City Council candidate has different take on 2007 arrest

Arrested in 2007 for resisting law enforcement, Jennifer Mickel, a Republican contender for one of the Bloomington City Council’s at-large seats in Tuesday’s election, describes the events surrounding her arrest differently from what the state Court of Appeals documents allege.

Court documents state that Mickel was arrested after one of her dogs allegedly bit someone outside of a cafe.

What happened next is less clear, but both Mickel and the court documents said an altercation of some sort took place.

The court documents state that Mickel and Gehlhausen ended up on the ground and that Mickel bit him on the forearm and kicked him in the chest and groin.

But Mickel said the events happened differently. She was simply following Officer Donald Pence’s instruction to put the dogs in the van, and she was reaching for proof of her dog’s immunization in the van when Gehlhausen “freaked out,” she said in an email.

Mickel said Gehlhausen “charged from 20 feet or so away, shouting ‘Don’t put the dogs in the van!’”

Gehlhausen allegedly yanked Mickel away from the van and “attempted to throw me on the pavement,” she said.

Mickel said Gehlhausen then handcuffed and kicked her on the knees, causing her to bruise. The court documents do not mention this, but Mickel said she has photos of the injuries she allegedly sustained from the altercation.

En route to the police station, Gehlhausen and Pence argued about “how (they were) going to get out of this by charging me with something,” Mickelsaid.

Mickel said she has learned from the experience and is now fighting for more fairness in the justice system.

— Zach Ammerman