Letter: Mortensen convicted because of Metro cover-up

Saturday, Aug. 2, 1997 | 5:34 a.m.

The only crime committed by former Officer Ron Mortensen on that tragic night was choosing a fellow officer to associate with.

One he thought he could look up to, trust and help him throughout his career. It was the biggest error in judgment that Ron ever made, and he is now paying for it by his loss of freedom and possibly his life.

The injustice of what just took place in our city will never go away until the truth comes out in the Ron Mortensen murder conviction.

The cover-up done to protect one of Metro's former officers and the sacrifice of an innocent rookie to blatantly prove that the "good ol' boys" stick together and run the city the way they feel it should be run will be brought out into the open.

Ron believed in the people he worked with and for, and truly believed that our city had a system that was honest and creditable.

Little did he know that the same people he believed in would turn their backs and ignore the real evidence that showed he was innocent.

Ron's family and friends and the majority of the people in the city can see through this Metro charade and cover-up, and we will never give up proving that the wrong man was convicted.

After what happened to Ron, can any Metro officer truly trust and believe in their partners or superiors?

After all, this is probably not the first or last time that a cover-up has occurred or will occur.

J.L. Mortensen, Father of Ron Mortensen