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Scott H. Bockstetter, 34, was charged with class A misdemeanor third-degree assault, according to court documents filed Sunday, Jan. 31.
According to the probable cause statement released by the sheriff's department, the girl said the incident began when Bockstetter objected to her choice of date for a school dance.
He allegedly put her in a choke hold, pinned her to the ground, slapped her face and threw her into a wall, according to the report.
Because Bockstetter is a police officer, the investigation was turned over to the Saline County Sheriff's Department, according to Sheriff Wally George.
Bond was set at $2,000 with personal recognizance allowed.
Editor's note: Charges contained in reports provided by law enforcement officials are not evidence of guilt. Evidence supporting charges must be presented before a jury, whose duty is to determine if the accused is guilty or not guilty of the charges.
Contact Eric Crump at marshalleditor@socket.net
Comments
koeller77,
Hey your the one that stated you don't ever make any baseless comments, so where are you stats to back up your comments. This isn't Cheese Land, this is the show me state, so show us the stats that back up your off the wall comments? Maybe you just were told this by a Wisconsin Deputy Sheriff? He might have the stats, better check..
Thank you, Gumby, for proving my point. I know I can always count on you!
As to my stats, see my previous response(s) to your request.
Have a wonderful day!
koeller77,
Still waiting on your stats??? You are the one stating you have facts and stats that step parents and adoptive parents abuse their children more, so where are they?? You talk alot, but really know nothing about what you say do you? Just more jibber jabberer.....
Ceymore -
If you would like to say that posting my personal opinion, as well as posting facts is cyberbullying, you are welcome to do so. I have tried to refrain from calling names and make assumptions that I don't have any basis for, so I'm okay with whatever you want to call it.
However, I would suggest that Gumby's posts (on this and other stories) don't exactly qualify him for the halo that you insist on bestowing upon him.
Have a great day!
The newspaper can only print those facts that are realeased. What people read into it and interject into the story can't be helped.
Gumby, don't let the likes of Miss Marples or koeller 77 get to you.
YOUR RIGHT ON!
They try to be cyberbullies, unable to offer a fair exchange of ideas, they go for personal attacks, etc. but Keep the fight for common sense!
ERIC, and KATHY you do a GREAT JOB! You've got a job that can't please everyone, and everyone is a critic.
Anyone who wants to be fair understands that sometimes people can be on other sides of the fence, but fair and intelligent rhetoric is what increases understanding and further growth.
Thank you Marshall Democrat, Eric, and Kathy for providing that opportunity.
oldowlfan.
I was not stating that the article should not have been printed or that it should have really.
I was only pointing out that people use these articles to exercise their extremely judgmental attitudes, most if not all, being very hypocritical and that when those types of comments are posted on a website that the paper is responsible for, then it could be construed as the paper condoning these types of comments.... Not saying I think the paper is responsible for idiotic comments just that it could come across that way to the people affected by these comments who the stories are about.
I guess I was futilely making a point about the immature and knee jerk reactions and judgmental people on here....
mrxray so you are saying that this story should not have been printed at all?
I will go out on the limb and say that if this story had not been printed and the public had found out the reaction would have been much worse!!!!
Miss Marple,
Your own post contradicted everything you say. You have no personal knowledge of any kind. You rely on anything you can find on the internet to attempt to disprove or attack anything I comment on. At least I don't have to go on an internet hunt to attempt to find something to post. And yes I do believe your influence gets comments deleted or perhaps you have a direct line???
Gumby, you have established a very clear pattern here. Someone writes a story and you post a very negative comment. Then I post a response suggesting disagreement, or another view of the situation. You demand proof of my position, which I provide. You then become a seething mass of rage, start calling me names and insisting I have some connection to the paper. Your comments are then sometimes deleted, due to your name-calling and you accuse me of doing the deleting. And then you suggest that I am the one with a problem. I beg to differ.
Concerned007,
Maybe miss marple should come clean as to whom she really is and who she works for?? You can't win against the power of the press...and I couldn't do the show, I'm to busy just doing nothing, which would be way more important than...well you know!
Miss K, Marple,
I refuse to waste any of my time reading any garbage you post. You copy garbage and insist that others read it, then you can't even read it or comprehend what it says yourself? What a professional you aren't... You must live a sheltered life! I guess big city people are just different?? Lets try this, why don't you go live in the real world for a week and then report back and let us all know how you even survived it...
Scott I wish the best for you and hope that all the truth comes out. I just hope you get a fair and honest Judge to hear the case, if there is such a thing anymore??
newsacross:
Here are two posts from you.
1. How many folks witnessed him doing this? or are they basing their entire accusation on the word of one clerk...who may have hidden motives for accusing her ex-boyfriend of something he didn't do?
I guess we will all find out at his trial...and until a jury of his peers finds him guilty, he is preViolence is never an answer except in the case of self-defense. (From the caseys case thread)
2. Violence is never an answer except in the case of self-defense.
I hope if this person is convicted, the court will order psychological treatment...because violent behavior is definitely abnormal behavior (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual 4, Reformed).
(from this post thread)
So innocent until proven guilty unless you are a police officer?
Gosh, concerned, so flattered, but I will be cleaning my comb that day.
Off the subject I know, but since everyone is always looking for a reality show or the next best thing..Who would want to see Gumby and Miss Marple in the same house or together on a television talk show? Or even on a radio talk show? Pure entertainment there!!
