Journal

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Wednesday, June 15, 2005
Shamless self-promotion: Cop at a Crossroads

Court TV has decided to air another trial that I researched for them!

Trial opens for Iowa officer who fatally shot driver
By Chris O'Connell
Court TV

HARLAN, Iowa — In Shelby County, Iowa, neighbors driving on the gravel roads between rolling cornfields can pause to chat without worry of stopping traffic, and people slow down to wave at strangers. But a less-cordial meeting on one of those roads turned tragic last December when a young sheriff's deputy shot a local trapper.

Chad Butler pulled out his service revolver and fired a single shot that struck Dwayne Jens, 41, in the back of the head, killing him almost instantly while his daughter watched from the front passenger seat.

A grand jury indicted Butler, 29, on one charge of voluntary manslaughter in February. He is the first Iowa law enforcement officer to be charged in a fatal shooting in 15 years.

Now Butler is set to stand trial in this rural county of farms, meat-packing plants and about 10,000 people an hour east of Omaha. Jury selection began Tuesday morning and opening statements are set for Wednesday.

The trial will be closely watched in the town of Harlan, the seat of Shelby County, where almost everyone knew Jens, a single father of three who worked odd jobs on local farms in addition to selling the pelts of animals he caught; and Butler, an ambitious young officer who also trained and cared for the county's only law enforcement K-9.

Continue reading...

To think, this small town tragedy almost didn't make the news.

First, I debated whether to pitch the story because police brutality seems like a common occurence. Or maybe it seems common because I grew up in L.A. (home of Rodney King). Iowa also has a funny law...You have to apply for camera access 14 days before the trial, whereas other states allow you to apply just days beforehand. The Court TV executives made their programming decision on the day of the deadline. After many frantic phone calls, I formally "applied," only to find out that the media coordinator was on vacation for the entire week. I was so scared that the application wouldn't reach her in time. Luckily, everything worked out, and I feel another sense of satisfaction for bringing a trial to life.

Catch the trial live on Court TV Extra, a new online service that streams trials. You could also wait for an undetermined amount of time before "regular" Court TV airs it, but why would you want to do that?

posted by Jessica at 10:56 PM | 0 comments

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