|
On July 31, District Court Judge Michael McMaken ruled in favor of DeBoi in his wrongful arrest suit and ordered the police department to pay $3,000.
DeBoi, 56, was arrested by Officer Bristol Hines on Sept. 2, 2005, on a charge of disorderly conduct after he made a hand gesture while the two men were in their vehicles. He was acquitted last year and sued the city for $10,000 in damages, citing time lost from work, the threat of losing his engineering job
-- which requires a government security clearance -- and the embarrassment of being put in jail.
In awarding him $3,000, the judge said police officers must have "thicker skin" than the general public.
The decision attracted national attention, with Fox News Channel talk show host Bill O'Reilly calling McMaken "a pinhead judge" during a show Aug. 7.
Hill, the city attorney, said that while he may disagree with the judge's decision, "Judge McMaken is not a pinhead."
DeBoi told the Press-Register last week that he is a pro-police conservative who received commendations while serving in the Navy. He said he wished the officer would have accepted his apology rather than pursuing prosecution.
DeBoi said money was not an issue in filing the suit. "I wanted to totally exonerate myself," he said.
___
Information from: Press-Register,
http://www.al.com/mobileregister/
[Associated Press]
Copyright 2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This
material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or
redistributed. |
