“It’s a private matter”

That’s what some supporters are saying about Paul Humpfer’s crime:  People are inserting themselves into Mr. Humpfer’s private life.

Mr. Humpfer’s criminal conviction is not private.  It is part of the public record.

Perhaps if Mr. Humpfer would have written sexy love notes to a staffer [Detroit mayor, Kwame Kilpatrick], or hired an “escort”[NY Governor, Eliot Spitzer], or bumped another man’s foot in the bathroom stall [US Senator, Larry Craig], instead of using a baseball bat to attack his wife, maybe then more people would be outraged.

In those cases other than Mr. Humpfer’s, there was either a resignation, or public outrage that called for resignation/removal.

But, there is a difference between those and Mr. Humpfer’s … Mr. Humpfer was convicted.  Two of the above haven’t been convicted of any charges against them.  And, one wasn’t even charged with anything.

It’s good to know that being convicted of a crime is a “private matter”.  It’s good to know that domestic abuse is a “private matter”.  An estimated 3 million women who are battered and abused will be glad to know that.  The families of the more than 1,000 women each year who are murdered by their husbands will be glad to know that their daughters or sisters, aunts or cousins, died because people knew domestic abuse was occurring and did nothing to prevent it.

That shooting last night at Fox View was likely “a private matter” too.  I hope they don’t arrest anyone.

Just let it go.

Lesser charge should still justify removal

I really am glad to see that folks are in agreement that Humpfer should be kicked off the Board. I’m even happier to see that no one is coming to his defense and trying to say that he should remain. Well, there’s one person, but I suspect he’s just sore about having picked the wrong guy to support, and is trying to save face.

There has been some noise made about the fact that convicted wife-beater Paul Humpfer was only charged with misdemeanors — four misdemeanors, but misdemeanors nonetheless. It raises a number of questions, the most intriguing I believe is why usage of a baseball bat in this assault did not trigger the charge of a felony.

Read case after case where a baseball bat was used in a battery and in every one I could find the perpetrator is charged with a felony.

The law notes that a felonious assault is one where a weapon is used.

“Regardless of if an injury results from a felonious attack if there was a weapon used it is classified as a felonious assault.“

Judge James Hallock rightly classified this as “a classic domestic violence case”, as it appears that Ms. Humpfer was being manipulated by fear. It was this fear that likely caused her to drop the charges in the 2005 case (from which there are medical reports of her injuries), and to not call police or seek medical attention in the 2007 case.

While Humpfer said no baseball bat was involved, his “son had earlier testified that [Humpfer] was carrying a baseball bat around the house. In fact, the father and son had just come home from a Little League game, where Paul Humpfer learned of his wife’s indiscretion with Martin Sigwalt.”

Given this, even the threat with a deadly weapon intending to cause bodily injury is typically treated as a felony. And, usually because of the psychological abuse often involved that can cause an abused spouse to recant their story, prosecution follows policies designed to overcome the psychological hold that abusers often hold over their victims.

Since this is the case, even though Mr. Humpfer was officially charged with misdemeanors, the crimes of which he was convicted were serious enough to warrant a felony charge. It is possible that the lesser charges were done in order to salvage his livelihood, since a felony conviction would have also resulted in the loss of his CPA license, and potentially his job as an accountant with an international insurance firm.

It does seem that the State has already been lenient in charging him with a lesser crime (for which he should be thankful!), but that should not preclude a consequence that at least removes him from his position as a representative of the people.

I hope the State will take steps to see that he is forced to resign or be removed from office if the Village Board, Village Manager and Village Attorney do not take appropriate steps to do so. I will be sending an email to the Village Manager and the Board tomorrow requesting this action be taken. I encourage all residents to do the same to let them know that you do not accept being represented by a convicted wife-beater.

I also want to thank everyone for their support of this blog and the efforts it takes to keep you informed, and act on your behalf to raise issues that are important to you up to the appropriate levels. Those who disagree are usually the ones who make comments stating their objections. The lack of those types of rebuttal comments reassures me of your basic agreement with the things I’m writing about here.

Thanks!