Tasergate Trooper Still Harassing the Palin Family

You may remember Trooper Mike Wooten from the whole "Troopergate" fiasco, which was pushed hard by the media and the Democrats in an attempt to smear Governor Palin. Alaska Senator Hollis French promised an "October surprise" to close out the investigation and Alaska Senator Kim Elton was later rewarded by the Obama administration for his role as the hatchet man in charge of the Legislative Council that oversaw the investigation. The Alaska Personnel Board eventually cleared Governor Palin of any wrongdoing in this trumped up political goat-rope, which we prefer to call "Tasergate," because the trooper in question, Mike Wooten, used a taser gun on his stepson.

The investigation is over, but that has not stopped Trooper Wooten from harassing the Palin family (he remains Trooper Wooten because, contrary to media reports, he was never fired from his job, and he remains on duty). In the recent Esquire article profiling Todd Palin, it was revealed that Wooten is still going after the Palins. Young Piper Palin was even dragged into a dispute between Wooten and his ex-wife, Governor Palin's sister Molly. And the kicker is that the whole thing occurred during the Christmas season.

Here's an excerpt from the Esquire article that details a meeting between Todd Palin and the Wasilla Police Department:

"Good Morning," Todd says.

"Good Morning, the guy cop, Sergeant Kelly Swihart, says. "Got a minute? The deputy chief asked me to stop by. Have you heard that Piper was involved at the church when all this happened between Molly and Mike?"

Todd doesn't have any idea what Sergeant Swihart is talking about. He knows whom he's talking about, of course. Molly and Mike. Molly McCann and Mike Wooten. Todd's sister-in-law and her ex-husband. And Piper. Piper Palin. Todd's daughter. Seven years old. He named her after that fifty-year old plane of his. And of course Todd also knows that plenty of stuff has happened between Molly and Mike, not to mention all the stuff that's happened between Mike and the rest of the family. Todd still talks about all that so often that his wife sometimes tells him to just "drop it," as though bad memories and bad blood were things you could just bury in a garage somewhere. But Todd has no idea what particular stuff Sergeant Swihart is talking about today. Or how Piper is involved. So he shakes his head.

"What's the latest on that? I didn't hear."

"Well, we're in the middle of the investigation," Sergeant Swihart says. "We got information that Molly was in the van, and she was with her in the vehicle. So we're just trying to confirm she was or wasn't in the van."

"Piper?" Todd asks, meaning was it Piper that the cops are trying to confirm was in the van?

"Piper," Sergeant Swihard says. "Make sure all our bases are covered. It was the night they had the play at the church."

"Okay," Todd says. "What investigation is going on? Something with Wooten?"

"Yeah, Wooten reported that he was talking to his kids in Molly's van, and Molly shut the door on him and caused injuries."

"Oh really," Todd says.

"So we're just trying to follow up and make sure we get a complete understanding of what's going on."

[...]

"You want to talk with Piper? Or you just want to confirm that she was in the van?"

"If she was in the van, we'd like to talk with her if possible," Sergeant Swihart says...

"Is she in school?" the lady cop asks.

"What?" Todd says.

"She in school?"

Todd nods.

The cops wanted to talk to Piper because of this "minivan assault complaint" that Wooten made and which little Piper was supposedly a witness to.

The Esquire article also details a hilarious "experiment" conducted by Governor Palin's father, Chuck Heath, on the van door in question:

Chuck's youngest daughter, Molly, comes in without knocking. She's got two of Chuck's grandkids in tow. It's been a couple days since Mike Wooten filed his complaint.

"Hey, Molly," Chuck says. "Give me your key. I want to see what your door does!"

Chuck and [his friend] Adrian each put on a pair of the bulbous white rubber military surplus shoes that all Alaskans call "bunny boots." Chuck opens the driver's-side door of Molly's Honda Odyssey, climbs in, and turns the key in the ignition. The radio comes on: "Frosty the Snowman." Chuck presses a button and the sliding door on the passenger side opens wide revealing the gaping maw that allegedly chomped shut on Mike Wooten's arm a few days ago. Adrian sticks his hand inside the van and Chuck presses the button again, and the door slides smoothly shut until it hits Adrian's forearm. Adrian screams, but he's joking. The door's kid-proofed and recoils automatically. Adrian and Chuck spend another couple of minutes taking turns shutting the door on each other as the weak midafternoon subarctic sun fades into twilight.

So there you have it. The big and tough Trooper Wooten was "injured" by a child safety door on a minivan!

The story really isn't all that funny though because the article includes a very sad little detail towards the end.

Apparently, on Christmas Eve, Governor Palin had to take her seven-year-old daughter, Piper, to the Wasilla Police Department so that this child could be questioned by the cops about this incident. Wooten's "minivan assault complaint" was, of course, eventually thrown out; but what a humiliating experience for Governor Palin, as a mother, to be forced to allow the cops to interrogate her child. And what a scary and potentially traumatizing experience for little Piper.

The article doesn't specify whether or not Governor Palin was allowed in the room when the cops questioned Piper. Most states allow officers to question child witnesses without a parent present because of fears that the parent could influence the child, and I wouldn't be surprised if the cops insisted on questioning Piper alone because of the past history between Wooten and the Palins.

All of this was simply another chapter in Mike Wooten's ongoing vendetta against the Palin-Heath family. He likes to complain that they're out to "get" him, but the fact remains that he was never fired and no one was ever instructed to fire him. The only thing that Todd Palin or any of the Palins and Heaths were ever "guilty" of was pointing out the obvious -- that Mike Wooten is a jerk and a bad cop. I didn't see any new amendment to the United States Constitution or the Alaska State Constitution prohibiting Todd Palin from voicing an opinion. And if my wife had to take my seven-year-old daughter to the police station on Christmas Eve to be questioned about a "minivan window assault," I'd voice an opinion too.

Oh, and let's not forget -- this jerk still has a gun and a badge. I'm sure the citizens of Wasilla feel secure knowing that. When he finally does go nutso on the job, remember that Todd Palin warned you about him.

And one more thing -- that Esquire article is awesome. I recommend everyone get a copy. It's a rare and honest view of the Palin family, and they're good people.