This one is just for you, Gumby.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21838575
Let's be clear - I am in no way suggesting this article has anything to do with the situation in this story. But Gumby insists that this never happens - he's dead wrong.
Good thing the newspaper is thick skinned. They don't report incidents, it's a coverup. They report incidents, it's unfair. Wouldn't want to be in your business. You can't win. As usual, it's all the foot we're putting the shoe on.
Gumby, I see you didn't read the entire story.
mrxray,
Ut oh, be prepared to be attacked for your comment by the liberal politically correct police on here. I always wondered why the bible always stated spare the rod and spoil the child. Maybe that doesn't apply to the liberalites out there that believe the government can raise your child better than you can??
hmmm so according to the stats from that link, BIOLOGICAL mothers are more apt to abuse children than any other category of parent or care provider....
I also found it interesting that men abused 51% of the cases because I thought the way the liberals and the women's rights movements made it sound that men would be the abuser 75% or more.
Out of the 51% of the abuse cases where men were the abusers only about 50% were the biological fathers, so out of 100 cases, 51 were by men and only 25 cases were the biological father.
On the other hand, of the 49% of cases where the abuser was the woman, about 40 of the cases were by the biolotical mother.
This has nothing to do with this case, but interesting stats none-the-less
oldowlfan
There is a HUGE difference in national media reporting on national and political issues than there is in reporting about something that has not gone to court and is only based on a police incident report, or whatever the official title of the source for this story.
I actually have NO problem with the story, just the numerous amounts of people on here who claim to be perfect parents, "never ever letting their kids out of their sight" and the super quick to judge comments from the readers and posters that are on here on every story such as this.
My justification for saying that this probably should not have been written up at this time is because of the amount of immature, quick to judge people on here, who would NEVER EVER apologize to the person involved if it turns out that the child made up the event, or over exaggerated what occurred in an effort to "get back" at the parents.
AND if this story turns out to in fact be a case of child abuse, then we would be able to read the story at the time of the court hearing. Articles like this just stir up the comments as we have witnessed on this post and on other stories on the newspaper's site.
oh and before I get jumped all over by the two of you, I admit I miss typed evidently. I am so sorry for this heinous mistake!
koeller77,
Evedently none, because I have yet to see you back up your statement with any stats yet. You are the one that stated the statistics prove what you were saying. So where are they? I asked if you pulled some stats off of a left wing liberal web site. As a person that makes the statements that no child should ever be corrected by force of any means, then I am considering that a little to the left? Maybe I am wrong, you might be a right wing very religious conservative? But from your speech on how not to ever correct children, I highly doubt it....So again where are the stats you are bragging on?
Why didn't he just put the handcuffs on her instead of "choke hold, pinned her to the ground, slapped her face and threw her into a wall," HHHmmmm makes ya wonder if he can't restrain a teenage girl how the hell is he going to restrain a person who is a real threat in a violent situation where the police are called???
Gumby - I also said that ALL non-biological parents are more likely to abuse. That means male or female. But that doesn't matter to you. Any statistics I put up are going to be called "garbage" from "liberal websites" and therefore not to be believed.
I have not condemned anyone here - I don't know the parties involved and wasn't there when it happened, so I'm not qualified to judge either party. I feel it is a tragic situation, through and through, and merely addressed Police Officer's question as to why everyone kept harping on the "step."
P.S. I noticed you avoided my question - what does politics have to do with statistics?
Hey, Gumby - non-biological fathers ARE more likely to abuse or mistreat, according to this survey:
http://aspe.hhs.gov/hsp/05/child-maltrea...
You can read that while I look for more.
Litlmissme, thank you for that clarification as others here described the hold applying pressure to the arteries as safe.
KKmom:
A choke hold is not a safe and acceptable methood in which police officers are trained to restrain person(s) who are out of contol. I went through the training, however, there is a hold where no choking is involved.If applied with the technique that most police officers are trained; it is not dangerous, and is not really a "choke hold". It does not cut off the oxygen supply it simply holds the head in such a fashon that the person being held can not hurt themselves or any one around them. It controls the person using pressure points, and is highly effective.
koeller77,
Well where are your stats? You like talking about how every man that is not a childs biological father is by all the statistics, more likely to abuse children. I think your statement is way out of line. Don't change the subject, answer the question. Where are all of your stats to prove your empty statements? You are the first to condemn others for their comments, so lets see you back up your statement...
One small question? Aren't police officers "trained" to restrain out of control persons?? Im pretty sure choking is not a tactic used in restraing an out of control person..... just sayin
mrxray you would be first inline wanting to know why this was not in the paper if they had not printed it.
Your all the time talking about the biased media.
You can not have it both ways!!!!!
Gumby, out of curiosity, what do politics (liberal or conservative) have to do with statistics?
I think that this story and the responses from all the judgmental people is a good example for NOT printing articles of this nature that state information regarding people who have ONLY been charged.
Either some of you all are really bored or are just gossiper type people who try to appear better than everyone else by making quick judgments when you have NO FACTS to base the judgments on, only simple minded opinions.
Gumby, that is precisely what I said.
Get Real...Realist....you make a point to say what YOU WANT to say and then follow it up with...people need to be quiet and keep this a personal matter. That's amazing.
O
Kathy,
The paper may have been correct in printing what was in a police report or probable cause statement, but we all know those statements referred to are not always what took place. They are simply reports of statements taken. It's a matter of he, she or they said, until proven in court. So to say the article is the truth, we have to wait until the suspect has his day in court wouldn't you think?
