Do Not Hire Curtis Mertensmeyer | Living in the Scoot Utopia

Do Not Hire This Guy - Updated

20 June 2009 20 Comments

UPDATED JUNE 20, 2009

This post is intended for employers to find if they do a Google search on job applicants to find out more about them.
Meet Curtis Mertensmeyer. Curtis Mertensmeyer is a rich, pampered, spoiled brat from Mission Hills, KS who was driving drunk (at the not-even-yet-legal age of 20) and speeding at about 3am on May 11, 2008. He struck a pedestrian, 25-year-old Daniel L. Riemann, with so much force that is severed the victim’s legs. Curtis Mertensmeyer fled the scene, leaving the victim to die in the median. Shortly after Curtis Mertensmeyer abandoned his car and he and his 2 friends fled on foot.

Several days later the friends confessed and identified Curtis Mertensmeyer as the driver. Only after being fingered did Curtis Mertensmeyer plea guilty. He was sentenced to 5 years, but may be released in as little as 4 months.

Currently Curtis Mertensmeyer is suing his college fraternity, claiming that hazing caused post traumatic stress disorder and that is what led to his hit-and-run. Blaming others rather than accepting blame himself.

So, if you are considering hiring Curtis Mertensmeyer, I advise you move along to the next resumé in your pile. Otherwise you will be hiring someone with a proven track record of bad decision making skills, disregard for others, an unwillingness to accept responsibility for his actions, and being a person who will try to deflect blame upon others.

[Originally published Mar 13, 2009]

UPDATE:

Well, it happened. Jackson County Judge John M. Torrence, who apparently had already decided in advance that Curtis Mertensmeyer would only serve 120 days of his 5 year sentence, has indeed set him free despite the objections of the victim’s mother and virtually everyone in Kansas City.

One cannot help but suspect corruption and wonder if money or influence is behind such a light sentence for a crash so violent it severed the victim’s leg and left brain matter on the windshield. The judge instead took the Mertensmeyer approach by blaming the victim for also being intoxicated. (Hmm, wasn’t the victim the one who was abiding by the law by WALKING home?) The judge also blamed Mertensmeyer’s mother for helping her son avoid arrest, and didn’t think pampered little Curtis should bear responsibility for that aspect. (I’m sorry, isn’t he legally an adult?) The judge, and the local media, all also point out that Curtis Mertensmeyer admitted to his crimes. Yeah, only after his friends ratted him out and all the evidence pointed to him and he no longer had any choice. Way to go, Judge John M. Torrence. I hope this is your last term.

One other interesting question is why the Kansas City Star is so far silent on the issue, and why neither of their articles about Mertensmeyer’s release have allowed reader comments when every other article does. This bizarre decision by The Star is only forcing the discussion to take place in the comments secctions of totally unrelated articles.

NOTE: The discussion seems to have run its course, so I will be closing comments at noon on Saturday, July 11. If you have anything to add, do it before then!

20 Comments »

rubigimlet said:

Scooter J. Well done. While I realize this guy is a kid — there are plenty of kids his same age from less privileged backgrounds who a) wouldn’t have cried like a little bitch at the prospect of actually being punished for his crime b) would’ve been sent away for life after being convicted. Suing his frat for PTSD? I hope I’m never in the room when this d-bag inevitably bitches about the ‘victim culture’ of America’s working class and poor. And waiting a month to come clean? That’s reflects such a deep lack of character that it more closely resembles psychosis than simple moral bankruptcy. Thank you for posting this.

# 16 March 2009 at 11:25 am

kard said:

and he’s free.

http://www.kansascity.com/news/breaking_news/story/1260930.html

# 19 June 2009 at 1:29 pm

Mo Rage said:

Curtis Mertensmeyer and his mother and father are even bigger pieces of shit than I thought they were. it was one thing to have killed Daniel Reimann. That was horrific enough. Added to that, the leaving the scene of the accident. More horror. Then not turning himself in for 5 days, I mean, holy sh*t, how bad can he make this?

Then, for his parents to get the little prick off after serving only 120 days, I almost went ballistic.

Now, on top of this, his b*tch, attorney/mom no doubt came up with this brilliant idea of SUING HIS FRATERNITY, for God’s sake, because, hey, it must be SOMEONE ELSE’S FAULT, not little Curtie’s, right?

the little prick.

the spoiled, big fat, prick.

Him and his parents.

More reason to disdain rich people.

# 27 June 2009 at 6:33 pm

Speechless said:

I am speechless at this post. The boy’s life is already ruined, why make it even worse? He is not a threat to society and should be able to walk freely.

# 30 June 2009 at 6:08 pm

Ken said:

Here’s the article on NBC Action News’ site, Scoot. Nice job!

http://www.nbcactionnews.com/news/local/story/Mertensmeyer-s-Prison-Release-Sparks-New-Fury/hSztF0wgdU6PPjkmnB301w.cspx

As for your comment, Speechless…wow, really? I’m quite sure “hitting someone so hard with your car that their leg is severed from their body” coupled with “leaving the scene of a fatal hit and run” (not to mention “waiting five days to do the right thing and turn yourself in”) is basically the textbook definition of threat to society.

