I call it the Ray Donovan syndrome.
Don't remember Ray Donovan.
He was the Labor Secretary under President Ronald Reagan. He was charged along with six others in a kickback scheme involving organized crime in New York City. As you might imagine, his name and face were splashed all over the newspapers and TV.
Donovan vehemently maintained his innocence. He went to trial and was acquitted of all charges.
When he left the court after being vindicated, Donovan had a simple question:
"Which office do I go to to get my reputation back?"v
I imagine Nick Miccarelli might be asking the very same question these days.
Miccarelli represented Ridley Park and the 162nd District in the House of Representatives for 10 years. He served his nation with distinction in the National Guard, including a tour of service in Iraq.
Last spring two women accused him of inappropriate sexual behavior. One of the women went public with her concerns. The other remained anonymous.v
Nick Miccarelli did not. His name and face were out there, splashed all over the front page of newspapers, including this one.
Rep. Tarah Toohil, R-116 of Butler Township, alleged the Delco Republican had been physically abusive. She sought and received a three-year Protection From Abuse order against him. As part of those negotiations, Miccarelli admitted no wrongdoing.
The second woman, a Harrisburg consultant, charged Miccarelli with sexual assault.
Miccarelli admitted being in past consensual relationships with both women, but vehemently denied their claims and suggested instead they were vengeful lovers.
He came under intense pressure from everyone from the governor to his own Republican leaders in the House to resign. He instead held his ground, although he was stripped of his committee posts and had his desk moved farther away from Toohil on the House floor.
Then a funny thing happened.
Nothing.
The matter was referred to the Dauphin County District Attorney's Office, who for months said only that the case was under investigation.
Every week or so I would have a reporter check with the D.A.'s office out in Harrisburg and check on the status of the case. Always it was the same answer: The investigation is ongoing.
I was determined in this case to do one thing: I was not going to allow the D.A. to simply allow this to fade into oblivion. I was determined, if in fact no charges were going to be filed, to make sure the D.A. said that. I figured we owed Miccarelli at least that.
The election came and went. Miccarelli, after first vowing to seek re-election, had a change of heart and said he would leave the Legislature at the end of his term. The 162nd seat was won by a Democrat, Dave Delloso, who beat former Republican county Sheriff Mary Hopper. Miccarelli served out his term; hitting that 10-year threshold of service makes him eligible for lifetime health benefits for him and his family. He also gets his state pension.
Finally, four days before Christmas, Dauphin County District Attorney Fran Chardo indicated he was closing the investigation. No charges would be filed in the case.
The move was sparked at least in part because of an apparent change of heart on the part of the consultant, who no longer wanted the investigation to continue.
"The complainant has moved on with her life and does not want to see Miccarelli again in any context," the D.A.'s statement said.v
For his part, Miccarelli also issued a statement, saying through his spokesman Frank Keel, "Nick has maintained his innocence from the outset of this media-fueled ordeal. Because he is innocent, he always knew today's positive outcome would come to pass."
The second I posted Chardo's statement on social media and on DelcoTimes.com, the Internet exploded.
As you might expect, much of what was said reinforced the beliefs of Miccarelli supporters who backed the rep from Day One in his ordeal.
Many were not especially complimentary of me and the newspaper's coverage of the case.
One in particular hit home.
A Facebook post noted the story would likely wind up "on Page 21 of the Daily Times."
The truth is I could have done that if I had wanted to. I could have ignored the story altogether.
But it wouldn't be right. Or fair. To anyone involved in the story.
One of the things I always do in these instances is go back and look at the way we handled the story when it first broke.
Of course, that wasn't hard in this case. Or was a huge story that dominated state politics for awhile. But there are other cases when I don't always remember how we covered the case. If they were on Page One when they were charged, they are on Page One when the case is finally adjudicated.
Thus last Saturday's front page of the Daily Times, which once again featured Miccarelli's picture with a blaring "Case Closed" headline.
Most of those who pilloried both me and our coverage of the Miccarelli case maintained that the D.A.'s action "cleared" the former state rep.
I'm not so sure that is the case.
I don't know what happened between Nick Miccarelli and those women. I know - probably more than I ever wanted to - the details of both sides' version of events.
What I do know is this.
Nick Miccarelli was all over Page One when the women made their accusations.
He was back on Page One last Saturday when the D.A. closed the case.
I'm not sure that is justice - for anyone involved in this case.
I think Ray Donovan would understand.
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