NEWS

Melle, women disagree on Williams

Daniel Carson
Reporter

FREMONT – A pair of city women aggressively questioned city law director Jim Melle about his decision to refer civil protection order cases involving Michael Williams to an outside prosecutor at Thursday’s Fremont City Council meeting. One of the women said it amounted to special treatment for Williams.

At a tense meeting that included several heated exchanges, Natalie Jones, Williams’ sister and one of four women to file for civil protection orders against him, asked how Williams was given such special consideration that his cases were sent to the Bowling Green city prosecutor for review.

She said Williams had demonstrated a history over a decade of harassing women and children and has been banned from multiple stores in Fremont for his behavior.

“I’m worried for the citizens,” Jones said, adding, “Why is he such a special person?”

Melle defended his decision — with backing from Mayor Jim Ellis and others in attendance at the meeting — in July 2014 to refer the Williams’ cases to Bowling Green Prosecutor Matthew Reger.

The law director cited a conflict of interest in pursuing the case, pointing out that Erica Williams, Williams’ wife, is the assistant city engineer. He said he had sent all reports regarding Williams to Reger’s office.

“It’s all going to be reviewed,” Melle said.

Williams did not attend Thursday’s council meeting.

Sarah Daniels — whose husband, Officer Lester Daniels, has been accused by Michael Williams of past police misconduct and harassment — called Melle unprofessional and said his friendship with Williams affected his decision-making.

Melle strongly denied the accusations.

“It has nothing to do with him being my friend. He’s not my friend,” Melle said.

Jones, Daniels, Maleka Price and Elizabeth McCloy have filed for civil protection orders against Williams. Allegations raised against him by the women and their family members range from threats of physical violence and public outbursts to stalking and following them in his vehicle.

He emphatically denied the allegations in an interview with the News-Messenger on Wednesday and repeated assertions that he been made a target of harassment by some Fremont police officers.

Reger said Wednesday that his office still was looking into the protection order violation complaints and trying to determine how to resolve that case.

Jones’ husband, William, accused Williams of threatening his children and trying to intimidate him with a pistol. He asked Melle and council members what they would do if they were in his situation and said Williams felt like he couldn’t be touched.

“If that were me, I would have been locked up,” Jones said.

City Council President Dallas Leake stressed to audience members that Williams was not at the meeting to defend himself.

Leake asked Jones and Daniels if there was something specific they wanted from the city council at the meeting.

Jones replied that the women wanted to feel safe, and charged that the city’s police officers were afraid to take calls regarding Williams for fear of him going to the local NAACP chapter or the city’s Community Relations Commission and alleging racism or wrongdoing on the officers’ part.

Leake told Jones the NAACP handled cases for all residents, regardless of race, and asked Wiersma if the city’s police force was afraid of dealing with Williams.

“Afraid, no. Guarded, yes,” Wiersma said.

Wiersma said he had attended CRC meetings in the past and felt that commission members were not always willing to listen to the police’s version of events or read the incident reports that detailed Williams’ alleged criminal activity and harassment.

Ed Lindsey, chairman of the commission, challenged Wiersma on his points and said his commission addressed pointed questions to the chief, Ellis and Safety Service Director Bob Ward at meetings, but were fair and doing what the group was set up to do.

Lindsey asked Melle what special advantages a person would have if their case was referred to an outside prosecutor for review.

“There is no special advantage,” Melle said.

Wiersma repeated that he believed Williams was the only party listened to at CRC meetings.

He told council and audience members that if they wanted both sides of the story to read the numerous incident reports involving Williams.

“I believe the reports stand for themselves,” Wiersma said.

dacarson@gannett.com

419-334-1046

Twitter: @DanielCarson7