Acquitted officer may rejoin force
A Chicago policeman released Wednesday from an Iowa prison hopes to rejoin the police force shortly.
Michael Mette, 31, was sentenced to five years in an Iowa prison after being convicted of an assault charge resulting from an October 2005 fight in which he punched a Dubuque student, who suffered a broken nose, cheek and jaw.
Mette said he hit the student in self-defense. Chicago Police Supt. Jody Weis and Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley had called for his release.
The Iowa Court of Appeals found that a district judge erred when she ruled that Mette could have retreated from the altercation. The court ordered his acquittal after he had served about a year.
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