[nfbwatlk] Deputies Throw Paralyzed Man From His Wheelchair

[Carl Jarvis]

When George Bush the First signed the ADA into law, it was on the back of 
his slogan, "A kinder, gentler society".
Wonder where we made the wrong turn?
Carl Jarvis

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Lauren Merryfield" <lauren1 at catliness.com>
To: "Lauren Merryfield" <lauren1 at catliness.com>
Cc: "NFB of Washington Talk Mailing List" <nfbwatlk at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Friday, February 15, 2008 10:55 PM
Subject: [nfbwatlk] Deputies Throw Paralyzed Man From His Wheelchair


Deputies Throw Paralyzed Man From His Wheelchair

Four Hillsborough deputies were suspended -- one without pay -- for dumping 
Brian Sterner, a quadriplegic man, out of his wheelchair.

Click on "comments" below to read or post comments

Tampa Florida - The Hillsborough Co. Sheriff's Office held a press 
conference at 10:30am regarding the deputy who can be seen on video dumping 
a man in
a wheelchair onto the ground.

They've announced that Deputy Charlette Jones has been relieved of her 
duties without pay pending the outcome of an investigation. She has not 
officially
been terminated.

Jones has been employed by the Hillsborough Co. Sheriff's Office since 1996.

Chief Deputy Joe Docobo watched the video for the first time last night and 
said he found himself in "disgust" and was "appalled at every level."

Docobo also announced that two corporals and a sergeant involved are now on 
administrative leave with pay, and the jail supervisor on duty did not have
knowledge of the incident.

Brian Sterner broke his neck almost 14 years ago and is a quadriplegic.

Sterner, who can drive, was arrested on a traffic violation. When he was 
booked into the Orient Road Jail last month, Sterner couldn't believe what 
happened.

He says a deputy looked at him and didn't believe he was a quadriplegic. She 
walked behind him, took the handles on the back of the hospital-grade wheel
chair and dumped it forward.

Sterner says he tried to roll as he was going down, but hit so hard he 
thought he had broken two ribs. Then, while he was on the floor, deputies 
frisked
him and tried to get him back into the chair.

Sterner says he told them how to pick him up and put him back into the 
chair, but because he can't feel anything from his breastbone down, he says 
he was
injured and didn't know it. Sterner thought he had broken two ribs, but jail 
x-rays showed that wasn't true.

The Hillsborough Sheriff's Office didn't know anything about the incident 
until we showed them their own tape. Now an investigation is underway.

J.D. Calloway, a spokesman for the Sheriff's Office, says this has all come 
to light today, so this review is very active.

While we tried to get a written report about the incident, the major who 
runs the Orient Road Jail told us there is no incident report, because as 
far
as they are concerned, they didn't have a problem with, or cause a problem 
to, an inmate in a wheelchair.

But don't tell that to Brian Sterner.

Sterner says it's incredibly degrading and it's an example of how poorly 
trained the Hillsborough Sheriff's Office is. He adds, if they're trying to 
figure
out if somebody needs to be in a wheelchair or not, there are many other 
ways to do it than to dump somebody on their face.

Chief Deputy Joe Docobo added at the press conference this morning, the 
sheriff's office will now try to "make things right for this gentleman."


"I like what Mark Twain said,  "A fellow who picks a cat up by the tail gets 
a hundred times as much information as one who's never done it."
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