So just because something is printed in a paper, doesn't mean it is 100 percent truth.
Justbecause,
I personally want to know what our police officers, ministers, school officials, and city counsel members are being accused of and possibly convicted of because most of these people are looked up to and a few of them demand respect because of who they are. These are all people we teach our children to trust and we have the right to know when things like this occur. If nothing else to keep our children safe.
koeller77,
Your statements:
"I would guess that people are harping on this child being his "step" daughter is because statistically, step-fathers in particular are more likely to abuse their step-children."
"However, it is a proven fact that non-biological partners of parents (adoptive, step, or live-ins) are more likely to abuse. As I said, I'm guessing that's why everyone is harping on the fact that this is a "step" or adopted child."
You talk alot of talk, prove your statements! Did you google this and get it off some liberal web site, or do you have any facts to support your ramblings?
a realist,
If I may, I would like to add that--judging from some of these posts--this does not appear to be an isolated case for parents in general. In fact, in my circle of friends it seems to be a growing trend:(
I think some of the "shock and awe" response to this particular case is the product of two factors: 1) Mr. Bockstetter happens to be a police officer, and 2) the teenager happens to be a girl.
I hope many would find that to be a fair evaluation. But again, thank you for asking for clarification on my earlier statement as it truly was a generalization.
a realist,
My apologies. In no way did I intend to infer that I know anything about this case. It was a generalized statement. I really know nothing of it; was merely referring to my own personal experience. Thank you for asking me to clarify:)
Do I think that it is right that the people of Marshall be informed of what is going on in their town, Yes I do. Do I think that it is right that it is advertised that he is a Marshall Police Officer, No I do not. How many people in this town have been accused of child abuse, drugs, etc and no where is it posted where they work or what they do for a living. It's not advertised that they work at McDonalds or Walmart or wherever it is that they work unless they are in the "public eye" such as Police, Fire, EMS or city offices. I appreciate the Marshall Democrat News keeping everyone up to date with things that are happening in our town, but a name would have been sufficient. In this town, people know who people are without having to advertise where they work.
Cheetah,
Do you know for a fact that the daughter attacked the parents or are you just making a generalized statement that may not apply to this case?
I wasn't picking at you just trying to straighten up the misinformation. Most keep calling her his step-daughter and that is not the case.
I would think that the earlier one adopts a child it might change those numbers a little bit. I've never heard either party in this case speak negatively of their relationship as parent and child other than normal trials and tribulations.
a realist -
I wasn't trying to imply anything with my comment, merely address Police Officer's question. However, it is a proven fact that non-biological partners of parents (adoptive, step, or live-ins) are more likely to abuse. As I said, I'm guessing that's why everyone is harping on the fact that this is a "step" or adopted child.
PoliceOfficer and nightowl65,
Amen, and thank you both. I will add that I realize a teenager's mind works much differently than an adult's. When their bluff is called and action is required, the reality of the situation can be magnified in their minds almost to a degree of absurdity (I'm speaking from my own personal experience with my teenager.)
The fact remains, the hardest and most brutal fight any parent will ever fight is when they are trying desperately to control the situation WITHOUT causing physical harm and the teenager is trying to beat them senseless.
And the sad truth is, once either party raises a hand, it's pretty much already a lost cause.
I am not sure but I believe that the young lady in question was adopted by the father and is not a "step" daughter. And has always been treated as his daughter.
Police Officer -
I would guess that people are harping on this child being his "step" daughter is because statistically, step-fathers in particular are more likely to abuse their step-children.
Not knowing any of the parties involved, I think this is a tragic story, no matter how the ending plays out. Either a child has suffered awful abuse OR a upstanding police officer will have wrongly lost his reputation and possibly his job. Truly a sad story.
Eric, the comment left by burning bush uses the girls name.
Hey Eric,
You need to get the young ladies name off this blog. She is a minor. For you to allow people to start dragging her name around is appalling.
The one thing that gets to me is how people so easily defend the accused even to the point of saying he was defending himself. Why doesn't that work the other way? NONE OF YOU WERE THERE!!! Children should be properly guided by their parents through life. Giving them direction. However some parents abuse this power themselves physically and emotionally. I personally know both parties in this case. The "teenager" is a bright and beautiful young lady who has NO HISTORY of "acting up." She does as she is told and the parents run a very tight ship so to speak.
One thing that you people are missing here is the child wanted to ask a classmate to a dance. Not marry him, date him, or have his child. And as most fathers do, he may have judged the young man without knowing or meeting him. If so, shame on him. And as most daughters do, once a parent takes a stance like that there will be "discussions." If this escalated out of control there is a good chance both played some part in it. The adult however needs to take the high round if at all possible.
How about we let this go and quit discussing it. This is a very personal matter for all parties. Not just the parents but also both children. The courts and the family can work this out without all of the conjecture and mudslinging.
Response by Eric Crump/Editor:
Unless I've missed it, I don't believe her name has been stated. Can you point to a specific comment?
As a mother of two daughters, 3 years apart, both teenagers and more or less the same time, I can relate to this police officer. Hormones run wild, they love you and hate you at the same time. They get mad, throw things, stomp, yell, cuss, beat on each other and if what everyone is saying as a mother i'm not allowed to intervene..NOT. Have I ever took my kid to the ground, technically no, but we had a tumble on the bed once, have i ever slammed my daughter into a wall, yes, was I abusing her, no, she was intent on beating up her younger sister and I put a stop to it. Have I ever slapped my girls, yes, when the words coming out of their mouths sounded like sailors, they got a pop across the mouth. These girls threw knives at each other, took doors off hinges to get at each other. Are they bad girls, no, they are beautiful intelligent women now, but when they were teenagers, they were pure misery for me.
