Support important in the face of assault on NY man with an intellectual disability

From PressConnects in Binghamton, N.Y.

OWEGO, N.Y. -- The developmentally disabled man allegedly assaulted last week in the Village of Owego is recuperating from the ordeal, officials said August 18.

"He's OK. He's initially shy and hesitant to talk about it," said John Crosby, area coordinator for the Special Olympics for Broome and Tioga counties. Crosby is a trainer for the alleged victim, who is a Special Olympics athlete.

Patrick D. Hayward is accused of attacking the victim on more than one occasion by shooting him in the torso with a BB gun, striking him with a tire iron, hitting him in the groin with a golf club and attempting to insert a bottle in his rectum, police said.

Hayward, 22, was charged with two felony counts of second-degree assault and several misdemeanors, including menacing, reckless endangerment, forcible touching, endangering the welfare of a mentally incompetent person and criminal possession of a weapon, police said. Hayward was arraigned in the Village of Owego court and sent to the Tioga County Jail in lieu of $25,000 cash bail, police said.

Following Hayward's arrest on August 16, the alleged victim was taken for medical treatment, Crosby said. He has bruising and marks from being hit with BB pellets, but is in otherwise good condition.

"We took him to the doctors just to be sure," Crosby said. "The doctor said he is OK."

For the past two days, and for the foreseeable future, a group of agencies and individuals will work with him to aid in his recovery, Crosby said.

"We've got him surrounded with people who are professionals, to help him talk through the issues," Crosby said.

Having the support will be important for recovery, said Nicole Weinstein, a spokeswoman for the New York State Office of Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities.

"We are grateful that not only does this gentleman have wonderful 'natural' supports from his family and friends, but the entire village and law enforcement officials are understanding and sensitive to his needs," she said.

Unfortunately, attacks against individuals with developmental disabilities aren't rare. According to a study provided by OMRDD, five million crimes against persons with developmental disabilities occur each year in the United States. The study also said those individuals have a 4 to 10 times higher risk of being crime victims and more than 70 percent of crimes against those with development disabilities go unreported to police.

Many perpetrators seek out those they can dominate, said Rose Garrity, executive director of A New Hope Center, an Owego crime victims' assistance organization.

"Obviously, people with developmental disabilities are vulnerable and easy targets," she said. "Unfortunately, there are people who prey on them."

Many developmentally disabled individuals are quick to trust strangers, Crosby said.

"They tend to be open," he said. "They tend to be trusting."

Those who deal with developmentally disabled individuals sometimes try to curb some their inclination to be so free with their trust and affection, Crosby said.

"You've got to throttle back on that openness," he said.

There are a variety of reasons why a perpetrator would attack someone with a developmental disability, Garrity said. Some just don't like different people, while others are simply looking for someone they can dominate.

"It gives them a sense of power," Garrity said. "It's the same dynamic as bullying, but in a more lethal form."

If an attack isn't reported, she said, the victim often will become the subject of another abusive episode. Typically, as the attacks continue, the level of abuse escalates.

"It becomes more frequent and it becomes more dangerous, more severe," she said.

In some instances, those who lash out at vulnerable victims are damaged psychologically and feel good about their actions, Garrity said.

"For some reason, some people get a kick out of frightening someone else," she said. "They get a rush out of it."