Man who allegedly assaulted uncle and harassed police is sentenced 1 to 4 years in prison for probation violation
Madison Mealing
Despite pleading with Judge David Swartz at the Washtenaw County Trial Court Thursday to not give him prison time, Madison Mealing was found guilty of violating his probation and sentenced to serve one to four years in the Michigan Department of Corrections.
The 40-year-old Ypsilanti man violated his probation when he allegedly assaulted his uncle at a party store last month.
Mealing blames his uncle for many of his legal problems, according to testimony.
“I’m begging you, please don’t send me to the penitentiary,” Mealing implored of Swartz.
Blake Wright, Mealing’s attorney, portrayed his client as suffering from ill mental health. He asked the judge to consider continuing probation and allowing Mealing to seek treatment.
“To sentence him to the Department of Corrections would be mentally and physically devastating,” Wright said, adding that Mealing had lost 20 pounds since being incarcerated in jail. "He’s been under a lot of stress.”
He requested that Mealing continue his probation and receive mental health treatment.
It has only been a few months since Mealing last appeared in court, as he pleaded guilty to possessing a stun gun. One condition of his two-year probation sentence was not to use social media networking sites, especially YouTube, which he used to post anti-police videos.
Another probation condition was not to have contact with Detective Kevin Parviz of the Washtenaw County Sheriff’s Office, who Mealing has singled out for harassment.
“He was abstaining from illegal activity until he saw his uncle,” Wright said.
Assistant Washtenew County Prosecutor Brenda Taylor made a colorful argument with colorful language to argue against the portrait painted of Mealing by the defense.
She said in the phone calls made from the Washtenaw County Jail, which are monitored and recorded, Mealing taunted Parviz by name. Taylor told the judge there are records of Mealing saying that he knew Parviz was listening in on his phone calls.
“’You hear me, Kevin? Yeah, you’re ugly,'" Taylor told the judge Mealing had said during one of his recorded phone conversations.
Taylor told the court Mealing spoke further about Parviz using language that was even more uncouth.
As far as the incident with his uncle, Taylor said Mealing was heard saying that he hit the 56-year-old Superior Township man with all his might. The incident occurred on May 30 at the A & W Party Store on East Michigan Avenue in Ypsilanti Township.
“(Mealing) brags about how he put his uncle down,” Taylor said. “He called the victim a rat bastard.”
Mealing admitted to talking about Parvis and his uncle, but blamed his mental health condition.
“I did say those things, but I wasn’t taking my medication,” Mealing said. “I knew I was wrong for punching my uncle.”
In the end, Swartz sided with the prosecution.
“I saw the video,” Swartz said in regards to security camera footage from the party store. “It certainly appears the assault was unprovoked.”
For two other counts of probation violation, Mealing was sentenced 45 days time served.
John Counts covers cops and courts for AnnArbor.com. He can be reached at johncounts@annarbor.com or you can follow him on Twitter.
Comments
SweetDee
Tue, Jul 10, 2012 : 6:17 p.m.
Poor Forest Whittaker, how far they fall.
RJA
Mon, Jul 9, 2012 : 11:22 p.m.
I guess if he is good, he will only spend about a year. Keep him away from his uncle, no respect between them.
braggslaw
Mon, Jul 9, 2012 : 10:37 p.m.
I really enjoyed his acting in the Crying Game.
Superior Twp voter
Mon, Jul 9, 2012 : 9:15 p.m.
Buh-bye!
KeepingItReal
Mon, Jul 9, 2012 : 7:59 p.m.
This man should have been served by the County's Mental Health system in this community. Its been obvious for sometime he has issues that would have been best served outside the justice system. This is another example of the mental health system failure to appropriately serve African Americans instead allowing the situation to evolve into the criminalization of an individual. Because our current inmate system is more about warehousing than rehabilitation, this man will probably return to prison upon his release.
Michigan Reader
Tue, Jul 10, 2012 : 12:16 a.m.
@alarictoo--Poor impulse control is a symtom of a personality disorder, anti-social personality disorder. It's not very amenable to treatment. @KeepingItReal--It's not fair to blame the mental health system for not serving the African American population, individuals have to take responsibility for complying with treatment, like taking their meds, which Mealing said he wasn't doing, and to seek help to start with. Otherwise, what's the system to do? Start pulling people of the street against their will?
KeepingItReal
Mon, Jul 9, 2012 : 11:43 p.m.
I wasn't aware that I was playing the race card. I thought I was providing some useful info to the discussion. Since you are probably not attuned to this issue, your position. FYI. Providing appropriate mental health services to the African American community is an issue. Unfortunately, the fallback position of those who do not understand this or who are somehow offended by anyone raising this concern is to accuse one of using the race card.. This is very easy to do since we have a passive African American in the county.
alarictoo
Mon, Jul 9, 2012 : 8:20 p.m.
I wasn't aware the poor impulse control was now considered a mental illness. He violated multiple conditions of his parole, repeatedly, and now you want to play the race card? Seriously.
Mick52
Mon, Jul 9, 2012 : 6:37 p.m.
Maybe it's a space issue, but the headline might better read "....parole violations." Looks like his violations were more than the assault.
nickcarraweigh
Mon, Jul 9, 2012 : 6:19 p.m.
"ill mental health" indeed
DBH
Mon, Jul 9, 2012 : 5:38 p.m.
"The 40-year-old Ypsilanti man violated his probation when he allegedly assaulted his uncle at a party store last month." Since he has now been found guilty of having violated his probation, is not the "alleged" assault on his uncle now properly characterized as assault (without the alleged)?