A Superior man will spend 18 months on probation and 120 days in jail for battering his 75-year-old mother.
Robert Eugene Mecke, 42, pleaded no contest to an amended charge of misdemeanor battery last week in Douglas County Circuit Court. Other conditions of his probation include undergoing a mental health evaluation and following any recommendations, no use or possession alcohol and have no contact with the victim or a witness. He was also ordered to pay court costs of $353.
Despite questions from the judge and concerns expressed by a public defender, Mecke refused representation. During a short recess, however, he was able to strike a plea bargain with District Attorney Dan Blank that amended the original aggravated battery charge, a felony, to a misdemeanor.
Superior Police were called to a possible domestic incident at a home on the 1500 block of John Avenue at approximately 5:27 p.m. Dec. 29. Officers found Mecke's mother lying on the floor near the couch with blood on the left side of her face on her cheek and jaw line. Mecke was standing nearby behind the door. Officers heard him mumble something about "there's the problem," motioning to his mother.
"I had to defend myself," Officer George Gothner heard him say. "It was self-defense."
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The woman suffered a cut by the left side of her mouth, abrasions and swelling on her jaw. She was transported to a Duluth hospital for observation because she also had some bleeding in her brain.
The victim remembered she and her son were arguing and he called her a prostitute. She didn't remember anything else until officers arrived at the scene. The woman told officers that Mecke has mental health issues but had not taken his medication for years.
Mecke had been drinking prior to the incident
