Bobby Cutts Jr.: Guilty Until Proven Innocent

Despite the presence of a few white co-signers (Genarlow Wilson still needs one) Bobby Cutts Jr. finds himself already guilty in the court of public opinion.

In case you've been under a rock, or don't have cable, in North Canton, OH a white woman named Jessie Davis went missing last week. Her mother arrived at Davis' home after having not heard from her in days to find Jessie's young son hiding in his bedroom, and most of her belongings still in the house. There were some signs of the home being ransacked, and likely a struggle of some sort. Pools of bleach soaked her bedroom floor, and the bedspread and her cell phone were missing. Complicating matters further, Davis was only a few weeks away from her due date with a second child.
Cutts, who is black, is a Canton police officer and the father of Davis' 2 year old son Blake, who was present during the abduction. The child has been quoted as repeatedly saying "Mommy's in the rug", which could mean something (his mother was wrapped in the missing quilt) or nothing coming from a child his age. Earlier this week, a day-old baby girl was found on a doorstep not far from Canton, but there has yet to be any link established to this case. The press has yet to note any specific alibi for Cutts during the speculated time of abduction. He has claimed innocence, but his home has now been searched multiple times. Cutts shares a baby mama from a previous relationship with Shawn Kemp (yes, THAT Shawn Kemp). Since Cutts is still in the midst of an estranged marriage, plenty of signs point to the possibility that he was unhappy Davis was possibly pregnant with another child of his. He has said the child is "possibly" his, but he doesn't know for sure.

This being America, you know the equation.

Missing White Woman + Black Man W/O Alibi = Guilty!!!

Or at least that's what the cable news spinmeisters have thrown out there as this story has unfolded. Since I'm addicted to 24 hour news cycles myself, I've stayed up late watching that despicable human being known as Nancy Grace, the crotchety Larry King, the hypocritical Bill O'Reilly, the gelatinous Glenn Beck, and others skewer Cutts all week long. They question everything from why he hasn't assisted with the search for Davis (?), to a prior charge of domestic abuse, to his some questionable record as a police officer. It is truly a case of a man being assumed guilty, despite concrete evidence. The name Scott Peterson has been tossed around with reckless abandon. Only local reporters for the tiny Canton Repository have been evenhanded and non-assuming in their coverage of the case.

At 33 years old, I'm more than smart enough to look at a case and make a definitive call without automatically siding with "the black guy". But I can't lie, the media's rush to judgement on Cutts' involvement with Davis' abduction has me siding with him to some degree, if only because I want to see that disgusting pig Nancy Grace eat crow if Cutts happens to be found innocent.

I pray for the family of Jessie Davis, especially the adorable child (Blake) at the center of all this. I hope Davis and the baby, like Elizabeth Smart, turn up just a few exits down the road perfectly healthy, and with a good explanation.

But the media's rush to judgement in yet another intersection of race, sex, and murder has me a little pissed.

Ed Bradley is crying inside.

Who Is Bobby Cutts? [Cleveland Plain Dealer]