Judge sends man to jail on $100,000 bond after deputy receives threatening emails
A 38-year-old Superior Township man charged with possessing a taser was free on bond when he appeared in court Thursday for a hearing on his case.
But news that Madison Tristan Mealing had spent his down time threatening the Washtenaw County Sheriff’s Department and Detective Kevin Parviz through recent emails and YouTube movies didn’t settle well with Trial Court Judge David Swartz.
Swartz on Thursday remanded Mealing to the Washtenaw County Jail on a $100,000 bond saying Mealing, a convicted felon, posed a visible danger to the community.
“These are actual threats made. These are actual physical threats made to the sheriff’s department and their family members,” Swartz said.
Madison Tristan Mealing
Photo courtesy of Michigan Sex Offender Registry
A public defender was appointed to temporarily represent Mealing on Thursday because his Detroit-based attorney, Wright Blake, could not be present. Washtenaw County Assistant Prosecutor Brenda Taylor asked that Mealing’s bond be addressed immediately.
Mealing’s YouTube videos date back to October 2010 and are filed under several accounts, including “HATEWASHTENAWSHERIFFS” and “NatTurnersArmy.” Both accounts have been suspended. The man on the videos was Mealing, Sheriff’s Department Spokesman Derrick Jackson told AnnArbor.com.
Court records show Mealing is a convicted sex offender with a history of using the Internet to harass people. His past behavior prompted a brief standoff with a SWAT team and a bomb scare.
His criminal record dates back to 1996, with felony convictions for possessing child pornography and assault with a dangerous weapon. Mealing has a misdemeanor conviction of possessing a firearm in a car.
A video posted in 2010 praised a fatal shooting of a Detroit police officer and the shooting of an off-duty Washtenaw Sheriff’s deputy in Canton. “5 Detroit police officers shot this morning, 1 dies. Next killing spot? Washtenaw County P.D,” one video was titled.
Sheriff’s deputies have known about the videos for more than a year and executed search warrants on two places Mealing was living in November 2010. Mealing's taser charge resulted from these raids.
Authorities seized six computers, three video cameras and several cellular phones.
The videos have gone on for months, Taylor said in court Thursday, but it was Mealing’s most recent actions that show a heightened risk.
Mealing posted new videos last week and shortly after Parviz put in a request to have the movies taken down, he began to receive emails from the man.
“I requested YouTube take down one video clip and two hours later, I received the first email,” Parviz told Swartz Thursday.
Taylor read portions of the emails aloud, which were dated Aug. 1 through Aug. 3. The notes accused deputies of lying in court and included phrases such as “You and your cronies need to stop stalking me on YouTube.” Mealing in one instance described himself as “bipolar.”
“I believe he is unstable and a danger,” Taylor said, saying the emails “indicate he is ramping up” his threats.
Swartz said he was “very concerned” by what he read and included a no-contact order with Parviz as he sent Mealing to jail.
The next hearing date in Mealing’s case has not been scheduled.
Mealing's existing YouTube account is registered under "DrDrBigBudz" and contains videos of what appear to be marijuana plants. Mealing has a medical marijuana card, court records show.
Heidi Fenton covers police and courts for AnnArbor.com. Reach her at heidifenton@annarbor.com or 734-623-4673. You also can follow her on Twitter or subscribe to AnnArbor.com's e-mail newsletters.
Comments
holly
Thu, May 24, 2012 : 10:28 p.m.
I am so sick and tired of the legal system portraying my husband as a villain. The truth is he threatened nobody,yes he made anti-police videos,after years of harrassment and being lied on by our so called legal system.The only thing he is guilty of is ever trusting the boys in blue. He was set up by someone in his family, when he went to the prosecutor with the proof, she chose not to believe him. My husband is not a sex ooffender. Now the lastest charges were applied after 2 judges denied a search warrant the third one signed a search warrant.They removed property some items didnt even belong to him and still have not returned the property, charged him with possession of a taser, 4 months after the search was executed. He believes he was a target after he posted a video of the murder of clifton p lee which can be viewed if you type in "beating of clifton p lee 2006" Now watch the video and you be the judge!!!!!!!!!
KeepingItReal
Fri, Aug 5, 2011 : 7:27 p.m.
Macabre Sunset;Tony Rizzo: If you have followed the history of this individual, you will clearly see that he should have been engaged by our local mental health system long time ago. Maybe he would have been able to get some help. This has been allowed to escalate to the point where this man is clearly a danger to our community. There are numerous cases in the African American community where mental health intervention would have been an appropriate strategy for people who exhibited clear behavioral patterns but instead these individuals have ended up the prison system because they fail to seek or were denied appropriate services and ultimately commit an act in which they become criminally liable. As a result, we as taxpayers will end up paying three times as much to incarcerate rather than treat. On top of that, we pay our mental health professionals huge salaries to work with individuals in our community so maybe you should focus on them I think both of your comments are racist t the core
Walter
Sat, Aug 6, 2011 : 3:59 p.m.
