| I had expected that the divorce with Karyn would be most straight forward as it was such a short marriage, there were no kids, and, initially, we pretty much came to agreement on the various issues. I didn't get a copy of the papers Karyn had filed until August 26th (and gave notice at work on the 27th) and so had set a target date of leaving by September 30. However, as the date approached she got increasingly anxious about me leaving earlier. Anyway, I stayed the night in my apartment by the 29th and picked up the last of my stuff on the 30th before she got home. However, she got increasingly adversarial. On October 9 I had to retrieve some items (in particular a cell phone that she had signed for before she left town for the week and I needed that cell phone as my previous cell phone was expiring). She really freaked out when she got back and saw that those items of mine were gone and on October 15 she got a Temporary Restraining Order (TRO) against me. That evening she went to the Mensa TGIF at Mandarin House restaurant (shown here) and had a friend serve me with the papers so that I had to leave. The restaurant is upstairs under the slanted glass roof to the left of the entrance. | |
| I had come there every week since I started working at @Once on September 20 (it is a convenient place to have dinner, just a few blocks from where I work and then I take the bus out to Syda Yoga as their Satsangs are on Friday evening). She had come there once previously and there hadn't been any particular problems, we sat at opposite ends of the long table (shown here) and we said polite words as I left. However, she did know that I would be there.... We had first met each other there in October of 2002 and we had met there several times while were courting. The TRO seemed really odd as she didn't even allege any violence or threats of violence. How does one defend against charges of being annoying? | Another too dark picture, longer days will help. |
| So on Octeober 27th I was in Clark County Center (above here) and in Clark County Courthouse (shown below) on second floor. I was again surprised because in the hearing she never even alleged that I had been violent or threatened her with violence. However, the judge gave her an Order of Protection noting that she was crying and clearly terrorized by me. It is certainly hard to oppose evidence like that. What to do? I had two complaints with the Order as there is still property of mine at the 'marital residence' and it said that I would have to leave any Mensa functions she came to (it says I can't knowingly come or remain with 300 feet or her). Well, on November 5, 2004 a friend of Karyn's called to tell her that I was at the TGIF and, instead of coming into the restaurant, she waited outside and called the police. | |
| There were six police officers (wow, they must really believe I was a serious threat). They asked me to leave the area where the Mensa group was meeting. I explained that I was not violating the Order and that I was allowed to attend Mensa functions, just that I couldn't remain if she came. They said I should have used better judgement and asked me to follow them out. As I was coming down the stairs shown here, I saw Karyn and Alex, sitting at the table just inside the bodega shown here, first I knew that they were here (though I had surmised it from the discussion). | |
| With domestic violence calls to 911, I have read that the police are required to arrest someone, and I was arrested in any case (they really didn't have much choice in that case). I was put in handcuffs and put into the back of a police cruiser (like this one, almost certainly not this one actually). | |
| I was driven just a few blocks to the Portland Police Bureau shown here as the cement building just to the right of the brick building. Restraining Orders for domestic violence are required to be enforced in any state according to the laws of the issuing state and in Washington violators can not be released on bail before they are arraigned. In Oregon there are no arraignments until Monday at 2PM. So, after the arresting officer booked me, they transferred me to Multnomah County Detention Center (same building, entrance on this side) were I stayed for just over three days. | |
| Of course I couldn't see much from the back of the police cruiser (bars and such), but I am pretty sure that this is the entrance that we went in (it is to left side of the building on the Portland Police side (2nd Avenue). All in all, it was a most pleasant experience and I was most appreciative of my opportunity to experience it all (it was a grand blessing). Oddly enough, they did not let me keep my camera and so I couldn't take pictures of my experiences (that would have been ever so nice). Doh! However, they did provide us with paper and pencils (but only short pencils, no longer than five inches) so I took notes of all my activities. They are on a separate page as there weren't any pictures to go with the dialogue. | |