Unless you were at this officer's house on the day of the incident and know exactly what happened, what was said, who did what, what gives you the right to judge this man on his actions? I see a story of a father telling his daughter that you can't go out and I picture the young lady throwing a temper tantrum that unfortunately got out of control. I have been there, I know. I have lived it to.
If this teenager had been a young man, would all your comments be the same? Or would this situation just be "a boy being a boy?" Think before you judge him. If you haven't had or have teenagers, you have no idea what misery these young people are capable of. If this was your daughter, how would you handle the situation? If you had told her "NO", would she have snuck out and went anyway? What if this young man was of the criminal nature? Would you have went to whatever mean you had to, to keep her at home? PEOPLE, think before you judge, you don't know all the circumstances.
Actually it was the police officer who quoted the law, (just need to scroll down further) I just repeated the comments in the post. Don't mean to point out the obvious but won't the court system use the laws to define the outcome whichever way it goes? Or maybe I am wrong and they will read this blog and go on the advice of the so many secret jurors present. You know I bet we could start a different blog about how we felt about the death penalty, many would oppose it but when it comes down to it the law allows the death penalty. The point being you may not agree with the law but it is the law. One other thing I don't think people want the government telling us how to raise our children and as long as a person follows the written law, which are guidelines on how we are expected to act as a society, then they should be allowed to raise their children according to those guidelines.
These comments make me laugh.
If he is guilty of what he is being accused of then it should be considered child abuse.
Even if DAgates can quote the law and find some way to make it seem alright it is not okay to put a teenage girl in a choke hold, slap her, or push her head into a wall.
Like I said 'IF' those statements are in fact true then he obviously used more force than needed to control the situation.
I agree with some of the other comments, If he is found guilty then he should be required to take anger management classes and probably also seek counseling on top of whatever punishment he may be dealt.
As an officer of the law he should be able to set proper examples for the people of the town.
This obviously is not a good situation for anyone involved.
Without actually being there when this all happened I won't speculate as to what exactly occurred but I will say there is more than one side to this story. As of yet we have only seen 132 word press release consisting of 6 sentences of which only 2 sentences from the one side say anything about the actual incident (which by the way really boggles my mind how so many bloggers here can be so negative with so little information).
I will just say that Scott is a friend and I have never seen him act violently, and especially toward his children. I have been in conversations with Scott on previous occasions about raising children and I have never gotten anything from Scott other than that he loved his daughters and had nothing but their best interest at heart. Further someone posting felt they needed to point out "step" daughter, I for one never knew this as he has never referred to her as nothing but his daughter.
While I don't know the exact particulars of what occurred, I do know enough to believe that Scott was acting in his child's best interest. I know there will be someone who pipes in how is throwing her against the wall, slapping her, pinning her to the floor and choking her in her best interest. I will just say that I have been there and had to restrain an out of control teenager. I have had to restrain a teenager who is kicking, screaming, and flailing their arms wildly. Trust me it is no picnic trying to get them under control especially by yourself much less with help and sure as heck isn't easy. I am sure there are actually some among you that have had to do the same, maybe even had to have others help you restrain a teenager. There are probable even some of you that found while in the heat of the moment with adrenaline rushing that you had the teenager in a choke hold or as you were taking the teenager down to the ground to get them under control you inadvertently or accidently landed on top of them hitting them in the groin or causing them to lose their breath. Most teenagers are fairly strong and can hold there own against an adult at least briefly.
If you did not get it from my previous post a parent is justified by law to use physical force to promote the welfare of minor as long as the force is not believed to create a substantial risk of causing death, serious physical injury, disfigurement, extreme pain or extreme emotional distress. Nothing I have heard indicates that anything Scott did falls into any of these categories.
I have had parents ask me specifically of how they could discipline their child without getting into trouble with the law or childrens division and have given them copies of the laws previously mention in my prior post here. If you are unable to rationalize that if Missouri State Law allows you to spank/whip your child with a belt or paddle, then any lesser discipline would also be allowed. No where in the press release did it say that she had any serious physical injuries, that she was transported by ambulance or vehicle to any medical facility, to my knowledge she was at school the next day. These are things that are listed in the probable cause statement that is forwarded to the prosecutor and should be available to the press to report in the news.
Disciplining your child is never an easy task especially if you have to spank them or restrain them and if you love your child should make you feel just as miserable as they feel.
Scott, his daughter and entire family are in my prayers and I hope they are able to get past this and get back to being the great family they were before all this happened.
As I sit here and read these comments I must say I am amazed!!! No matter what there is so many negative comments, nobody ever knows all the facts but assume they do. No I don't promote abuse for those of you who wonder. None of us come from perfect familes I know I sure don't. And for those of you who have never had a family tragedy or life altering experince good for you, but look over your shoulder because you never know. What has happened here is a forever life changing situtation but can be resolved and with Gods help he can carry this family in the shelter of his arms. BOCKSTETTERS WE ARE PRAYING FOR YOU AND WITH YOU!!!! Hold your heads up.
Look at the domestic assault law for officers and you will see why he was arrested!!!
Officer, I did quote the law but it was deleted.
