Posted on 04/05/2007 2:43:06 PM PDT by Kimmers
Jurors convicted an 81-year-old woman of felony battery Wednesday for hitting a police officer with her cane.
Betty Chambers showed no reaction when the guilty verdict was announced, but outside the courtroom she used a newspaper to hide her face from cameras. "I'm sick of seeing my picture on TV! I've done nothing wrong!" she said.
The verdict came one day after a judge dropped a charge of resisting law enforcement against Chambers, who claimed she acted in self-defense.
Chambers could face six months to three years in prison when she is sentenced May 15 in St. Joseph Superior Court.
Chambers also is being sued by two officers who say they were injured when they went to her home south of South Bend to check on her welfare in February 2005.
When Cpl. Lonny Foresman and Detective Sgt. John Pavlekovich arrived, the woman's caretaker, Thomas Holleman, now 58, became argumentative and told them to leave, according to a police report.
Pavlekovich reported that Holleman resisted arrest and that Chambers began striking Foresman in the neck and head with her wooden cane. Foresman was diagnosed with a mild concussion, while Pavlekovich separated his shoulder while wrestling Holleman to the ground to handcuff him, the lawsuit contends.
The judge listened to testimony from both officers Tuesday and ruled that evidence showed Chambers did not directly struggle with Pavlekovich or injure him.
The battery charge involved Foresman's injury.
"I felt a bump on my head," Foresman testified. "I shook it off at first because I didn't know what it was. It was just a knock."
But then he felt a second and a third blow.
"That's when I was stunned," he said. "I knew I was hurting at that time."
Chambers, who is 5 feet tall and 100 pounds, testified that she acted out of self defense and feared Holleman would be killed.
"I have to protect my interests," Chambers said of Holleman. "If he's gone, I'm gone."
Holleman served 40 days in jail for the incident.
what about that congress woman that punched the cop?
Her mistake was not being a Congresswoman of the right party!
She was just raising a little cane
How can they not be embarrassed?
That’s what I thought. What a couple of wimps. Did they then ask someone for a pretty Band-aid?
One could only imagine the reception these cops received from their fellow boys in blue...
These cops are petty amateurs....a real pro would have pepper sprayed and tased the lady and shot a dog or two on the way in.
There, fixed it.
Need more info, why did the cops make a visit to begin with.There is more to this story I am sure, then again, maybe not as of late.
“they went to her home south of South Bend to check on her welfare in February 2005.”
We’re from the government, and we’re here to help.
“These cops are petty amateurs....a real pro would have pepper sprayed and tased the lady and shot a dog or two on the way in.”
REAL cops fire 51 times, reloading multiple times.
Bwaa-ha-ha I just snarfed on my keyboard when I read that.
"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." - Manuel II Palelologus
How often will the cops come to check up on her welfare...?
I am hoping the duo is receiving the appropriate amount of "constructive criticism" from fellow officers that one would expect after getting beat up by an 81-year old granny
It sounds likely to me that the cops started it.
Why would you send two policemen around to see if an old lady was OK? Who sent them? Very fishy.
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