Thanks, Angela for some sensible perspective.
Independent_Thinker
Sat, Aug 6, 2011 : 2:17 a.m.
You say things like "this has been allowed" "should have been engaged by" "appropriate strategy for people" as if it is totally normal take no responsibility for yourself and others should not only be helping you (even when you are jerk of a human being) whenever you ask, but actually seeking you out to help you. Maybe his parents shouldn't have had him if they weren't up for raising a decent person. How's that? Is reality racist too? How far does this "system" of it's everybody else's fault go before "the person" responsible gets named? Never?
Angela Barbash
Sat, Aug 6, 2011 : 12:50 a.m.
Actually there is a process for doing a psych eval with people coming through the system within the Sheriff's Department, Mental Health is very much involved in this. I doubt that he just slipped through the cracks. If you want to learn more about how the Mental Health professionals work with people who need psychological help or drug/alcohol abuse help you should apply for the Citizen's Policy Academy -- they go over that whole process.
Sarah Parviz
Fri, Aug 5, 2011 : 8:39 p.m.
That is all fine and good, but how do you treat someone who refuses to be treated? You can't force someone into a mental hospital nowadays - it is easier to get someone incarcerated than institutionalized. People with personality disorders are notoriously difficult to treat - what do you suggest we DO with those that refuse to seek out treatment?
Sarah Parviz
Fri, Aug 5, 2011 : 3:59 p.m.
As one of the family members threatened I would like to thank Judge Schwartz and Prosecutor Brenda Taylor for their support of our families, which is more than we received from Sheriff Clayton - who has yet to even acknowledge the threats directed at his deputies and their families. Very upsetting when this sort of behavior is brushed off by the Clayton administration.
Rockii
Fri, May 25, 2012 : 10:29 p.m.
My thanks goes out to you my dear for having a family member willing to stick up to this bastard......Let me just say, being related by blood sometimes is the worst offense ever, but not in your case, so thank you!!!
Tony Rizzo
Fri, Aug 5, 2011 : 3:45 p.m.
KeepingItReal, You convinced me! Lets release this guy out of jail, since possession of child pornography and weapons, along with harassment assault and everything else this guy did was because the mental system in this county is racist!!! That's getting a bit old, wouldn't you say?
Liz
Fri, Aug 5, 2011 : 3:57 p.m.
I don't think that is what KeepingItReal is suggesting. But there is very little help for the mentally ill in prison. Clearly he is dangerous to the community, but there is little hope of him getting the help that he needs in the prison system.
KeepingItReal
Fri, Aug 5, 2011 : 3:34 p.m.
The tragedy here is that this man has some obvious issues that could have best been handled by the Mental Health System in Washtenaw County. Unfortunately, the mental health system does not respond appropriately to the African American community in a way that allows them to get the type of help needed. This man's whole pattern of behavior indicates that he has been crying out for help but the only help he will get will be incarceration which will end up costing us taxpayers a tremendous amount of money over a fairly long period of time. It's a system that feeds on itself and produces very little benefits for he community other than we can feel "safe" that he is behind bars.
f4phantomII
Sat, Aug 6, 2011 : 8:27 p.m.
What "obvious issues"? He claims to be bipolar but that's where it ends for me. His whole pattern of behavior suggests to me he is a criminal.
Independent_Thinker
Sat, Aug 6, 2011 : 2:06 a.m.
Right on Macabre. So, Keepingitreal, what do you say? Why don't you take him in, I'm sure a few hugs will fix everything.
Macabre Sunset
Fri, Aug 5, 2011 : 5:40 p.m.
Maybe you could welcome him into your home and provide the help you think he needs. Meanwhile... the system has to work for the other 300 million people who live in America, and they are safer with this man behind bars.
lumberg48108
Fri, Aug 5, 2011 : 2:13 p.m.
Sad case - he was so good in "Fast Times at Ridgemont High" and "Last King of Scotland"
Sarah Parviz
Fri, Aug 5, 2011 : 4 p.m.
That was the first thing I thought when I saw his picture - Oh I just need to look out for Forest Whittaker.
alan
Fri, Aug 5, 2011 : 2:58 p.m.
You took my comment.
Somewhat Concerned
Fri, Aug 5, 2011 : 1:50 p.m.
What is wrong with our judicial system that allows a guy like this to ever be out of jail?