Hey "police officer" How many 15 year old kids do you know who ARE "competent"............
-- Posted by IPOH on Tue, Feb 2, 2010, at 4:52 PM
Sorry, what is it that your asking.
I was hoping that the posting of the actual law would help. I guess gates was the only one who got the gist of what I was saying.
Hey "police officer" How many 15 year old kids do you know who ARE "competent"............
So, if I got this straight, this dad, or step-dad as I have heard, shoved his daughter (step?) around because he was "protecting" her from what he thought would be a bad date?
Doh?!?!
I would hope that as a police officer he would also see that the situation is out of control and know his boundaries. As it has been said, teens get out of control and alot of parents have trouble controlling them. There should not be any shame in saying you need help in that situation. I know for myself what approach I would take. As for others that are asking what kind of "injury" he may have inflicted with this incident, even if restraining because she was out of control. Think of yourself as a CHILD being choked by your father, being thrown into a wall, slapped in the face and put in a choke hold. That is a terrifying experience that no child should ever have to have!
more baseless allegations, just remember that when someone's breaking into your house. Who are you going to call when you don't want the corrupt MPD to help. Ya, I'm pretty sure you're going to call.
Please pray for the Bockstetter family, as will I.
I googled "domestic violence in police families" and was surprised how prevalent it is. According to one survey, domestic violence is 2 to 4 times more common in police families than in the general population. Whether Mr. Bockstetter is guilty or not, this is a very serious issue that deserves attention.
-- Posted by born-n-raised on Tue, Feb 2, 2010, at 1:16 PM
Is it more prevalent or is it that when it happens it makes front page new and is blogged about like crazy? Is this the only case in Saline County like this in the last year. I don't remember any other cases being front page news, being blogged about like crazy. I would say just a simple fact that cases of this nature involving police always make front page news regardless if unfounded later.
Can anyone name anything good about this town?
Its all talk all the time! Can people just worry about themselves and leave others alone? Everyone has their own issues at one time or another. Nobody knows that facts about this issue. Really, they need not to write names in the paper until people are convicted of whatever......
There isnt one person in this town thats perfect! If everyone would worry about their own crap than maybe this town would be a alright town! I for one do not want my children to grow up here because of the people who cant mind their own business. Thats the problem of Marshall! Keep raising your children to talk about others, you think you are so great and perfect? Remember your kids learn from you and thats not a good thing if all you can do is talk about others. WORRY ABOUT YOURSELVES!
I googled "domestic violence in police families" and was surprised how prevalent it is. According to one survey, domestic violence is 2 to 4 times more common in police families than in the general population. Whether Mr. Bockstetter is guilty or not, this is a very serious issue that deserves attention.
Eric
He may have been charged but his punishment, if any, will not be the same as a civilian. We are supposed to respect and trust these officers with our lives. They should be held to a higher standard. Not slapped on the hands but in my opinion more harshly punished. Law officers are given entirely to much power. Yes this power in the hands of an upstanding, honest, respectable person is what keeps our community safe, but this is often not the case. Instead we have officers with there own agenda using their position of power in questionable a manner, feeling they themselves are above the law and a lot of the time they are because of some "code of blue".
this is very sad to here as i know this man very well .he has never came of as violent at any time like most of the other cops here in this town do .i pray he is innocent .hold your head up scott you will get threw this .
KKMOM,how quick would you be to call in your own child, I don't think it would be such an easy choice, especially since it's a police officers daughter, I can already see the comments now..."Police Officer can't control his own child, hows he going to handle criminals", let's face it the MPD doesn't have a very respectable reputation, maybe he was trying to avoid his personal life being public and at the same time trying not to get any more negative publicity for his department. I wasn't there, I don't know what happened, either way this comes out it is a bad situation, I just don't think because the father works for the MPD and the MPD is held in a very low opinion of most of the Democrat readers that we should convict him right away, teenagers can be awful sometimes and they don't care what the consequences are.
No matter how this situation turns out, Mr. Bockstetter's career and his family have suffered a serious blow.
No matter if these allegations are found to be valid or not, the damage has been done.
Lets hope that they can recover from a bad situation to some sense of normality.
The "Comment" section of stories is becoming almost as big of a joke as the "Blog." The article is about a police officer and a teenager, NOT what cars our Police Chief selected for purchase or who he is friends with. Everyone is very quick to point the finger with wrongdoing, but they forget to take a look at themself in the mirror. In a town as small as Marshall it is likely that a good majority of the people in the paper are known by quite a few of the readers, but just because we "know" them do we really know them? Unless we were there, we need to keep speculation off of the screen and stick with debating the facts or offering support for one of the sides.
As to the continued attack on the MPD... According to one online job posting I found the starting salary is $24,773 (annually) with normal increases to $27,019 within one year of being hired. (For those of you that think hourly instead of gross, that figures out to $12.98 an hour for 40 hour work weeks.) To put that pay into perspective the starting salary for an RN is $39,000. Both of these jobs hold people that we expect to help save lives. These men/women help protect us and sometimes put their life on the line for around $27,000!!!! Not to mention these individuals are subject to the gross lack of support and ridicule by the community that they are sworn to protect. What a way to show them thanks by continuously posting all of this crap!
honest opinion
He allegedly put her in a choke hold, pinned her to the ground, slapped her face and threw her into a wall, according to the report.
(2) The force used is not designed to cause or believed to create a substantial risk of causing death, serious physical injury, disfigurement, extreme pain or extreme emotional distress.......
