Sunbury
JEFF BROOKS
Friday, June 27, 2008
newsinsidI respond to the June 17 Dispatch article "County to pay $500,000 in Somali's death."
I am outraged that tax dollars once again are being flushed down the drain by those in charge of Franklin County's pot of gold. The article clearly states that the deputy sheriffs involved in this incident did nothing ewrong.
They were ordered by a judge to bring this menacing individual, who was an obvious danger to everyone around him, to NetCare for psychiatric treatment.
He had refused to take the medication prescribed for him. Nasir Abdi earlier had been committed to an institution for treatment. A mental-health professional had to go back to court to get him reinstitutionalized at the request of his family because they were afraid of him.
Abdi, who was clearly not in his right mind, chose to stab at the deputies after being warned many times of what would happen. Unfortunately, he chose poorly in not taking his meds. He is clearly to blame for his own death. He was a ticking bomb waiting to explode and kill anyone around him.
And now, after the deputies were cleared of any wrongdoing by a grand jury, their peers and their supervisor, Sheriff Jim Karnes, Franklin County is going to open its coffers and give away $500,000. Clearly, this is poor judgment.
Wouldn't this money be better spent defending the suit? If the deputies did nothing wrong, then why not stand behind them? Or is there more to the story than what is being told? Is there some culpability on the part of Franklin County? Should the deputies have had Tasers at their disposal so that this individual could have been rendered harmless to himself and others? If so, then this $500,000 would be better spent on needed equipment and training.
Source: Sunbury , June 27, 2008