{"id":19419,"date":"2012-07-27T12:04:39","date_gmt":"2012-07-27T17:04:39","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/?p=19419"},"modified":"2012-07-27T13:48:53","modified_gmt":"2012-07-27T18:48:53","slug":"deaf-man-says-officials-gave-him-no-help","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/blog\/2012\/07\/27\/deaf-man-says-officials-gave-him-no-help\/","title":{"rendered":"Deaf Man Says Officials Gave Him no Help"},"content":{"rendered":"

Deaf Man Says Officials Gave Him no Help<\/strong><\/p>\n

By CAMERON LANGFORD<\/p>\n

July 24, 2012<\/p>\n

HOUSTON (CN) – After a neighbor punched a deaf man in the face, Harris
\nCounty prosecutors and constables refused to provide an interpreter to
\ntake his statement, but relied on his attacker’s story to decline to
\npress charges, the deaf man claims in Federal Court.<\/p>\n

Andrew Scofield, who is “completely deaf” and uses sign language, sued
\nthe Harris County District Attorney’s Office and Precinct 4 Constables
\nOffice, alleging disability discrimination.<\/p>\n

Scofield claims he was walking his dog on a leash with his children on
\nMay 5 when an unleashed dog owned his neighbor “Mr. Provost” charged
\nand lunged at them.<\/p>\n

“Mr. Scofield approached Mr. Provost and tried to use sign language to
\ncommunicate to Mr. Provost that his dog needed to be on a leash,” the
\ncomplaint states. “Instead of apologizing or even reasonably
\nresponding, Mr. Provost responded violently by brutally attacking Mr.
\nScofield, punching him in the face causing pain, injury, and profuse
\nbleeding.<\/p>\n

“Plaintiff Scofield called 911 via videophone relay to report his
\ninjuries and receive medical attention. EMT personnel arrived at the
\nscene and Mr. Scofield asked for an interpreter. He was not provided an
\ninterpreter.<\/p>\n

“When the police arrived on the scene, plaintiff once again asked for
\nan interpreter. He was not provided one, but instead plaintiff’s son
\nwas taken away without plaintiff’s knowledge or consent.<\/p>\n

“The son was a mere thirteen years old but was essentially asked to
\nprovide his own deaf father’s position and explanation of the incident.
\nIt is critical to note that the plaintiff’s son is also hard of
\nhearing, which compounded the problem.<\/p>\n

“The police refused to take statements from plaintiff and seemingly
\nmade a determination that the two men engaged in mutual combat, without
\nexamining or investigating Scofield’s narrative.<\/p>\n

“Upon information and belief, a statement was taken from Provost, and
\nbecause he was hearing, his statement was given full credibility and
\nreliability, without determining the veracity thereof. Plaintiff
\nScofield’s victimization essentially went ignored.”<\/p>\n

Scofield says a police photographer came to his house the next day, but
\nagain, without an interpreter to take his statement.<\/p>\n

“On or around May 7th, 2012 plaintiff and family contacted the Harris
\nCounty<\/p>\n

District Attorney’s Office. The Scofields were merely circulated back
\nand again to an intake specialist,” the complaint states.<\/p>\n

“Eventually the message was conveyed that if plaintiff Scofield wanted
\nto submit a report utilizing an interpreter, that it would need to be
\npaid by Mr. Scofield, the victim in this matter.<\/p>\n

“Plaintiff Scofield, through his attorney, made several attempts to
\nwork through law enforcement entities. Specifically, counsel wrote a
\nletter on June 4th to the Constable’s Office, Precinct Four, demanding
\na statement be taken by Mr. Scofield, with an interpreter, and a
\nrequest to prosecute Mr. Provost, the attacker.<\/p>\n

“These requests were rebuffed.”<\/p>\n

Determined to get justice, Scofield, through his attorney, sent the
\nDA’s office a letter on June 8, again requesting an interpreter, an
\ninvestigation and prosecution, according to the complaint.<\/p>\n

“In response, the District Attorney’s Office asserted that it would
\ntake a statement, but only at plaintiff Scofield’s personal expense,”
\nthe complaint states.<\/p>\n

Scofield seeks damages for Americans with Disabilities Act violations
\nand “a full investigation and prosecution of the attacker.”<\/p>\n