Does anyone know if this teen is his daughter or a stranger? I guess I am wondering if this child had to be transported by ambulance to the emergency room? Did she see a doctor at all for any injuries? It says this happened on Sunday, was she able to go to school the next day? Did she have any visible injuries that could be seen by the deputy investigating?
Even though this seems harsh I am just wondering too if a substantial risk of causing death occurred? serious physical injury occurred? disfigurement? extreme pain or extreme emotional distress (beyond what getting a whipping with a belt or a paddle would cause).
I wonder if we are talking about child abuse or if we are talking about a parent strictly disciplining their child.
The newspaper has printed an accurate story, based on the incident report and probable cause statements issued by appropriate authorities.
It really doesn't matter anymore if Scott is guilty or innocent, this paper and commenters have convicted him in the court of public opinion. And we all know if it's printed in the paper, it has to be true.....RIGHT!
I like many others do not care for a lot of the Police Officers in Marhshall MO. But on the other hand I have experienced out of control teens because of rules of the house or just did not like the choice of our childrens friends. I too have ended up in phyiscal altercations with my children, now adults. Which led to what one might call child abuse but believe me when I say I did not want it to go that far. but things happen. And because we as parents try to do and make decisions that will effect our childrens lives. Who they hang out with and what they do, could have serious results. I'm not saying its ok to have these kinds of situations but we dont ask for them, it just happens. It also dont make me a child abuser. In these situations I too have had to call and ask for assistience from marshall police dept. and I would like to add the officers were of much needed help. They were great at helping me to control a bad situation. So lets remember that its doesnt make us quilty of child abuse, its because its our job as parents to protect our children and guide them. So keep in mind this situation could be like mine.
He allegedly put her in a choke hold, pinned her to the ground, slapped her face and threw her into a wall, according to the report.
......................................................................................................................................................
Defense of Justification
Section 563.061
Use of force by persons with responsibility for care, discipline or safety of others.
563.061. 1. The use of physical force by an actor upon another person is justifiable when the actor is a parent, guardian or other person entrusted with the care and supervision of a minor or an incompetent person or when the actor is a teacher or other person entrusted with the care and supervision of a minor for a special purpose; and
(1) The actor reasonably believes that the force used is necessary to promote the welfare of a minor or incompetent person, or, if the actor's responsibility for the minor is for special purposes, to further that special purpose or to maintain reasonable discipline in a school, class or other group; and
(2) The force used is not designed to cause or believed to create a substantial risk of causing death, serious physical injury, disfigurement, extreme pain or extreme emotional distress.......
look at it, it looks like abuse sounds like abuse it must be something else. The court will set it straight unfortunatly he is a cop this girl dosent stand a chance in my opinion good luck to the innocent party which ever it may be.
Hat Full and MHS Mom-Saying something about this young man's family history is like saying that everyone that has always walked the straight and narrow will have kids that do the same thing. This young family will be forever changed due to this event and all everyone wants to do is point their finger and lay blame. How many of you were actually at their house? Just what I thought.....
Hey James Robert, I like your style, I'm going to help you out on this one. Chevrolet does offer a car over the crown vic. Also Ford has quit production on the crown vic after this year. Here is Chevy's new suprise called back to duty.
www.chevroletcapriceppv.com/ So Jim Bob i don't blame ya for argueing the Chevy Vs. Ford thoughts.....
I shake my head in disbelief as I read most of the comments here. I just want to say to the child here...stay strong and we love you. To the rest of you I feel the need to remind you that you never really know someone until you live with them.
JimBob, they chose the much better car, which just happened to cost a little more. Just like the rest of us, you get what you pay for and Chevrolet offers nothing comparable to the Crown Vic, so, get over it!
I'm so glad that most of the people commenting on here are not judges!!! LOL
First of all I want to state at the beginning of this post that I in no way condone child abuse...however I do support a parent's right to disciplining their child and there is a big difference. Being a strict disciplinary with your children is not the same as abusing your child.
I am not aware of the particulars of this incident but I feel that there are many people posting that are not aware of Missouri State Laws pertaining to what is considered child abuse and what is considered parental discipline. I hope the following will help all to understand what is permissible to a parent and what is not. I picked the part of the law that is relevant but also attached the link to read the law as a whole.
Chapter 563
Defense of Justification
Section 563.061
Use of force by persons with responsibility for care, discipline or safety of others.
563.061. 1. The use of physical force by an actor upon another person is justifiable when the actor is a parent, guardian or other person entrusted with the care and supervision of a minor or an incompetent person or when the actor is a teacher or other person entrusted with the care and supervision of a minor for a special purpose; and
(1) The actor reasonably believes that the force used is necessary to promote the welfare of a minor or incompetent person, or, if the actor's responsibility for the minor is for special purposes, to further that special purpose or to maintain reasonable discipline in a school, class or other group; and
(2) The force used is not designed to cause or believed to create a substantial risk of causing death, serious physical injury, disfigurement, extreme pain or extreme emotional distress.......
http://www.moga.mo.gov/statutes/c500-599...
Definitions.
455.501. As used in sections 455.500 to 455.538, the following terms mean:
(1) "Abuse", any physical injury, sexual abuse, or emotional abuse inflicted on a child other than by accidental means by an adult household member, or stalking of a child. Discipline including spanking, administered in a reasonable manner shall not be construed to be abuse; ..........
http://www.moga.mo.gov/statutes/c400-499...
