Overland Police Officer charged with Manslaughter-updated

Now I generally am a big fan of the police, until the police force in question proves that they are not heroes. Some have, don't get me wrong. But people who put their life on the line to protect mine are a cut above and I am more than willing to give them the benefit of the doubt.
Here is a run down of the story. Police are called to a gas station for an altercation. Assailant has gone home. Police go to home to follow up.

Now, in my mind, if the person in question has gone home and his victim knows where that is, or at least his name, this isn't random. If the police know where to go, he is known to them. I mean seriously, I can be mad at my neighbor and call the police and say her dog bit me. They will come to me and if I have no scratch they aren't going to follow up w/ her. There must have been something to cause these officers to continue their investigation.

So police go to the home. In the midst of subduing the 49 year old suspect, he is injured, but its clear it was not with weapons or tasers. He later dies. All the police are put on suspension with pay. A few days later Officer Ringeisen is charged with manslaughter, and an arrest warrant is issued with a 40k cash bond.

Posters on various news sites are alternately calling for his head, all their heads, and for the criminals' family's heads. Some are screaming scapegoat. I am not ready to scream any thing from my little mountaintop yet.

a) If the gentleman was in a previous altercation, and then another with the police, who is to say it was not a heart attack from excessive physical exertion? What if several officers laid blows, and he fell onto this guys car? What if he wiggled while in a choke hold, lost blood to his brain, and the family decided to pull the plug? True, death would've been from the injury, but was the force excessive?

b) If you're known to your victim, and to the police, and you know the police are coming and you leave anyway, doesn't that give you some of the responsibility?

I am reserving judgment until more facts come in. Like perhaps the autopsy results. Bad cops give good cops bad reps. That's harder to type than it is to say. We so often hear of cops hurting criminals, and criminals hurting criminals and innocent bystanders, but seldom do we hear of police injured in the line of duty unless it's something truly horrendous. We don't hear about the hit and runs unless its a slow news day. We don't hear about a stray shot let off when someone gets jostled, or the dog bites, or human bites for that matter. Remember, you do not leave your house for work with the intention of getting hit, spit on, bled on, ran over, fought with, ran from, or shot at. Officers do.

Post Dispatch Article

Ksdk Article

**UPDATE**
According to new details published this morning by the post, the officer in question pushed the original assailant down some stairs.

Apparently, the original incident appears to be road-rage, and the accused has lights and a siren on his jeep. When police responded to his home, a verbal argument ensued, and the man was pushed down some stairs by the officer. Overland asked SLCPD to investigate.

I am still waiting for a verdict, and I need to digest this info before I decide what I think.... but if the guy rides around in a rusty jeep with lights on it, pulls people over with it in a road rage situation, I would almost guess he's nuttier than a squirrel's breakfast.

***3/31/10
Just saw a picture of the steps. Its like 3, not a flight like some (including me) thought. I'd say SLCPD got it right. Good job, Overland, for turning this over right away. Stupid? Yes. Reckless? Sure. Excessive? Probably not.

There have been a rash of cyber-bullies teens committing suicide as of late. The burning question is really this: Is it happening more, or is it steady and we hearing about it more?

Are these kids suicidal, or is this driving them mad. Are they already depressed kids made more vulnerable by the "plugged in" society we've given them?

Two recent cases have brought the Megan Meier story back to the forefront of my mind.

Phoebe Prince and Alexis Pilkington.

Phoebe was a beautiful girl, a freshman, who had the audacity to date a senior football player. Girls followed her around school, followed her home, constantly texting, emailing, and name calling. As adults, put away the object of your worries and move on.

Its harder for kids as its all they know. They have been wired since they could talk. I know one day as I sat down to my daughter's facebook there was a message from a boy in Texas that I didn't recognize. They were both getting off the computer but were going to continue to talk by texts. I was immediately alarmed. Giving some strange person in Texas your cell number. It could be anyone. It turned out, it wasn't anyone. It was a former classmate that I did remember after prompting, she pointed out I had taught her better than that.

We also talked about how cell phones these days are not for emergencies. They are basically communication pdas. Your cell # is like your Aol screen name from days of yore. Its a lot bigger deal to give out your facebook than it is your phone number, I'm told.

Then you have kids who want to be popular so bad they will do anything to get on the good side of the bully. Change your phone number -sounds easy enough. Until you think you have a friend in another outcast and they sell you out for sitting at lunch with the cool kids for a few days.

Alexis Pilkington had it bad, as well. Popular, athletic and smart. She graduated early and was on her way to college with a soccer scholarship. No one is saying what transpired that last night, but facebook messages left behind were cruel, spiteful, disrespectful and downright brutal to a girl already undergoing counseling.

Friends set up a memorial page on facebook, that too was defiled with horrible messages that her family could not tear themselves away from.

Two beautiful girls, gone in the space of a few months, because they were too pretty, too smart, too something, for others to handle. Who teaches their kids to behave this way, or doesn't correct them when they do.

I hope I am able to give my children hope in their future if they are ever faced with adversity such as this.

Resurrection and all....

This was once a clearing house for me to find easily forgotten websites. When the Megan story happened back in 2007 I joined a true crime site, first as a poster then as moderator and pretty much put this blog to bed. I have decided with all the nastiness going on, I'm reopening it.

As before, I'll be posting news bits from the area, focusing but not limited to crime stories.

Fun fun fun