would trust them with my car - but only because i know they're honorable and would pay for a replacement. i however would not trust them with my kids, wife, etc...
reading this has taught me two things.
a. one ought to be leery of akron, ohio.
b. post on a public forum is exactly what it is. dont' say anything that you might regret later, because people you might not expect to read it, do.
hope all the families come out well.
the akron union pres' statement is outrageous. why they have chosen to throw in their lot behind such an untenable character is beyond me.
it is equally outrageous that the wife is suing the man who may very well have saved her life.
i wonder how much money j.carlson has spent on keeping himself clear of jail?
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