(This specifically states that spanking your child is not against the law) All law enforcement officers have at their disposal the book " A Handbook for Law Enforcement Officers" which contains the majority of laws that law enforcement officers deal with the most. In this handbook there are examples of what abuse of child is one of the examples they give is worded exactly so: A parent who is disciplining his child takes a belt and whips the child which results in great pain but no significant injury. The parent probably is not guilty under this section because it is not designed to criminalize normal parental discipline; although whipping in this manner may be close to the limit of permissible punishment.
It should also be noted that Missouri Law still permits corporal punishment in schools (remember the paddle your principal had when you were in school)..... Spanking, when administered by certificated personnel of a school district in a reasonable manner in accordance with the local board of education's written policy of discipline, is not abuse within the meaning of chapter 210, .....
http://www.moga.mo.gov/statutes/c100-199...
I bring up the above information to point out that if it is still legal to whip your child with a belt or to get paddled at school then would it be permissible to restrain an out of control child as permitted in the first law referenced above? Can a parent be guilty of Assault in the third degree if they have a defense of justification under Missouri State RSMo 563.061
Come on people....I agree completely with djsocial, timeouts don't always work!! No, abusing a child is not right, but you know growing up myself not so long ago, a good *** woopin' never hurt me, if anything it made me a better person today. If this girl has given a false statement, she therefore does need a good butt woopin'. If she has not given a false statement then justice shall be what it is. However, there has been no mention of what else may have provoked this whole situation, other than a dance and "you can't go with this boy" I hope for this girl that she has not made a false report, she thinks she was abused for not having an "exceptable" boy to take her to the dance.....
People must have nothing better to do than blog and talk about cars being bought in scandal, or cops driving w/ no license???!!! Get a job!!! Or a hobby that doesn't involve everyone else's business!!
JUDGE NOT LEAST YE BE JUDGED YOURSELF.iT SEEMS WE HAVE A LOT OF JUDGES OUT THEIR DOING BUSINESS WITH OUT A DEGREE STOP IT nOW
I know accused and the family...great people. I do not know the facts, and neither do you. This is sad, if true, but it is very hard to believe that all this happened. I am going to remember this family in my prayers, no matter what the outcome, and I hope you will do as well.
on another note....Littlebirdie.... I know the family of the aforementioned incident on South Lincoln very very well. It is a valid accusation. I am glad she spoke up before it wound up being a much more serious matter. In my opinion, he was 'testing the waters'. The paper even said he admitted to this incident on more than one occassion. And I know him and is family well too.
Both cases are sad for our town.
MHCFAN you ignore a lot of the facts. There were spec's as to what was needed in the vehicles and the Chevrolet vehicles met those spec's. So if they needed bigger vehicles why didn't they write the specs for that. You didn't mention that the dealer's Manager that made the sale was a former roommate in college of the Police Chief did you.
jimbob, do you really expect a mid-size car to be the same price as a full-size sedan? The price was a little higher for the bigger, better car. Does that somehow surprise you. And if law enforcement agencies were required to go with low bid, you'd see MPD driving around in Chevy Cavaliers or Ford Escorts, is that what you want? You're comparing apples to oranges.
Who else beside a police officer would get a pr bond on a case such as this????
It seems that things are going downhill fast at the Police Department. When they started buying from the highest bidder on vehicles that should have sent a message to the Mayor. She wants for everyone to respect her leadership abilities so I would think it is time for her to step forward and do something. But it appears that she just wants us to think about all of the money spending projects as leadership and most will never recover the money spent on them. I have heard there is a lot of unrest in the Police Department but I guess she would have to admit she made a mistake if she did anything about it.
I want to know why this man has a charge like this and his bond is 2000 if it had been you or me it would have been 5000. Dont protect him because he is a cop.
I am willing to admit that I myself became immediately upset with this story, and yes probably due to past abuse. That said, I find it interesting that several people here are willing to immediately think that this CHILD has provoked the attack (if true) and in someway deserved what happened (if true). IF she was out of control in anyway, Scott (being a police officer) should have placed a call and had her picked up by juvenile. There is nothing that can excuse abuse of a child in any way.
Let's hope that this is a case of a teen out of control. No this would not be good for the law officer but good police work will vindicate him. If it is a case of child abuse then lets be real ,what is the chance of justice being served when an officer is the accused. They didn't keep it out of the paper, BIG DEAL!! He still won't be charged or treated as a deviate criminal guilty of this crime should be.
Maybe the voice should remain silent. There is no shady purchasing, only good choices being made based on need, the officer with no license is no longer employed by MPD and this incident appears to have been handled properly. Given that the incident led to an arrest and filing of charges should tell you there's no attempt at a cover-up, and I doubt our Sheriff, aka the beloved one, had anything to do with it.
marshallnative and mbgal very well put
Scott you have my utmost support. I do not know the facts and am not about to cast a stone. If anything happened I am sure that you used the min. force necessary to restrain and protect your daughter. You also have to do what is necessary to protect your self which sometimes mean restaining someone else. You are trained to do this on instinct, failure to respond sometime might cause grave danger to yourself or others. We are behind you.
Remember those who care do not matter and those you matter do not care (or understand the circumstances)
I'm not saying I believe either party to be innocent or guilty, but it seems strange to me that the officer showed sign of concern for the girls well being by objecting to her choice of date only to turn around and be rough with her??? I have friends who have had their teenagers become violent with them because they did not get their way, although it was not the normal behavior of the teenager and it was not the type of enviorment they were used to being around, it did happen, the parent had to take the teenager to the floor and hold him down until he calmed down. Maybe (or maybe not) the girl embellished her story to get back for not getting her way.
