LOS ANGELES - The sheriff's deputy who arrested actor Mel Gibson for drunken
driving has had his home searched by fellow officers investigating how a police
account of the actor's anti-Semitic tirade was made public, it was reported on
Thursday.
Acting on a search warrant obtained by the Los Angeles County Sheriff's
Department, investigators raided the home of Deputy James Mee on September 13
and seized his computer, telephone records and other documents, according to the
celebrity Web site TMZ.com.
TMZ, citing unnamed department sources for its report, said the search
warrant remains under seal and the outcome of the search has not been made
public.
Sheriff's spokesman Steve Whitmore refused to confirm or deny the report,
saying only that the department is "investigating the unauthorized release of
documents connected to the investigation" of the Gibson case.
Neither Mee nor his lawyer were available for comment.
TMZ is the Internet outlet which first published details of Gibson's behavior
at the time of his July 28 arrest, as recounted by Mee in four pages of his
police report obtained by the Web site.
Sheriff's officials initially asserted that Gibson was arrested "without
incident." But portions of the police report leaked to TMZ described Gibson as
acting in a belligerent manner, trying to escape from custody and threatening to
"get even" with Mee.
Mee, who is Jewish, also reported that Gibson made a statement blaming Jews
for "all the wars in the world" and asked him if he were a Jew.
Disclosure of Gibson's rant sparked headlines, drew condemnation from Jewish
leaders and led to speculation that his Hollywood career had been irreparably
damaged.
Gibson, who later pleaded no contest to a drunken driving charge and was
ordered into treatment for alcohol abuse, has apologized for his conduct. He
told ABC's Diane Sawyer in an interview broadcast this week that his outburst
was "just the stupid rambling of a drunkard."
But the fact that his outburst only became public after it was leaked to TMZ
has raised questions about whether the sheriff's department gave him
preferential treatment.
Michael Gennaco, who heads a civilian oversight agency for the sheriff's
department called the Office of Independent Review, said an inquiry into that
issue was continuing.
