without a comment
http://www.post-trib.com/news/lake/1613054,slcops0609.article
MUNSTER: Columnist arrested for public intoxication
Mark Kiesling, metro columnist for The Times newspaper, was arrested Saturday for public intoxication after he allegedly backed his car into another vehicle in the parking lot of a Hohman Avenue Papa John's.
Police arrived at 11:30 p.m. in response to a report of an accident in the lot, a report states. The report states neither vehicle appeared damaged. Kiesling told police he had been driving, and that he had "a few beers" after work at Munster Liquors, where he has a part-time job.
The report states Kiesling was slurring and smelled of alcohol, and appeared unsteady on his feet. He agreed to take a portable breath test, and recorded a 0.20 percent reading, more than twice the legal limit.first of all i am glad nobody was hurt. and i am resisting the natural temptation to even the score, for all of the columns this guy has written against myself or friends. so i wont make any jokes about this or take any cheap shots.
however. this is not the first time a supposed potential dwi or owi has been reduced for kiesling. it happenned several years ago as well...and at the time tom philpot aleged that it was all a deal with carter and the then sheriff buncich to get good press in exchange for going easy on kiesling and a fellow reporter he was arrested with. ive heard stories of another incident as well, but havent independantly verified if there is any truth to it at all.
as for the old incident i do know about...philpot actually discussed it openly on the air with me...and brought in the old police report as well. basically it stated there was an altercation with the duo both who appeared intoxicated, that involved pepper spray and both were arrested. however it was never determined who was driving the car...and it eventually got plead down to an extremly minor charge (cant remember exactly which)
kiesling did one time bring the philpot discussion up with me...and his side was basically that he wasnt driving, niether were really drunk and that he wasnt the one sprayed. he also flat out denied that any deal for positive coverage was attached to his plea.
the point is...there is a history of the same sort of aledged problem throughout mark's background. and with the obvious generosity of the munster pd giving him just a p i for the latest incident, it has the obvious taint of a pattern.
now understand, i do think mark is a decent guy, and a great writer. the problem i have always had with him is purely professional. in that that he is rarely a fair writer. subjective in the topics he chooses, and very selective in the facts he chooses to use. but everything i know about the guy as a person, through direct communication and others that know him indicates he is a genuinely good person and an asset to the general community.
but lets be clear here. peter katic didnt deserve the treatment he recieved in kiesling's column for a similar incident that didnt involve his job. others in the public eye have been slashed and burned by mark for all kinds of non political incidents as well. oh...and lets not forget that dedelow was scandalized by an investigation into an alleged dui cover up involving his police department...lead by in his columns none other than mark kiesling.
sorry to say. but kiesling's column in the the times no longer has any credibility. with multiple arrests and favorable charges both times (and possibly a third) being assessed. someone has to ask...how can this guy also write truthfully about the people obviously giving him favorable treatment. nobody was hurt this time. thats great. but what if someone was? come on folks, here is a guy who was drunk and went out for pizza. he got lucky that his accident occurred in a privately owned parking lot and not on the street, but still all he might get for it is a few hundred dollar fine? imagine it was some guy named jamal who was stopped three times under the same circumstances? how many years would he be facing for being involved in an accident under his third drunk driving charge?
its something i hope mark thinks about very much.
we have a friend we both know who has turned his life around after being in similar circumstances (minus the arrests anyway). he decided it was time to change and did. not for anyone else but himself.
i hope mark recognizes how truly lucky he is....and will do the same for himself. but for the time being. i hope the times realizes. it cant keep printing his columns...and still call itself a newspaper with a straight face any more.
the next time mark gets behind the wheel after a few beers...one of the times readers and the leniant officials constituents could be in severe danger. heck it could even be one of there loved ones that wind up in the next fender bender with him. and i seriously doubt either the times or the officials are prepared to answer for that.