[nagdu] Man's dog in a McDonald's results in Taser use

[Linda Gwizdak]

Sounds like this man was in trouble for being an ass - the manager allowed 
him to order food and eat there. Then, I would imagine, most people leave a 
restaurant after they finished their meal (grin!).

I wonder if this man's problems with businesses is that he is obnoxious 
rather than the fact he has a service dog.

Linda and Landon
----- Original Message ----- 
From: <craig.borne at dot.gov>
To: <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Friday, May 29, 2009 10:24 AM
Subject: [nagdu] Man's dog in a McDonald's results in Taser use


> Man's dog in a McDonald's results in Taser use
>
>
>
> By SANDY CULLEN
>
> 608-252-6137
>
> May 27, 2009
>
>
>
> Madison police used pepper spray and a Taser on a Madison man who
> refused to leave a McDonald's restaurant Tuesday night after a manager
> questioned the
>
> man's identification of his dog as a service animal.
>
>
>
> Police spokesman Joel DeSpain said Stephen M. Bottila, 37, wanted to
> file a complaint with police against the manager of the McDonald's at
> 2402 S. Park
>
> St. because he felt his rights were being violated.
>
>
>
> DeSpain said the manager allowed Bottila to eat his food in the
> restaurant with the sleeping dog after Bottila told him it was a service
> animal, but then
>
> asked Bottila to leave.
>
>
>
> The manager called police around 8 p.m. and said he wanted to make sure
> the dog was a service animal and that he wanted Bottila removed from the
> restaurant,
>
> DeSpain said.
>
>
>
> DeSpain said officers attempted to get Bottila to leave and discuss his
> complaint with them outside the restaurant, but Bottila refused, then
> fought with
>
> three officers who tried to physically remove him.
>
>
>
> Bottila was being held Wednesday in Dane County Jail on tentative
> charges of trespassing, resisting police and disorderly conduct. His dog
> was taken to
>
> the Dane County Humane Society.
>
>
>
> Bottila has told the State Journal he has a seizure disorder for which
> his dog provides assistance, and he has previously had problems with
> employees of
>
> other businesses in the city and town of Madison recognizing his dog as
> a service animal, prompting training for officers in the town of Madison
> on the
>
> Americans with Disabilities Act.
>
>
>
> Under the Americans with Disabilities Act, representatives of a business
> may ask if an animal is a service animal or what tasks the animal has
> been trained
>
> to perform, but they cannot require special identification cards for the
> animal, or ask about a person's disability.
>
>
>
> Cynthia Wick of the city's Department of Civil Rights said Bottila filed
> a public accommodation complaint against Einstein Brothers Bagels in
> September
>
> 2007 for refusing access to a service animal. An investigator found
> probable cause to believe that discrimination on the basis of disability
> occurred,
>
> but a hearing on the matter never took place, Wick said. Additional
> information on the case was not immediately available.
>
>
>
> Madison Police Capt. Carl Gloede on Thursday denied a State Journal
> request for police reports of Tuesday's incident, saying it remained an
> active investigation
>
> requiring follow-up by district command staff, who review all arrests.
>
>
>
> Return to story
>
>
>
> madison.com
>
> is operated by Capital Newspapers, publishers of the Wisconsin State
> Journal, The Capital Times, Agri-View and Apartment Showcase. All
> contents Copyright
>
> (c)2009, Capital Newspapers. All rights reserved.
>
>
>
>
>
> Craig Borne, Esq.
>
> Manager, External Civil Rights Compliance Program
>
>
>
> National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
>
> Office of Civil Rights
>
> 1200 New Jersey Avenue, Southeast
>
> Room W43-321
>
> Washington, DC 20590
>
>
>
> Office : (202) 493-0627
>
> Fax: (202) 493-2990
>
> Email: craig.borne at dot.gov <mailto:craig.borne at dot.gov>
>
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