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

Wed Sep 21 17:27:25 UTC 2011

Ah, I didn't know about the law against impersonating a federal officer.
I think that is what I found most mind-blowing about the description of
the situation and the initial charge with which the security guard is
being charged. Granted, the legal part of the process is just beginning,
so the first charge for which the man is being sought will not exclude
other charges. Still! The number of laws broken before he got around to
laying hands on the woman is breathtaking... And troubling...

I do hope that she recovers physically and, if this is an issue for
her--psychologically. It does sound like she handled herself well and
appropriately. I could hope I would do as well under similar conditions.
Which is not to say I want to have to find out. Ugh! 

Let us hope the response of The Authorities is effective not only in
preventing this individual security guard from doing something like that
to anyone else but in perhaps decreasing the odds similar things will
happen again. We can hope. /smile/

Tami 

On Wed, 2011-09-21 at 10:44 -0400, Marion Gwizdala wrote: 
> 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. 
> > Point your media player to:
> > http://mojoradio.us/listen
> > or
> > www.mintfm.net
> >
> > 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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