He is represented by Deborah Crain, of Stafford.<\/p>\n

Source:<\/p>\n

http:\/\/www.courthousenews.com\/2012\/07\/24\/48633.htm<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Deaf Man Says Officials Gave Him no Help By CAMERON LANGFORD July 24, 2012 HOUSTON (CN) – After a neighbor punched a deaf man in the face, Harris County prosecutors and constables refused to provide an interpreter to take his…<\/p>\n

Read more →<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_crdt_document":"","advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[2],"tags":[3472,14432,14431,24,1205,3772,14433,20,14434,17],"class_list":["post-19419","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-deaf-news","tag-americans-with-disabilities-act","tag-andrew-scofield","tag-cameron-langford","tag-deaf","tag-discrimination","tag-harris-county","tag-harris-county-district-attorneys-office","tag-houston","tag-precinct-4-constables-office","tag-texas"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p752R-53d","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":19597,"url":"https:\/\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/blog\/2012\/08\/13\/hearing-impaired-man-says-constables-failed-to-provide-interpreter\/","url_meta":{"origin":19419,"position":0},"title":"Hearing impaired man says constables failed to provide interpreter","author":"Grant Laird Jr","date":"August 13, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"Hearing impaired man says constables failed to provide interpreter 8\/9\/2012 By John Suayan, Galveston Bureau HOUSTON - A Spring man who is hearing impaired has filed suit against the Harris County District Attorney's Office and the Harris County Precinct 4 Constable's Office for failing to provide him with an interpreter.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "General"","block_context":{"text":"General","link":"https:\/\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/blog\/category\/deaf-news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":21523,"url":"https:\/\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/blog\/2013\/01\/22\/harris-co-gets-extension-for-response-to-hearing-impaired-mans-lawsuit-3\/","url_meta":{"origin":19419,"position":1},"title":"Harris Co. gets extension for response to hearing impaired man\u2019s lawsuit","author":"Grant Laird Jr","date":"January 22, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"Harris Co. gets extension for response to hearing impaired man\u2019s lawsuit January 21, 2013 By John Suayan, Galveston Bureau HOUSTON \u2013 A request to extend the deadline for an original answer to a Spring man\u2019s civil rights lawsuit has been granted. sign-language U.S. District Court Judge Gray H. 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I feel like I'm nothing,\" Andy Scofield said through a\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "General"","block_context":{"text":"General","link":"https:\/\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/blog\/category\/deaf-news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":24845,"url":"https:\/\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/blog\/2013\/10\/02\/harris-county-cert-recognized-for-work-with-deaf-and-hard-of-hearing-community\/","url_meta":{"origin":19419,"position":3},"title":"Harris County CERT recognized for work with deaf and hard of hearing community","author":"Grant Laird Jr","date":"October 2, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"Harris County CERT recognized for work with deaf and hard of hearing community September 25, 2013 By Community Reports The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) recognized the Harris County Citizen Corps\u2019 deaf and hard of hearing Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) program with an honorable mention in the 2013 Individual\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "General"","block_context":{"text":"General","link":"https:\/\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/blog\/category\/deaf-news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":10307,"url":"https:\/\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/blog\/2010\/04\/28\/deaf-conroe-man-indicted-on-capital-murder\/","url_meta":{"origin":19419,"position":4},"title":"Deaf Conroe man indicted on capital murder","author":"Grant Laird Jr","date":"April 28, 2010","format":false,"excerpt":"Deaf Conroe man indicted on capital murder By Nancy Flake April 24, 2010 While her deaf client has been indicted on a charge of capital murder in the stabbing death of his estranged wife, a Houston attorney said she doesn\u2019t believe that charge should stick because he \u201cdidn\u2019t mean to\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "General"","block_context":{"text":"General","link":"https:\/\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/blog\/category\/deaf-news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":24720,"url":"https:\/\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/blog\/2013\/09\/18\/harris-co-woman-alleges-deafness-led-to-firing\/","url_meta":{"origin":19419,"position":5},"title":"Harris Co. woman alleges deafness led to firing","author":"Grant Laird Jr","date":"September 18, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"Harris Co. woman alleges deafness led to firing August 29, 2013\u00a0 By JOHN SUAYAN, GALVESTON BUREAU HOUSTON \u2013 A Harris County woman has brought a lawsuit against Quality Christmas Trees Ltd. for allegedly terminating her because she is deaf. 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