The arrest in Iowa of an innocent man

In a recent issue of the Herald, I read about the Chicago Police Officer Michael Mette, who made the mistake of visiting Iowa only to be attacked.

He was attacked once, then a second time, and in both cases he walked away from his aggressor.

When he was attacked a third time, he had run out of cheeks to turn and protected himself.

Mr. Mette was arrested in Dubuque, Iowa and somehow charged with a crime.

I hope Gov. Chet Culver will personally review this case and immediately call for the release of Mr. Mette.

Until that occurs, neither myself nor my wife will be visiting Iowa.

I attempted to find an Iowa vacation page and the only thing I could find was a book called "Fun with the Family in Iowa. "

Every time I see the commercial on TV, I will think of Mr. Mette languishing in an Iowa jail.

In the unlikely event any of my neighbors or friends indicate vacationing in Iowa, I suggest that they rent a copy of Midnight Express as vacationing in Iowa seems to be similar to taking a trip to 1970s Turkey.

Mr. Mette recently became ill while in custody and apparently received a laxative. As was later discovered, Mr. Mette's appendix had burst and fortunately he was able to recover. Mr. Mette has suffered enough.

Please, Gov. Culver, intercede and call for his release.

I also hope the people of Illinois will express their deep disappointment in the decision to arrest an innocent man.

I look forward to Mr. Mette's immediate release and hope that my fellow Illinoisans avoid Iowa until this travesty is reversed.

Michael J. Victor

Schaumburg