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| Young Man Paralyzed in Incident with Corrections Officer Faces Uncertain Future |
| By WISH |
| Published: 12/22/2003 |
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A week shy of his 19th birthday, Joe Roberts faces an uncertain future after being left a quadriplegic after an incident with a corrections officer at the Plainfield, Ind. Juvenile Correctional facility. The incident happened nearly a year ago, just a few days before Joe Roberts was to be released. Since being paralyzed, his parents have tried to negotiate some sort of settlement with the state. When that failed, they officially filed a lawsuit against the Indiana Department of Corrections. Not much has changed for Joe since being left paralyzed. "Every once in a while, I'll have a dream about being there but and remembering what happened. Then I'll wake up. I usually don't sleep that much," he said. The incident happened on December 26, 2002. Almost a year later, the Roberts family filed suit against the Indiana Department of Correction, Shawn James, the officer involved in the altercation, and six others. "Their lack of response, their lack of concern, their total lack of compassion for my son...it finally just put me on the defensive," said Jean Roberts, Joe's father. In legal paperwork filed by the Roberts' attorney, it stated Shawn James had at least one prior incident of alleged violence or inappropriate behavior while working at the Boys and Girls Clubs of Jeffersonville, Indiana. It went on to say that James did not reveal during his interview and application process that he had lost or been denied custody of his own child based upon alleged violence or inappropriate behavior. The lawsuit also claims that supervisors at the correctional facility were aware that James punched students and that James would give the students a "choice" of having the officer write up a minor violation as required or take a punch from the officer. The lawsuit says James admits to punching at least 20 students. In the meantime, Joe turns 19 this week. While his days are mostly spent in bed, he still hopes for the future. "I hope I'll be able to walk again and be able to do all the things that I used to do," he said. "I feel good to turn 19 but I didn't want it to be like this, so it's kind of hard." The former corrections officer Shawn James faces charges of aggravated battery and neglect of a dependent. His trial is now scheduled for late January of 2004. |
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