The cop driving without a license is no longer working there, because of this reason.
Never heard about a police officer driving around without a license. Wonder who that was?
Hey KKMOM please note I said when applied correctly!!! Even medication when applied or given incorrectly can be dangerous or fatal.
But listening to your comments does sound like you have convicted him over just a 26 word statement you read in the paper discribing the incident and some hear-say; because of circumstances in your past.But try not to judge every apple in the barrel by the one bad one you knew that was buried half-way down. As for not being educated on the effects of a choke hold, I won't go there. But having worked in the corrections system for over twelve years and having had my nose broken 5 times, a homemade knife stuck thru my left forearm, a pencil broken off in my right calf. and my right shoulder dislocated, I can tell you I have been trained and have had to use the technique. But to you I am uneducated just by you reading my explanation of what it does.
LittleBirdie, In that case maybe people shouldn't be so quick to judge ALL the other people that have been charged with "incidents." In this town if you're charged with something people automatically assume your guilty and label you right away. It shouldn't be that way, but it is. Once again, guilty until proven innocent.
As she is a juvenile, I'm sure her actions of the day will be protected. We don't know everything. If he physically abused without being assaulted...no reason for chokehold. If she was becoming violent and throwing a dangerous trantrum...what was he supposed to do? Put her in time out and say "This behavior is not acceptable?"
kkmom, and everyone...while I can appreciate the sympathy extended to the alleged victim, let's remember that the claim has not been proven. He was arrested because she reported that she was abused. There is no evidence, to my knowledge, that the girl is telling the truth or not telling the truth. We've been given what the probable cause statement was and that's it. Not saying that the incident didn't occur, but I know of a lot of children who abuse the system and ruin a lot of innocent people's lives, thinking that they're going to get something they want and that it's no big deal. Let's let the dust settle and see how this really comes out when all is said and done.
Karma is Real, just want to remind you about your posting name...be careful what you say and what you're putting out there. As you put it Karma is Real.
I'd just like to say thank you to the Democrat... at least you all are honest and print everything. Whether it's a story about anyone off the street or a Marshall police officer. Kudos for that! At least now when he arrests someone he'll know how it feels.
Geez!
Oh and Littlebirdie, you are obviously not educated to the effects of a choke hold. Applying pressure to the carotid arteries causes a lack of oxygen to the brain. That can cause the person to become unconscious and cause damage to the brain!!!! That is not safe.
As a woman who endured this same type of abuse as a child I feel this girls pain. And Gumby...most people said this behavior was not in my fathers character either. What happens behind close doors can be very frightening. I hope that the MPD takes action because he should not be allowed to continue as an officer. I pray that this doesn't get swept under the rug as everything else around here tends to.
Don't be so quick to judge folks. I remember an incident where a step-father was arrested for child molestation, reported by his step-daughter. This was over a prom, next day she told her mother and the authorities she lied and she just did it because shed was mad. She said she didn't think it would go that far. This too happened in our town, on South Lincoln. Problem was, the damage to reputations was already done. Good news doesn't travel as fast and Charges being dropped isn't uncommon. Just a note the chain of events, as told by the defendant, is not true to how arguments normally esculate, it is reversed. But a choke hold, administered correctly, is one of the safest ways to contain a violant or distructive person, it actually doesn't choke at all. It applies pressure to the arteries in the neck, by using the upper arm and forearm, causing a light headed effect and definately calms the person down.
Oh my goodness!! I don't even know what to say about this. My daughter is good friends with his daughter(one of his girls) & it saddens me deeply to know that perhaps she had to witness this as well! This is an awful thing that has happened & it makes me wonder. I pray for the safety of this family!
There sure are lot's of rumors going on around town about this, any updates yet? This for sure is an awful thing that has happened, what makes it even worse is wondering how long this perhaps has gone on in the home? If rumors are true, I pray that God be with this family!!
I know Scott and this is not in his character, lets hear the rest of the facts befor we judge him!
people are stupid... Your log on name says it all... I remember comments from you about Missouri valley that you seemed to know everything.. Looks like you sure know how to pick the significant other as well!!
clap clap clap clap!!!
people are stupid
Media is the plural form of medium...so which medium do you hate?
Anyway, people who are arrested are still innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Any reports of arrests here only allege a violation of the law. However there is a presumption of innocence.
Oh getting back to those media...I personally don't care for radio. Its actually becoming a rather primitive medium.
granted it was my husband that was arrested for the weed and I'm glad they left our name out but everything should be reported equally.
Ok Marshall Democrat News is ******* me off. This apparently happened within the last couple of days..... So where in the world is the article about the workers at the Donut Shop on the square that were arrested for smokin dope? All I got to say is if that isn't mentioned then the people's names invloved in this should not be mentioned even if they are charged with a crime. This is exactly why people hate the media. They report what they want when they want to. Its horse crap.
Violence is never an answer except in the case of self-defense.
I hope if this person is convicted, the court will order psychological treatment...because violent behavior is definitely abnormal behavior (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual 4, Reformed).
He should not have directed his anger to anyone. A simple no your not going with this person or you can't go to the dance would have been fine. There is no reason to beat a child ever!!!!!!!!!!
A false accusation is as much of a scourge as the accusation itself. Both should carry the same punishment. =-)