Mel Gibson Appears in Court for Final Session

• Remains on Probation for DUI for 18 Months •

By Hans Laetz

Malibu resident Mel Gibson has paid nearly all of his debt to society but needs to avoid driving drunk or other slipups for the remaining 18 months of his probation, a judge ruled Wednesday.
“No, thank you,” the Australian-born movie director and actor told a reporter from the Malibu Surfside News when asked if he had anything to say after the hearing.
“You're on your own now with the self-help groups, so this is the most difficult time for you,” Judge Lawrence Mira told Gibson during the 22-minute-long hearing. “Good luck to you as you continue on your rehabilitation.”
“Thank you, your honor,'' said Gibson, who had uttered only one other word during the hearing, when he replied, “Yes,” to a question from the judge.
Prosecutor Gina Satriano said Gibson has paid about $1600 in penalties, attended nightly Alcoholics Anonymous meetings for a month, gone to follow-up sessions, and volunteered to tape an anti drunken-driving television announcement.
Gibson, his attorney and a phalanx of uniformed sheriff’s deputies avoided a gaggle of paparazzi and TV cameras in front of the Malibu courthouse by slipping in through the back security entrance. Judge Mira refused requests from local broadcasters and celebrity Websites to allow photography inside the courtroom.
In a July, 2006 incident that had tabloids and the Web hyperventilating around the world, Gibson was arrested after leaving a local restaurant and weaving down Pacific Coast Highway late on a Friday night.
The incident exploded when someone leaked original arrest reports from Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department Deputy James Gee, which documented a verbal tirade from Gibson that included sexist and anti-Semitic remarks. The drunken actor also tried to intimidate deputies by saying he “owned Malibu,” a line that amused some local residents to the point where a sign was posted at the city limits sign that read, “Welcome to Melibu.”
Gibson apologized for his actions and pleaded guilty to the drunken driving charge.
Deputy Mee was relegated to desk duty by the LASD for disciplinary reasons that reportedly had to do with unspecified actions he took after the Gibson arrest, but not related to the arrest itself. Mee is reportedly back on street patrol.
Subsequent investigation into the entire matter found that the Lost Hills Sheriff’s Station violated several department policies by giving Gibson favorable treatment, including giving him a lift from the jail in Calabasas back to Malibu to pick up his impounded car.
During Wednesday’s hearing, whether or not to allow photography in the courtroom took up most of the 22-minutes, with his attorney, Blair Berk, prosecutor Satriano and the judge engaged in a sidebar conference beyond the ears of the public.
Afterwards, Mira said he would deny the news media requests because of unnamed persons who have reportedly been stalking Gibson and against whom the actor has obtained restraining orders.
“Unfortunately, Mister Gibson is the subject of what may be alleged criminality,” the judge said. “People who are the subject of the restraining order are being encouraged [in their acts] by the view of the subject.
“An educational event should not necessarily be encouraged when it encourages people within the event to be exposed to criminal activity,” the judge said.
California law gives judges complete discretion whether to allow cameras in the courtroom, but several media experts said a ruling along those exact lines was unusual.