Sherburne Citizen Newspaper: "Olson Reflects On Assault Charges"

Don't you love that headline? It conjures up a benign image of a calm and contemplative Mark Olson "reflecting" on his arrest for assaulting his wife. It's far from the account I heard of a wild-eyed and incoherent Mark Olson revealed in this mugshot:



Here's the article in the Sherburne County Citizen Newspaper:

Sunday, November 19, 2006
By Jennifer Edwards

Rep. Mark Olson this week was charged with two counts of domestic abuse five days after being re-elected for the eighth time to the Minnesota House of Representatives with 58% of the vote.

“I cannot comment further on the case,” Olson said Thursday. “One thing I realized the first time I ran for re-election is that when I take a hit, my supporters take a hit too. I have never felt so unworthy of support in my life, yet they have still been supporting me. I can’t tell you how much that means, how much I appreciate that.”

Heidi Olson said she has no comment on her husband Mark’s arrest on domestic assault charges but that she may choose to issue a public statement once the case is settled.

“As the wife of a public figure, I know I have to deal with the media,” she said Wednesday. “But I was totally unprepared for the invasion that followed once the story came out.”

Olson, a public health nurse for Wright County and mother of five, said she and her children were forced to leave their home because media representatives from the Twin Cities invaded her Big Lake Township property.

“I find it disturbing that my right to privacy was not respected,” she said. “My address and pictures of my house were everywhere at a time when people now know I am here alone. I find that very scary. We have been locking things up tightly around here but it does make me nervous and it worries my children.”

Heidi Olson did the right thing and she and her children are the ones paying the penalty. Mark Olson, by contrast has gotten the kid-glove treatment by the major media. As I've pointed out in another post, The Star Tribune and the Minnesota Daily editorial boards called for the resignation of Chris Stewart, just-elected to the to the Minneapolis School Board, but has not called for Mark Olson's resignation. What was Chris Stewart's "crime"? He authored a satirical website.

Olson was arrested Sunday at a church school in Blaine. He was taken to Sherburne County Court House and spent two nights in jail before appearing in court Tuesday morning. Olson appeared before the judge clutching a Bible.

A court appointed attorney said Olson preferred not to enter a plea to the charges.

A court-appointed attorney? That's ironic. Mark Olson cannot afford his own lawyer? I should note that Olson's PRT pal Gary Dean Zimmmermann was also defended by a lawyer provided by the taxpayers even though he owned hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of property.

A guilty plea would not be appropriate, but a not-guilty plea might suggest he was avoiding responsibility, he said.

...No,"avoiding responsibility" means leaving the decision up to the judge...

According to the criminal complaint, the police were called to Olson’s home late Sunday afternoon after Olson pushed his wife, Heidi, to the ground three times during the course of an argument. The impact was sufficient to leave her bruised. Olson told investigators he grabbed his wife and “placed her” on the ground.

...like an inanimate object... a piece of furniture...

Olson, 51, left the courtroom, asking for forgiveness from God, his wife and family and the public.

“I want to do everything I can to make that right, as right as I can,” he said. “I have failed and I want to be responsible for that. I ask for everyone’s forgiveness in my wrong, and that will be defined more clearly as we go through the process.”

Olson was released without bail and ordered to stay away from his home, his wife and children. He will return to court Dec. 12. The maximum penalty for each of the two misdemeanor charges is 90 days in jail and a $1,000 fine.

This incident is not Olson’s first offense. Eight years ago, he was charged with throwing a typewriter at his secretary and attended anger management classes.

...actually that was the first of two reported incidents of Olson abusing staff. Legislative aides complained about Mark Olson's abusive behavior in 1997 (see yesterday's posts).

Olson has said it is not his intent to resign his position at the legislature. Only a felony charge would result in his being automatically removed from office.

...that's the standard now for Mark Olson?... a felony? This is what he ran on a few years ago:

However Speaker of the House Steve Sviggum has said he will ask for Olson’s resignation if he is found guilty of the charges.

... Sviggum has known about and enabled Olson's violent behavior for many years. He should be demanding Olson's resignation now.

Olson could also be subject to recall by voters under state law. If an ethics complaint is filed against Olson and found to be warranted, the House has broad powers to discipline him further.

...will the Republican leadership continue to allow Mark Olson's mugshot to be the face of their party?

Citizen Newspaper Readers respond to Olson's arrest. A citizen of Big Lake writes this letter to the editor:

To The Editor,

Spousal abuse is a terrible crime. In the case of Rep. Olson, his victim is twice hurt, once by him and again by having this issue brought into the public light.

I pray that God gives her the courage to understand that the shame this crime has caused is entirely his and is no reflection on her. It takes incredible courage to report this crime and is a credit to her that she has the integrity and strength to put a stop to this abuse.

I pray that her friends and family and this community come to her support and praise her for her actions that protected her and her children. I hope that her actions will encourage others who suffer from this terrible crime to come forth and report abuse.

I hope that this high profile case will be used as a message to those who abuse that this type of behavior has serious consequences and that Rep. Olson is made an example of. We need to be able to say that spousal abuse means that you will go to jail. He has lost his credibility and can no longer represent this district.

Jill Anderson

Big Lake, MN

Another citizen of Big Lake writes:

To The Editor,

I am disappointed by the actions of Rep. Mark Olson. His statements to the press after his release from jail on Tuesday show that he is not ready to accept responsibility for his actions.

Mark knocked his wife to the ground three times and left bruises on his victim. Mark said that he “placed her on the ground”. Rep. Olson is a home builder and comes from a family that is hardly impoverished yet he made the taxpayers of Sherburne County pick up his bill for attorney’s fees by using a court appointed lawyer.

Rep. Olson said a guilty plea was “inappropriate”. Spousal abuse is a serious crime. It’s an act of terror and power that humiliates its victims and teaches the wrong lessons to children exposed to it.

Rep. Olson and other law makers need to understand this. I expect those that make the laws to plead guilty when they break them. Only a coward terrorizes his wife and children. It should be noted that Rep. Olson was one of the few members of the house that voted against increased funding for battered women’s shelters. His abuse of those who he perceives him self to have power over goes back to his first term when he assaulted his legislative assistant and was ordered by the speaker of the house to take anger management classes.

Rep. Olson attended only two classes. We are now represented by a man who will be forever known by his mug shot and arrest for wife beating. He is no longer a role model for children or an example of what a Representative should be.

Rachel Bye

Big Lake, MN

The Twin Cities media needs to do a better job of covering this story and not leave it up to local, right-wing newspaper. They need to demand that Mark Olson talk directly to the citizens who pay his salary, benefits and legal fees. He should no longer be allowed to hide behind the law. The major media also needs to ask why the Republican leadership continues to support Mark Olson.