# 30 June 2009 at 6:22 pm

DVoss said:

I suggest that anyone outraged at this cowards release, should go out of their way to spread the link to this page anywhere they can.
Vote Jackson County Judge John M. Torrence out of office.

# 30 June 2009 at 6:30 pm

Scooter J in the News | KenThinks.com said:

[...] in the news again. This time around Scoot was interviewed by Chris Hernandez of NBC Action News for blogging his thoughts loud and clear on the early release of Curtis Mertensmeyer. Mertensmeyer was behind the wheel during a fatal hit [...]

# 30 June 2009 at 6:39 pm

Seeking Justice said:

What I really find interesting is that the Martsmeyer Mother and her daughter, a senior in high school, attended a welcoming party for college students who have been accepted at Tulane for the Fall 2009 semester. This happened in the Spring of 2009. What responsible parent would allow their next child to attend the same college that sponsored the faternity that “caused their son to suffer post tramautic stress disorder”. So either the Mother doesn’t care what happens to her other child OR SHE MADE UP THE STORY TO SAVE THE MURDERER from the appropiate punishment. It is this type of irresponsible parenting that caused that kid to go out of control, NOT the FRAT. When are parents going to wake up and realize that the earlier you make kids suffer the results of their actions(especially when the actions aren’t as terrible as this) the sooner they learn to act responsibly.

# 30 June 2009 at 10:57 pm

TRULY Speechless said:

Dear Speechless,

Let me tell you about when I was left speechless…
-Mother’s Day 2008, when I received the phone call that my friend Danny was KILLED.
-Danny’s funeral as I watched Danny’s family and friends (including myself) fall apart as we said good-bye to such an amazing person.
-Every time I think about the great times I shared with Danny, and how I want EVERYTHING to go back to my birthday in 2008, when I saw Danny alive for the last time, and just hug him and hold onto him.
…The day that I found out that the piece of trash, Curtis Mertensmeyer, would be released with such a ridiculous lack of punishment.

The decision made by Judge Torrence in this case was truly disgusting. We lost a great friend a little over a year ago, and the fact that his MURDERER (and THAT IS what he is) is already out of jail is appalling. Just as appalling is your opinion that this man’s life is “already ruined” His life is nowhere near as “ruined” as Daniel Riemann’s or the family and friends left behind to deal with the horrible loss. His life is nowhere near that ruined, nor will it ever be. So, I’m sorry if you are left “speechless” by people speaking up for Danny, someone who was silenced due to the actions of your precious little “ruined” Curtis Mertensmeyer. But since we can’t even count on our own justice system to stand up for the victims, then that leaves the victim’s friends, family and amazing advocates like Scooter J to pick up where our disgusting justice system left off.

Sincerely,
TRULY Speechless

# 30 June 2009 at 11:17 pm

KCcritic said:

This is just another example of the “JUST US” system, hard at work…
A car is considered a “deadly weapon,” when being operated by someone under the influence, even more so of a deadly weapon. In this case, it WAS a deadly weapon, it killed an innocent man.

The driver of the car (deadly weapon) was intoxicated, impaired etc. and willingly got behind the wheel of that car, and not only hit Daniel Riemann, but killed him and then fled the scene! He didn’t even render aid to him..
Curtis Mertensmyer got a slap on the wrist,.
Why isn’t his mom being charged for trying to help him evade police?

Theres a line we cannot cross as parents, in trying to protect our children. This is one of them.
Something tells me this probably isn’t the 1st time Mertensmeyer’s parents have bailed him out of trouble, I’m sure it won’t be the last.

# 1 July 2009 at 10:24 am

Beary said:

“I am speechless at this post. The boy’s life is already ruined, why make it even worse? He is not a threat to society and should be able to walk freely.”

Here is the thing Speechless, I could almost agree with you if he had done what a good person would have done in a tragic situation. Stay with the vehicle and take your punishment. Take responsibility for your actions.

What makes me completely speechless is that Curtis doesn’t have a chance in hell of ever being a normal if not good person. He was obviously spawned by Satan. As a parent you do anything you can to protect your children, but there comes a time and place where we all have to stand up and do the RIGHT thing. There is no excuse, there is no reason. He killed a man and did not own up to it until forced. What completely disgusts me is that it was his mothers idea. What about Danny’s mother, family, and friends? Who has done right by them? 120 Days is not nearly enough, not even close.

# 1 July 2009 at 10:45 am

Brian Rudyk said:

My son was struck and killed in Colorado by a hit-and-run driver who only twelve months earlier killed another pedestrian, a married man with two children. At present the law protects people like Mr. Mertensmeyer and the man responsible for my boy’s death at the expense of you and your family.
In three states hit-and-run is a misdemeanor, like public intoxication or petty theft.
To change these laws please visit my son’s website,
rememberingpeter.info, and add your comment to those of others who want themselves and their loved ones protected from drivers like Mr. Mertensmeyer.
I would like to add my sincerest condolences to the Riemann family.

