[nagdu] Social Security guard faces arrest in fracas over guide dog

Wed Sep 21 14:44:01 UTC 2011

It is also interesting that he stated he was a federal officer. He may also 
face charges of impersonating a federal law enforcement officer, a third 
degree felony.

Fraternally yours,
Marion Gwizdala

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Shannon Dyer" <solsticesinger at gmail.com>
To: "NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users" 
<nagdu at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Wednesday, September 21, 2011 10:05 AM
Subject: Re: [nagdu] Social Security guard faces arrest in fracas over guide 
dog

> He was following orders? Hmmm. I wonder what orders those might have been, 
> as service animals are most definitely allowed in social security offices. 
> It sounds like this man was on a power trip of some kind, and didn't like 
> it that she didn't "obey him".
>
> Shannon and Caroline
> Are you a fan of women's music? If so, join me each Thursday from noon 
> until three for the Eclectic Collection: a Celebration of Women In Music. 
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> On Sep 21, 2011, at 9:53 AM, Ginger Kutsch wrote:
>
>> Social Security guard faces arrest in fracas over guide dog
>>
>> By David Ibata
>>
>> The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
>>
>> http://www.ajc.com/news/social-security-guard-faces-1185244.html
>>
>> Melissa McMann, who is visually impaired, recalls minor incidents in 
>> which
>> people challenged her about her guide dog, but nothing like what happened
>> last week with a security guard at a Social Security Administration 
>> office
>> in Winder.
>>
>>
>>
>> "Usually, once we educate people and explain the purpose of the dog, 
>> that's
>> all it takes to get people to understand why the dog is there and he's 
>> not
>> just a regular, run-of-the-mill dog," the Winder resident said of Hurbie,
>> her 5-year-old yellow Labrador.
>>
>>
>>
>> "We have never run into an incident like this where it escalated so
>> quickly," she said in a telephone interview with the AJC. "My arm is 
>> still
>> bruised, and I still have pain to my shoulder, but otherwise I'm doing 
>> OK."
>>
>>
>>
>> The guard, Leroy Huff, faces a charge of simple battery after he 
>> allegedly
>> grabbed the 38-year-old McMann and tried to remove her from the office.
>>
>>
>>
>> The Athens man told Channel 2 Action News on Tuesday that he was aware a
>> warrant was pending for his arrest and would turn himself in. He said he 
>> was
>> following orders and his training, but did not want to comment further
>> because of the continuing investigation.
>>
>>
>>
>> Efforts were being made to reach a spokesman for Huff's employer, Paragon
>> Security Services. Paragon provides contract security to the Federal
>> Protective Service of the Department of Homeland Security.
>>
>>
>>
>> Patti Patterson, regional spokeswoman for the Social Security
>> Administration, told Channel 2 in an email, "Service animals are allowed 
>> in
>> Social Security field offices. We have apologized to Ms. McMann for the
>> unfortunate incident that occurred with the contract security guard in 
>> our
>> Winder field office."
>>
>>
>>
>> The matter has been referred to the Federal Protective Service "for
>> appropriate action," Patterson said.
>>
>>
>>
>> The incident began Thursday afternoon when McMann and her husband,
>> Christopher, went to the Social Security office at 37 S. Center St. to
>> complete some paperwork for their youngest daughter, who they adopted 
>> from
>> Thailand.
>>
>>
>>
>> According to a Winder Police Department report, as the couple was seated
>> waiting to be called, Huff, an armed security guard, came up and told 
>> them
>> dogs were not allowed in the facility.
>>
>>
>>
>> When the couple explained that the Labrador was a service dog and legally
>> allowed to there, the officer demanded to see papers to prove it - even
>> though the dog had a guide harness and a sign attached to the harness
>> stating it was "a working dog for the blind," the police report said.
>>
>>
>>
>> The McManns said they did not have such paperwork and continued to 
>> protest
>> that the dog was a permitted animal. At this point, the police report 
>> says,
>> Huff "proceeded to grab (the woman) and attempted to forcefully remove 
>> her
>> from the building." The husband objected and called the police on his 
>> cell
>> phone.
>>
>>
>>
>> Huff told a Winder police officer that the woman had failed to obey him. 
>> He
>> admitted she had not tried to resist him physically. When asked why he 
>> did
>> not call the police, "Huff informed me that he did not have to call the
>> police. He told me he was a federal officer and was not required to 
>> involve
>> the police," the officer wrote in his report.
>>
>>
>>
>> The officer contacted Paragon, which referred him to the Federal 
>> Protective
>> Service. An official there said Huff was not a federal officer and in 
>> this
>> situation should have called Winder police, his supervisor or the federal
>> agency.
>>
>>
>>
>> The McManns, meanwhile, went to their primary care physician and then to 
>> a
>> hospital emergency room, where a doctor treated her for a bruised right 
>> arm
>> and determined her shoulder may have been dislocated, police said.
>>
>>
>>
>> Melissa McMann said she has retinitis pigmentosa or RP, a condition that 
>> has
>> left her with little functional sight. Hurbie is her second service dog;
>> she's had the animals for 10 years. They're trained by the Florida-based
>> Southeastern Guide Dogs.
>>
>>
>>
>> "It was something we were not expecting, especially in a federal 
>> building,"
>> she said. "It was a frightening incident, and obviously we feel (Huff) 
>> went
>> too far.
>>
>>
>>
>> "All that we're looking for at this point is for the security company 
>> that
>> has the contract with Social Security to understand the importance of
>> educating all of the people that work for them as to the laws regarding
>> service dogs and also with regard to not placing their hands on people - 
>> you
>> just can't go placing your hands on people."
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
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