TMJ4 Reporter Cited for Using Potty Mouth with Cops After Urinating at Bayshore
I-Team reporter Rob Koebel accused of swearing at police and asking "Do you know who you're messing with?" after he was caught urinating outside of the Apple store.
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(Update: Steve Wexler, the general manager of WTMJ-TV, told Jim Romenesko that Koebel is no longer with the station.)
A local television reporter was cited for disorderly conduct when he became belligerent with police after being caught urinating outside of the Apple store at Bayshore Mall.
According to the Glendale police report:
A Bayshore security guard caught Rob Koebel, 41, urinating outside of the Apple store at 10:11 p.m. Aug. 21. Koebel, an investigative reporter with TMJ4's I-Team, lives in an apartment above the Apple store.
The security guard told police he saw Koebel and his friend, a 52-year-old man, leave Bar Louie on their way back to their apartments. The friend told police Koebel had been drinking. When Koebel started urinating outside of the Apple store, the security guard told him to stop, but Koebel ignored him.
Glendale police arrived at the scene shortly. Koebel took his phone out of his pocket, and when police told him to put his phone away, he said, "No, not gonna happen." He then put his phone back in his pocket, but then later took it out again.
When the officer asked Koebel to hand him his phone, he said: 'No, do you know who you're messing with?'
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Police arrested Koebel after he refused to follow commands. When an officer tried to lock the handcuffs, Koebel kept swaying, and officers attempted to steady him against the wall of the business. He lost his balance and fell to the ground, bringing an officer down with him.
When police brought him back to the station, Koebel was uncooperative with officers. When an officer stated he was going to remove his handcuffs, Koebel warned him to "be careful."
Koebel became increasingly uncooperative, saying "Don't play games with me" and "Do you want to take the gloves off or no?" As he was booked, Koebel called an officer names such as "(expletive) face", as well as a derogatory term for homosexual.
Glendale police cited Koebel for disorderly conduct.
In July, Mediabistro reported Koebel was being sued by Milwaukee Public Schools bus driver Melissa Dumas for "ambushing" her on camera and questioning her about a past arrest for prostitution.
Steve Wexler, the general manager of WTMJ-TV, did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the arrest. It is unclear whether Koebel still works for the television station.
alt ideas needed
10:00 am on Saturday, September 8, 2012
wow, what an idiot,
and what a sense of entitlement.
Just because you are on TV does not make one famous.
Bob McBride
7:53 am on Sunday, September 9, 2012
Fortunately for this guy, it appears most people don't know who he is. He might be able to find another gig in some other state. If he's a habitual drunken outside tinkler he may want to avoid living right in the middle of a popular retail district.
C. Sanders
6:54 am on Monday, September 10, 2012
Alcohol unleashes the beast, who is very lucky he did not strike an officer and be dealing with a felony.
Tony
8:28 am on Monday, September 10, 2012
Recently saw him at an a ccident. I had no idea who he was or that he was a reporter, but he sure acted like he was above all those around him, it was 3 in the afternoon, I'm assuming he was sober....
Taoist Crocodile
8:28 am on Monday, September 10, 2012
-10,000 points for getting fired, but +500 points for urinating on the Apple store. A good plan, poorly executed.
CowDung
8:49 am on Monday, September 10, 2012
I'm surprised that the ACLU isn't stepping in to defend this guy. He was just exercising his free speech rights and expressing his disapproval of Apple's corporate policies...
Bob McBride
8:51 am on Monday, September 10, 2012
Maybe they didn't make the connection. Perhaps if he had jumped off the top of the building...
Bob McBride
8:52 am on Monday, September 10, 2012
...or peed off the top of the building...or both at the same time...
Jay Sykes
10:53 am on Monday, September 10, 2012
Did this computer Whiz think, "that's the way to get 'high-erd' at the genius bar."
Yellow Journalism?
