Iraq war protestor takes plea agreement in assault case
May 19, 2008
Charges will be withdrawn if John H. Meicht abides by terms; victim says she is pleased with the decision and that justice was served.
By MICHAEL P. RELLAHAN, Staff Writer
WEST CHESTER — Criminal charges against a demonstrator at the borough’s weekly war protests who allegedly shoved a Philadelphia blogger videotaping the event could be dismissed under plea agreement terms accepted Friday.
Appearing in front of Magisterial District Judge Gwenn Knapp, John H. Meicht agreed to write a formal letter of apology to the blogger, complete 30 hours of community service and stay out of trouble for the next 60 days. If he does so, the counts of simple assault, resisting arrest, harassment, recklessly endangering another person and related charges against him will be withdrawn by the district attorney’s office.
In their place, Meicht, 62, of West Goshen, would be allowed to plead guilty to a summary offense of disorderly conduct and pay a fine.
If he fails to complete the terms of the agreement, the charges against him would go forward.
The plea agreement was worked out between Meicht’s attorney, Timothy J. Trott of West Chester, and Assistant District Attorney Jessica Gonzalez, with help from Cpl. Thomas Gotthold of the West Chester Police Department, who had himself been involved in a confrontation with Meicht the day of the incident.
Afterward, the blogger, Tania Ciolko of Philadelphia, said she was satisfied with the resolution of the case.
“I’m very happy about it,” Ciolko said. “I think justice was served. I got what I wanted, an apology.”
Meicht, a retired school teacher from the Downingtown Area School District, declined comment through his attorney. But, Trott said they were pleased to close the matter.
“(Meicht) certainly appreciates what’s happened here today,” Trott said. “There’s no one in this country today that doesn’t have passionate feelings about what’s going on in Iraq and Afghanistan, and sometimes tensions escalate.”
The incident involving Meicht and Ciolko occurred the morning of March 22, when demonstrators for the Chester County Peace Movement and the Chester County Victory Movement — which take opposite sides in the debate over the Iraq War — appeared at the intersection of High and Market streets in West Chester to commemorate the five-year anniversary of the war.
Tensions had been rising between the two groups in the months previous to the incident. The Chester County Peace Movement has been appearing in front of the Chester County Courthouse since 2002, but were joined by the Chester County Victory Movement, holding counter-protests, in the fall of 2007.
The two sides alternately accused each other of harassment.
According to Ciolko, she had attended several times in the past, videotaping the proceedings for her blog: Midnight Blue. A self-described conservative Democrat, Ciolko was videotaping a confrontation between a man and a woman on the southeast corner of the intersection on March 22, when Meicht, who was with the Chester County Peace Movement demonstrators, slapped the camera from her hand, telling her to “get the camera out of my face.”
She said that when she raised the camera again, he slapped it away once more.
“We can have differences of opinion, but we should be able to express them without violence or harassment,” she said after the hearing.
Gotthold became involved when Richard Davis, leader of the Chester County Victory Movement, complained about the incident and tried to point out Meicht to the officer. When Gotthold tried to speak to Meicht about the encounter, Meicht initially refused to give his name or identify himself.
When Gotthold told him he was under investigation for an alleged assault and tried to lead him away from where a crowd of 50 had gathered, Meicht told him, “I’m not telling you anything,” and pushed Gotthold in the chest.
Gotthold and another officer then tried to restrain Meicht, and he briefly fought their attempts to place him in custody. He was arrested and released pending a summons that day.
After the brief hearing in front of Knapp, Gonzalez said Meicht had been offered the summary agreement primarily because of his lack of a prior criminal record and because he has not returned to the demonstrations at High and Market streets.
“As far as we know, he has not been back,” she said. “It doesn’t seem that this individual is going to pose any future problems there.”
Gotthold said he was satisfied with the arrangement and that Meicht had already offered an apology to him the day of the incident.
Another man who was part of the Chester County Peace Movement who had gotten in the way of police as they took Meicht into custody was given a similar plea agreement on Tuesday.
David F. Cleveland, 48, of West Chester, will have to complete 20 hours of community service and stay trouble-free for 60 days before the charges against him are withdrawn.
“You have to put it in perspective as making things better at the corner of High and Market (streets) in West Chester,” Gotthold said.
To contact staff writer Michael P. Rellahan, send an e-mail to mrellahan@dailylocal.com.
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