# 1 July 2009 at 11:53 am

StaceyK said:

When I was 5 a man decided to get drunk and then drive home. Sometime between the bar and home he killed my father. My mother was left as a 26 year old widow with a 5 year old and a newborn. I don’t remember a lot about that time, but I do remember her fear, stress and sadness. I have a few memories of my birth father. My brother never really got to meet him.

Speechless? I’m speechless that you would consider it too much for him to pay for his crime. A few days in jail is NOT payment for it. I know people who did a couple of YEARS for pirating videos. How does that compare to taking a life? According to the judge it must be a worse crime because murder only warrants a few months. This boy was old enough to choose to drink and choose to get in the car. He set up the situation to kill someone. Nobody did that for him. He destroyed his own life and people shouldn’t just give him a pass because he’s young.

I hope that he spends his life begging for work because employers don’t want his caliber of person at their business. Money bought his freedom, I hope it can’t buy his life back.

# 1 July 2009 at 12:15 pm

rascalpants said:

Nice Posting Scoot…

While I do believe in forgiveness and giving a person a second chance, in this case for an adult to have hidden from his crime, a family to accuse someone else for his negligence, and for a judge to so blatantly misrepresented the justice system… it is unforgivable.

But I am sure Curtis doesn’t even need to work since his parents still clean up after him… so I probably will not be finding his resume on my desk any time soon.

# 1 July 2009 at 12:32 pm

KC Cookie Lady said:

Words fail me as my disgust at the judicial system on this one. I am with some of the posters that he probably won’t have to work because mommy and daddy will bail his @$$ out every time.

The one thing the family can count on is that this low life will have to answer to the Holy Father when his time comes.

My sympathies to the family of Daniel Reimann (I hope I spelled it correctly). I know what it is like to lose someone to a horrible death. A cousin of mine was murdered and even more than 25 years later, they still have not been able to find the killers.

# 1 July 2009 at 1:01 pm

speechless2 said:

its really a shame that people believe everything they hear and read in the news. the media is extremely biased and one-sided in all cases, the public should take everything they hear and read with a grain of salt.

# 2 July 2009 at 10:10 am

Beary said:

So you must be the same type of irresponsible crap that would wait 4 days to admit that you RAN someone down, while you were underage, drunk, and speeding in the middle of night! As far as I know those are the facts. If you believe or know it to be different maybe you should shed some light on the subject.

# 2 July 2009 at 2:56 pm

Wow said:

I still cannot get over how Judge Torrence thinks that this sentence is, in any way, appropriate.

Curtis is out now and even allowed to drive!

Perhaps the next time he kills someone while driving drunk his sentence will be more severe.

I certainly hope that his mom has to face the consequences of attempting to help her son hide from his actions.

# 6 July 2009 at 12:34 pm

Cedric said:

This is directed to all of you here who have posted: I personally know Curtis, and can vouch that he is NOT the bad person that you all ASSUME that he is. The media is a diluted system that colors a situation in any way they see fit, and yes, he did do a terrible thing, but mind you the victim was also intoxicated and walking in the street at 3 AM. You all think you know the person, but your ONLY encounter with him is through print on a newspaper or text on some online article. In other words, you know NOTHING. You dare judge someone for driving drunk when the majority of us all have dumb the exact or similar things in the past. I’m not defending his actions, but I’m defending someone who I genuinely know to be a nice and caring and protective person who is caught up in a bad situation. It is a sad thing that happened, but don’t place every person inside the same molds created by the media.

# 6 July 2009 at 10:02 pm

ScooterJ (author) said:

I’m not judging him for driving drunk. I’m not even judging him for the wreck or for killing a person.

I’m judging him because a “nice and caring and protective person” would have called 911 and owned up to what he did. Would Daniel have survived? Probably not. But Curtis is not a doctor and could not make that judgement.

Had he called 911 and owned up to what he did, this would still be a terrible tragedy but for Curtis it would have been a case of a good person making a terrible mistake. In time he would be forgiven, probably even by Daniel’s family.

Instead, this “nice and caring and protective person” fled the scene and called no one, leaving Daniel 0% chance of being found in time if there was any hope at all of him surviving. His mother looked for ways to keep him out of trouble, and together the two of them went on a campaign of blaiming everyone they could EXCEPT Curtis. Suing the fraternity???? Come on!!!!

What is with the Curtis apologists and their “blame the victim” mentality. Daniel was of legal age and was legally allowed to drink. Daniel was doing THE RIGHT THING by WALKING home. He was CROSSING as street at an intersection, not lying out in the middle of the road in the shadows.

You all need to stop blaming the victim. The victim was doing what he was supposed to do in his situation. Curstis, however, did not do ojne single thing right that day. And his refusal to accept blame and his insistence on blaming others is exactly why he fully deserves public scorn.

# 7 July 2009 at 5:50 pm