“We’re Going to Disney World” State Senator Tells Disabled Son, Then Beats Him

By
Geoff Willis
– December 13, 2011Posted in: "The OC", accountability, Disabilities issues, Fresh Juice

.

.

.

Landing in jail during vacation is not my idea of a good time.  Beating your mentally disabled son and then telling police you don’t think its a crime makes me quickly lose sympathy for the accused.  54 year old Wyoming State Senator Bob Nicholas (R) was arrested In Boca Grande Florida earlier this week after he was seen “removing” his mentally disabled son from a restaraunt and then allegedly beat the 19 year old with closed fists, kicked him to the ground where he allegedly stomped on the poor boy five or six times.    http://www.wyomingnews.com/articles/2011/12/03/news/20local_12-03-11.txt

Someone watching the incident from inside the restaurant called the police who showed up at the elected officials hotel room about two hours later.A sergeant reported a small blood stain on a bedspread in the room and observed that the victim had redness and welts on his neck and a foot-sized abrasion to the skin around his left ribcage that appeared to have a shoelace pattern to it, the report says.  Nicholas was placed under arrest and transported to the Lee County Jail without incident. He was released Nov. 24 on a $20,000 bond.  Abuse of an elderly or disabled adult is a third-degree felony in Florida, and it carries a prison sentence of up to five years.  According to the Lee County Clerk’s Office, Nicholas is set for an arraignment on Dec. 27.

The truly sad part of the story was the statements of senator Nicholas which sounded a bit too much like Detroit Lion Ndamukong Suh in that neither understood that stomping the crap out of someone is just not right.  This is an instance of perception and reality being two very different things,” he said.  Nicholas’ son suffers from seizures and has a mental condition similar to autism, the report indicates.
Nicholas said his son became disruptive and combative during lunch. He said he was only trying to get his son out of the restaurant, and he described his response as “corporal punishment,” according to the sheriff’s report.

“Patrons at the restaurant obviously felt that I was being too physical with him and called law enforcement,” he said Friday. “Not knowing the circumstances, I may have done the same thing.”  Nicholas added that his son was “not harmed” after the altercation. His son was playing basketball shortly after with his cousins, he said.  Nicholas added that he fully cooperated with the investigation and will continue to do so.  “I accept I will have to explain my actions,” he said. “And if I was too strong with my son, I will address that as well.”

Uhm, corporal punishment is giving your three year old a smack on the behind to get him to stop throwing a tantrum, it is not punching and kicking your mentally disabled adult son until he is bruised and bleeding.  I wonder how many injuries Nicholas would have had to inflict on his some before he considered him “harmed?”  While Nicholas claims that he was trying to get his disruptive son out of the restaurant, the witness claims were all about the beating that allegedly took place outside of the restaurant.

Even more troubling is that Nicholas has this attitude while taking a position of leadership and supervision over disabled kids.  The biography he provided for his last campaign listed that he has served for more than 10 years as a board member on the Caring for Children Foundation and is a Special Olympics coach.  Not sure that I would want Senator Nicholas coaching disabled kids.


About Geoff Willis