Kern County
School Official Claims Self-Defense in Altercation With No
on 8 Protester

Video footage captured over the weekend at a Proposition 8 rally in Bakersfield, Calif., shows Kern High School District trustee Ken Mettler assaulting a No on 8 protester, BakersfieldNow.com is reporting. But Mettler, a politically conservative activist, said he threw the punch in self-defense.

Prior to the assault, Mettler was reportedly snatching signs away from No on 8 protesters. According to reports, the signs originally read Yes on 8, but same-sex marriage supporters had altered the signs. Proposition 8 is a ballot measure that would rescind same-sex marriage rights in California.

Video footage shows Mettler taking back the signs to boos and jeers from the crowd. Mettler then walks toward a protester; footage shows him grabbing a sign and appearing to punch and kick 21-year-old Robert Badewitz.

"I was assaulted," Mettler told Bakersfield Now. A fellow threw a punch at me. He missed. And I did hit him."

Badewitz told authorities a different story.

"He hit me on the left jaw with his fist and then he kicked me as well," he said.

Police told reporters an assault did take place. Mettler was questioned, but no arrests have been made. Police also said there were accusations that signs had been stolen.

According to police, neither Mettler nor Badewitz wished to file a criminal complaint.

In addition to his work in the school district, Mettler serves as the Kern County chairman for Yes on Prop. 8 and is the president of the county's chapter of the California Republican Assembly, a group promoting conservative stances without the party.

Earlier this year, Kern County made headlines when a county clerk said she would stop performing all marriage ceremonies shortly before the state supreme court order legalizing same-sex marriage took effect. (The Advocate)