Bridgett Bartlein Drews
9:25 am on Monday, September 10, 2012
That's funny he must be really full of himself. I for 1 have never heard the name & after looking at the picture I don't even recognize him. How important is he! LOL. And now on top of the fines he's also out of a job. Good move Mister!
tom zolle
9:44 am on Monday, September 10, 2012
look at this -- I wonder what his ex-wife has to say about this arrest. She had enough to write a book being married to him! CNN News Anchor Christi Paul:
http://www.amazon.com/Love-Isnt-Supposed-Hurt-Christi/dp/1414367376/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1347288162&sr=1-1&keywords=christi+paul
Annie Nominous
10:33 am on Monday, September 10, 2012
Are you sure he is the same guy in her book? I did see the names matched on some web sites.
Crawdaddy
2:34 pm on Tuesday, September 11, 2012
This is the same guy who verbally abused Christi Paul and the book is written about....jackass
Nancy Hall
2:16 am on Wednesday, September 12, 2012
Who are you calling a jackass, jackass? Given the fact that this guy appears to be a total loser, it seems unlikely that he was ever anywhere near beautiful Christi Paul, much less married to her. Maybe he is her ex, but I'm not surprised that someone would question the truth of this claim.
gman
9:49 am on Monday, September 10, 2012
Has anyone considered that maybe since he is a guy, once you start urinating it's next to impossible to stop.
Bob McBride
10:27 am on Monday, September 10, 2012
Probably not. I'm guessing most folks are finding it hard to get past the part where he decided to start urinating on the Apple Store in the first place.
@-;-'---- Rose
12:01 am on Wednesday, September 12, 2012
gman...that was my first thought and I'm not a guy.
Ray Ray Johnson
10:18 am on Monday, September 10, 2012
Was the cop a Fa**ot? Was the Bus Driver a h**ker? Did the cop know who he was messin' with? Did the pee affect Apple's stock price? How much pee are we talking about? Was there any sort of flooding or bio hazard? These are the kind of hard-hitting stories that great journalists like Koebel SHOULD be investigating.
tom zolle
11:30 am on Monday, September 10, 2012
yea -- same idiot that was married to Christi Paul. I saw it in her bio on wikipedia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christi_Paul
Nancy K
12:00 pm on Monday, September 10, 2012
What a shame...he's the guy who busted Stacy Jenson for fraud. It's too bad he didn't get around to reporting how SJ harrassed people who talked about her on Twitter by calling their employers and threatening a lawsuit.
Chris Wright
12:12 pm on Monday, September 10, 2012
I'm assuming the conversation with the officer went something like this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jKKtnSVeY9o
tom dusick
10:11 am on Tuesday, September 11, 2012
the best!!! good job...
Deb Strzelecki
12:49 pm on Monday, September 10, 2012
What a jerk. WTMJ sure employs some real winners. And WTMJ controls the media in this area. Our one and only newspaper, channel 4, and AM Hate/Conservative radio 620.
Bill Mack
2:41 pm on Monday, September 10, 2012
Getting drunk and stupid is never wise, it may cost you your job.
JW
5:03 pm on Monday, September 10, 2012
I was planning to come here and say... "really... this is the big thing we are so worried about... " and then I read the details... clearly this dude had some issues beyond peeing. I was expecting it to be that he did it and got caught and in trouble... but to see that all he likely had to do was stop doing the action and shut his mouth and he just couldnt find a way to do it... now I officially have no sympathy for him. And I am not saying peeing anywhere in public is great... but I dont think it needs to be a crime either depending on the circumstances... here the circumstances are rather damning.
Mark Klema
5:25 pm on Monday, September 10, 2012
Shades of Nancy Laffey, WITI's blast from the past!
Robert Schraml
7:28 pm on Monday, September 10, 2012
I am sorry I opened up Hell's Kitchen! I only asked who he was?
Let it Go
1:40 pm on Tuesday, September 11, 2012
JW Peeing anywhere in public is great. Kudos to you garbage reporter but next time let your lawyer do the talking.
Dave L.
4:20 pm on Tuesday, September 11, 2012
Doesn't surprise me at all. TMJ4's I-Sleaze-Team. John Mercure is no different.
nunya bidniss
10:03 am on Friday, March 8, 2013
He's obviously a Windows guy.