Daley asks pardon for Chicago cop jailed in Iowa

Chicago Mayor Richard Daley has asked Iowa's governor to pardon jailed Chicago police officer Michael Mette.

Mette is serving a five-year sentence in Rockwell City, Iowa. He was convicted of assault for punching a man during a fight in 2005.

In a letter to Gov. Chet Culver, Daley says Mette "did little or nothing to provoke" the altercation.

Daley says Mette's response was "a matter of self-defense in reaction to a very real threat."

The letter is dated Aug. 20 and was made public this week when Chicago Police Superintendent Jody Weis gave Mette's family a copy.

Weis and Cook County State's Attorney Dick Devine have written similar letters to Culver.

Mette argued self-defense at his 2006 trial. A judge found him guilty of assault causing serious injury.