| The jail cells are in the floors just above the lobby with the narrow windows and below the office areas with all the glass. My window faced the office building to the left here and I could see a little of the parking garage and the trees along the street in between. I was on the upper bunk and there was a narrow one foot high and seven feet long window right next to by bed. I was glad of the opportunity to look out and get the light (keep my sleep schedule regular). My guess is that they have cells on floors 2, 4, 6, and 8 and I was on the second from the top of those sections in the picture. | |
| When I finally was released it was from the Multnomah County Lockdown (Jail) side of the building (shown here) on 3rd Avenue shown here. The recreation was on floor 10 which would be the open areas (fenced in) just above the cells. The recreation area I went to faced out on the park where I took these pictures from. When they checked me into the jail, they told me that county jail could not keep things like my briefcase (too large) and that it would be sent to the evidence storage area. I got out at 9:30PM on Monday evening and went to the other side and was told that the evidence storage area was in another building and closed now (only open during regular business hours). | |
| Getting home was a bit of a bother as I had parked my car under the building where they have Syda Yoga Friday morning (November 5) which is shown here. I had planned to take the bus back out there, but by the time I got to the bus stop on Monday evening (9:45PM), the last bus had gone by (9:30PM). Doh! I organized my stuff (put my shoe laces back in my shoes, for example) and took a different bus about half way to my car and then walked the rest of the way (about an hour walk, so probably 4 miles or so). I got home just before midnight and got to bed at about 12:15AM (I was tired). | |
| I got in to work at regular time on Tuesday. My brother had left a message that I would not be in on Monday, so there any problems there and during lunch I walked to the Portland Police Evidence Storage building shown here. It was about another four mile walk (round trip) so I definitely got my exercise. | |
| To get in you walk through the fenced in area to the right of the building and along the side of the building about half way to get to the entrance.... On Friday morning, November 12, I applied for a TRO against Karyn so that she couldn't 'ambush' me again. I was somewhat relieved that my request was denied as there did not seem to be any real justification (though there was more than Karyn had had, perhaps I just don't look suitably distraught). At any rate, I did get the appeal packet and ordered the transcript of the hearing on October 27. Next up is to get her Order overturned, then get the arrest expunged from my record. Then Karyn and I can sort out our remaining property disputes (which means that since we have taken on such adversarial roles it is likley that we won't be divorced for at least another six months, possibly a year). As my former wife and I had spent about five years litigating a very adversarial divorce previously, I have no problem with that (I might as well do that versus doing something else), but I doubt that Karyn will be happy about it (but then she likely wouldn't be happy with any outcome, such seems to be her nature). | |
| On November 22 I took a 'lunch' break away from my desk at work and walked back to the Portland Police Bureau to get a copy of the arrest report, the first step in getting the arrest expunged from the system. This time I went in through the lobby entrance shown here. Over the weekend I had researched the relevant statutes and case law and also realized how Karyn had gotten me arrested. In her petition she had asked that I be excluded from all local Mensa events. Of course the court did not carry that over to the actual order as it was too vague to be permitted. However, it appears that she never actaully read the order (or chose to ignore that omission), so now I need to file suit against Portland Police and Karyn for false arrest. Sigh! However, now I am carrying both her petition and the final order with me so that I can explain the difference and expect that it won't happen again. That is a relief. | |
| Once inside the largish and highly utilitarian (lots of unfinished cement) lobby I headed over to the 'reception' area shown here. I asked where I would get a copy of an arrest report.... 'Yes for me', and she checked my ID and gave me a stick on pass to wear as I took the elevator to the 12th floor (I believe). On that floor I went through the door for the Records section where about four people were waiting in a plain room with padded benches along the walls. While I was there about four more people came in and the woman who was processing requests asked that eveyone get numbers as there was some confusion about who was next. I had gotten one when I came in (they were about 30 behind, I noticed) and so was up next (and she quickly went through 30 numbers); at that point there was only one person who had been there when I came in and I would have traded with him, but he had gotten the fourth place and I wasn't willing to wait that long. | |
This page was last updated on July 28, 2006.