The Matthew Coulter Case- What a difference a video makes.

Video evidence appears to show collusion between D.A. and Grass Valley Police Department. Where is justice when you need it?

Written by Pauli Halstead, Nevada City, CA.

On September 1, 2022, Matthew Coulter was wrongly arrested by Grass Valley Police on charges he bit construction worker, Mark Olsen, on the neck and ‘brandished’ an orange box cutter-style knife. Video evidence from City Mast Cam, Coulter’s phone, and construction worker, Mark Nelson’s phone reveal the construction workers initiated the violent attack.

Matthew, kicked and beaten unconscious, suffered a broken finger, boot marks on his neck and shoulder, and other serious injuries, went to the hospital and then to jail.

Coulter was arrested on scene and charged with Felony Assault and Misdemeanor Battery on only the false statements of Nelson and Olsen. If the police had viewed the cell phones, Mark Nelson and Mark Olsen would have been arrested instead of Matthew.

Chief Gammelgard stated ‘all’ video evidence “was shared with the DA’s office on 9/06/22.” He then kept Coulter’s phone until Feb. 22^nd, 2023. If he had immediately released the phone to Matthew’s Public Defender, the charges would have been dropped.

Jesse Wilson, the DA, didn’t turn over the video evidence to the Public Defender until Feb. 10th, five full months after the incident. Matthew was able to retrieve his phone on Feb. 22^nd after Chief Gammelgard admitted he still had it.

Matthew went to jail on false charges, when everyone knew it, and has been the victim of continued malicious prosecution by the District Attorney’s Office.

Phone video from Nelson’s phone, and the unexpected video from a City Mast Cam, clearly contradict Nelson and Olsen’s statements that Matthew initiated the attack. The Mast Cam video shows Matthew walking with his bicycle. At the 46-second mark, construction worker, Olsen, comes from behind and hits him. Matthew drops his bicycle and begins videoing Olsen with his phone camera. A verbal altercation follows.

Videos show Matthew circling his bicycle and backing up while holding his phone. Olsen then grabs his arm, taking him down. Nelson jumps in and both men proceed to kick and beat Matthew. Nelson is seen visibly kicking Matthew.

The police arrive on the scene to a badly injured and bleeding Coulter, furious he has been attacked. He was immediately handcuffed and told to sit down.

Nelson makes his statement to the police that Coulter “jumped on his partner and bit him on the back of the neck. Brother that’s where it ends for me, so I laid hands on him. I tried to pull him off and then I called you.”

Nelson then pulls a plastic orange utility knife out of his pocket and hands it to the officer, saying he took it out of Matthew’s hand when he jumped on his co-worker’s back. “It was on him while he was biting his neck. He jumped on my co-worker, and bit him on the back of the neck while he pulled out the ‘friggin’ utility knife. We actually were attacked by Matt. I got on top of Matt and grabbed him around the neck. I’m not going to fuckin’ lie. I took him down.”

The officer asks Nelson if any part of the knife was open. He said no, “but I just ripped that damn thing off.”

Olsen then states, “He grabbed me from behind and bit on my neck, that’s when it started. When his camera got in my face, then I grabbed that. He grabbed my arm and put my neck in his mouth. That’s when I got physical. I was standing on the other side of his bike. He had a knife. Mark (Nelson) grabbed it out of his hand.”

No orange knife was visible in any of the videos.

At the court hearing with Judge Heidelberger, Public Defender, Haley Dewey, asked the judge to view videos of the incident. The judge refused.

Subsequently, Assistant District Attorney, Helenaz Hill lobbied for “NO BAIL, in all his pending matters, or at least, revoke his OR status and set bail above schedule”. The judge then set bail at $50K. Hadn’t Hill previously viewed the videos? It’s incomprehensible that our DA, having viewed the videos, would continue to prosecute on false charges.

On September 29^th, Judge Linda Sloven, abruptly dismissed the felony charges but kept the misdemeanor charge which has kept Matthew having to re-appear in court.

All of this calls into question Chief Gammelgard’s and DA Wilson’s willingness to let a wrongful arrest and false charges continue through the court, the validity of all Matthew Coulter’s arrests and prosecutions. The police and the DA cannot just make stuff up as they go along. All this time no one has done a damn thing to correct the false charges, not the police, not the DA, and not the judges. Have the judges ever had access to the videos?

The fact that Matthew was arrested on charges he initiated the attack and ‘brandished’ the box cutter knife are patently false. I asked Chief Gammelgard why Nelson and Olsen weren’t arrested. He said, “the videos are open to interpretation.” Really?

Furthermore, despite Matthew filing charges against Nelson and Olsen on Feb. 10^th , no one has bothered to arrest them. Why do they get a free pass for assault and battery?

Personally, I am appalled the District Attorney would withhold video evidence for five months. Wrongfully charging someone, withholding evidence, letting someone sit in jail for a month, then continue to make them defend themselves in court, is a miscarriage of justice. Those knowingly participating in this dereliction of duty, and there are a few, should be removed from their jobs.

Matthew has now had five Public Defenders who seem incapable of adequately representing him. I asked Keri Cline, of the Public Defender’s Office, to step in and get this mess straightened out.

The Enlarged Videos of the Incident

Zoomed-in File...

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1HfcH8JxROut6jCc5pSObnt06DjqZ6icd/view?usp=share_link

Zoomed-in more file...

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1wgN2mNKaf5St2Odp0-n-x1Ow77u9sla8/view?usp=share_link

Contractor's video...

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Z-811xX1l3DT5quDgtuZRvOlZz9rTfQC/view?usp=share_link