Page 168 - NIXBOOK

Professional school bus driver, a really tall, big guy in his 60’s – is at the front counter of the police department. Wants to talk
to a police officer. I’m summoned. “How can I help you sir?” He tells me he had just been in an argument with his boss and
during their disagreement his boss used his index finger to jab him in the chest, to emphasize his point. I can see where this is
going, and my face is completely blank as the bus driver explains he wants to file a police report. Long pause. I was really hoping
he’d feel better to just vent, but no, he wants the full meal deal. “So…you want me to start an investigation…for…an assault case.”
I reply. “Yes I do! That was unwanted physical contact and that’s assault!” he said. Me, staring at him, with my best poker face,
not even an eyebrow raised. Long pause. I can’t quite believe it but he looks very serious and dead set on this course of action.
“Alright,” I said, thinking in my head that this was going to be my shortest ever written police report for an assault. And knowing
that the prosecutor would most likely not want to waste even a minute of time to even think about actually filing a charge
against boss man for poking his employee’s chest with a finger. I did the report, talked to the other people involved, filed the
case, don’t know what the charging disposition was, don’t care, still can’t believe he made that big of a deal about it.

The popular middle school teacher – an affable retired Navy vet- who got accused of inappropriate conduct with a student.
Police investigation led to a criminal court trial. He was publicly defended by dozens of present and former students. All of them
were well-meaning, but naïve to the facts of the case which included a police record of similar grooming conduct with another
student several years earlier. VERY damning. When I had interrogated the teacher his weak denials were also very damning:
“Well if I did those things I’m accused of…that would be wrong.” It was almost exactly like the Bob Costas interview with Jerry
Sandusky. In an effort to prove his innocence, he brought along – of all people – the school district HR director to the police
interview. Not a lawyer…the HR director. I said sure, why not. (The police chief at that time later admonished me for having a
witness in the interview room but I’m still not sorry.) Note: inviting your HR guy to your police interrogation is NOT a good
career move at all, BTW. The teacher was put on admin leave immediately and never went back to school after that. Then
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acquitted at criminal trial but found guilty in a civil case, with the school district paying out a huge amount of cash to the 8
grade victim. The teacher’s wife was the manager at the bank where I went regularly for the next decade or so. I know she had
read my police report and could probably read between the lines how I felt her husband was a liar and a super creepy pervert.
So…that was always a little awkward to run into her at the bank. Also a classic case of super frustration, seeing that guy’s honor
defended by so many people who did not know a few simple facts of the case which would have completely changed their minds
about him, had they known. The prior acts were ruled inadmissible in court though, so that’s why the teacher was not found
guilty. He had a good defense attorney.