Paul D. Baertschi, a pinch-hit attorney for Olson, told the Star News Friday after the court appearance Olson did not assualt his wife and he had no intent to hurt or place his wife in fear. He went on to say "she was coming after him, and he was trying to control the situation."
...Nice guy, huh? Olson beats up his wife and then says through his lawyer that she attacked him first. Not unusual behavior for men who batter women according to experts:
Batterers often minimize or deny the abuse, or they blame their partners for provoking it. He may minimize the severity of her injuries, or outright deny that he caused them. Unfortunately, "victim-blaming" is prevalent in our society. Sometimes abusers play mind games with their victims trying to make them feel crazy. Often violent behavior towards women is justified by saying things like "she asked for it" or "she needed to be put back in her place." In so doing, the blame and accountability shifts from the abusive behavior of the batterer to the "weakness" of the victim.
Getting back to the article... Olson explained why he brought in yet another lawyer:
He said that's why he had brought in a substitute attorney to see if it could be pushed along in a swifter fashion to work out scheduling difficulties.
However, his lawyer, Paul D. Baertschi tried to get the trial postponed:
[Judge] Pendleton denied a request by Baertschi to withdraw the not guilty plean in hopes for scheduling another arraignment.
...and Olson chooses the last trial date offered :
The Elk River judge offered Olson one date in March, one date in April and one date in May. Olson chose 9 a.m. on may 7.
...then Olson contradicted himself again:
Olson told the Star News afterward it was still his hope to get the trial moved up.
Perhaps instead, Olson should plead insanity... there's no shortage of witnesses who would testify to that.
Just look at this picture of Olson when he was released from jail:
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