The Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputy who disclosed actor Mel Gibson’s anti-Semitic rant during the his arrest on drunk driving charges is the focus of a criminal investigation over who leaked information about the incident to an entertainment website, reports the Los Angeles Times. Investigators reportedly served a search warrant at the home of Deputy James Mee and seized a computer, telephone records, and documents. The department initially described Gibson’s July 28 arrest as occurring “without incident.” But the celebrity website http://www.tmz.com obtained a copy of Mee’s arrest report.
Mee described Gibson’s “barrage of anti-Semitic remarks” in which he said, “The Jews are responsible for all the wars in the world” before asking the deputy, who is Jewish: “Are you a Jew?” Mee detailed repeated threats against Mee by Gibson, who said he “owned Malibu” and would “get even” with the deputy. Gibson has apologized for his behavior. The Sheriff’s Department came under criticism for sealing part of Mee’s report, with some suggesting that the star was getting special treatment.
Link: http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-gibson13oct13,1,1659105.story?coll=la-headlines-california