When former Assemblyman Chris Norby was arrested earlier this month, for alleged domestic violence, he did not get a chance to tell his side of the story. And although he has since sent out a wistful email about the event he has as of yet still not shared what really happened prior to his arrest. That is about to change.
On December 17, 2013, Martha Norby hit Chris Norby in the left eye (photos above and below). These photos were taken by his old Oxy friend and attorney Alex Wallace who picked up Chris and took him for treatment with Alex’s friend Margaret McCabe, a 10-year Army Medic and Iraq War veteran. Concerned about ongoing light flashes, pain and blackening eye socket, Norby was taken on Christmas Eve day to an optometry clinic near Alex’s Lakewood home.
A medical report (pictured below) clearly attributes “spousal abuse” as the cause, and reports “massive bruising” and “floaters and flashes.” Chris declined when the doctor offered to send the police the report, not wanting family disruption, and hoping–obviously in vain–that he could continue with his increasingly violent and abusive wife. Chris has since seen two other doctors and continues to have pain and light flashes. On the day he was falsely charged, his wife had turned a garden hose on him, hitting again his left eye with a high-powered stream of water, increasing his pain yet again. His booking photo clearly showed that he could not fully open his left eye.
Martha’s behavior, sadly, is nothing new to those in the know. A couple of years ago, in 2010, a good friend of Chris was watching the Rose Bowl with him, in Norby’s garage. With about 3 minutes left to go the TV went black. Chris pushed on the power button, but then it went black again. Martha had grabbed the remote and kept turning the TV off., then she yelled at Norby’s friend to leave…”no more football!” Chris explained to Martha that there were only 3 minutes left in the game, and he asked her to turn it back on. She refused, then began swearing in Spanish (words beginning in “ch”). Then she threw the remote at Chris, breaking it. While he was on the floor trying to put it together, she yelled -“you hit me, I call the police!” Chris hadn’t laid a finger on her. And I don’t believe he ever did.
Should Chris have called the police when his wife threw the remote at him in front of his friend? Should he have done so when she damaged his eye just before Christmas or blasted his eye again last week? In hindsight, yes. But she got to the police first, with no evidence nor any witnesses.
Many in the community and even in her own family have witnessed Martha’s violent physical and verbal outbursts. Some of them are now stepping forward including our friend Tony Bushala, who never forgot what he saw that day while he was watching the Rose Bowl with his friend Chris.
Tony was the one who brought the murder of Kelly Thomas to light when he posted a picture of Thomas, as he lay dying in the hospital after he was beaten by Fullerton cops. Today Tony sent me the pictures in this post and I have a feeling that they will have as enormous an impact at the Thomas photo. They should put to rest the notion that Chris did anything to merit his arrest by the same Fullerton police department that murdered Thomas and got away with it.
It would appear that the FPD still has the same problem of leaking information about embarrassing, if unwarranted arrests of its political enemies so they can be tried in the media. This is an issue that the police chief, and City Council should be all over.
Oh, wait…
BTW, duct tape for an eye bandage?! Eye Caramba! Classic Norby.
Wait, Greg Diamond heard from a friend who heard from a friend that maybe somebody (he can’t say who) whispered to someone else and was overheard in a Denny’s parking lot that Mrs. Norby was a victim of spousal abuse. He did some digging On his own, in NO WAY on behalf of Sharron Quirk Silva) and exposing so…….. Norby must be bad!
I will never believe that Mr. Norby can be capable hurting anyone. This man is refined and polished. Mr. Norby is highly educated and worthy. He has served us the people and I have been well proud of him for a very long time. Maybe more than twenty years. When we first met it was over a good cause and his work will never be forgotten by many including myself. I doubt that his wife even understands who he is and what he has done for the people of this state and even others.
I have witnessed much but not all his good work for it is more numerous than I have power to calculate. I know I have heard him say that he loved this woman with all his heart and said it in more than one tongue. This at a public meeting attended by people from all over the state.
I support Mr. Chris Norby in this matter because I don’t believe that Chris could hurt a fly.
Women on the other hand are well known to create lies and seek the help of the police when they are merely mad and want the police to do their bidding as if they have a right to sic trouble when there is no threat of harm. This is not the first time the cops have overstepped their bounds for the madness of a woman who is the abuser herself. I believe Chris’s side of this story easily.
Furthermore, I have witnessed the abuse of the police powers firsthand. They can be unbelievable at times. Men don’t stand a chance sometimes. If that woman looks fine and Chris’s eye is all messed up then she is the one who should serve time. On the other hand there are some officials who may stand to profit by smearing dirt on a good man.
Mr. Norby I for one am very sorry to see this happen to you and still want to thank you for all you have done to better this and other communities in this state. You have gone well out of your way to help many. I applaud all your efforts and hope to see you back in action. And let me know if there is ever anything I can do to help out. I would be ever so glad to.
We should talk sometimes anyway just to catch up. My name is Ralph Cato and I live in Fresno, Ca.
Message me in F/B under my name.