Beating victim takes the stand

View PDF | Print View
by: Guest Total views: 271 Word Count: 1627   

Dalton Christopher Brewer's lawsuit against Whitley County, the sheriff's office, Tony Ramey and Sheriff Lawrence Hodge continues Monday.

Brewer, of Corbin, was assaulted by Ramey, who claimed to be a deputy sheriff, on June 13, 2007.

Hodge is expected to take the witness stand Monday as the defense begins its case in London's federal court.Friday's session began with Brewer on the stand explaining what had happened on that Wednesday in June when he was assaulted.

Brewer started with the description of his purchase of a Glock pistol from Perry Ramey, Tony Ramey's son.

Sometime in late May of that year, Brewer said his neighbor, Russell Hibbard, had told him Perry Ramey had a gun for sale.

Brewer first turned Hibbard down but later decided to buy the gun, noting that he had a small collection of firearms.

So arrangements were made for Perry Ramey, Brewer and Hibbard to meet and make the purchase.

Perry told Brewer that the gun had been a gift from his father a Whitley County Sheriff's Deputy who got a new pistol every year, and had passed this particular gun on to Perry Ramey.

To make sure the pistol was not stolen the three young men took it to the Corbin police station to have it checked as being missing.

The police officer who ran the serial number told them it was okay.

When they went back to Brewer's home, his girlfriend wrote out a bill of sale and all three of the men signed it.

So, on that Wednesday, June 13, about 10 a.m., Brewer was napping on the couch and his girlfriend was painting a room in the back of the house.

A knock came at the door and Brewer answered it in his "sleeping pants" and a t-shirt.

He stepped onto the porch. He told the court it was Perry Ramey, who wanted the gun back.

Brewer said it would be alright, but he wanted the $300 back that he had paid for it.

He said Perry Ramey refused and "I told him he should pay for it."

He added to Perry, "I'll go inside to call the police."

He started to turn and Perry grabbed him and put him on the ground.

Brewer said he then spotted Tony Ramey coming from their vehicle with a gun in his hand.

Tony Ramey told him he was under arrest saying, "You're under arrest. You're under arrest," Brewer said.

Then, he added, "He hit me with the gun and knocked me out."

He said he awoke with blood on him and particularly in his eyes.

The next thing he knew, he was being dragged to the vehicle and got away, then Tony struck him in the back with his pistol.

"Tony said, 'I'm a deputy sheriff and you're resisting arrest.''' Brewer said.

"Tony was standing over me with a gun to the back of my head. He said he was going to kill me." Brewer added.

In the meantime Brewer's girlfriend had called 911.

Tony and Perry then attempted to drag Brewer to their vehicle when the police arrived.

Tony Ramey told the police Brewer was under arrest and Brewer was handcuffed and put in the police cruiser.

Eventually he was deemed by the Corbin police to be not under arrest and was taken to Baptist Regional Medical Center (BRMC).

At the hospital he was interviewed by Corbin Capt. Tim Helton and Whitley Deputy Davis.

He had sustained a head wound and six staples were used to close the wound.

His testimony continued as to his health. He said he had developed headaches, shakiness, vision problems, nausea, instability, depression, sleep trouble, nightmares, flashbacks, trouble eating and seizures.

"I was falling down a lot and was unsteady," a friend of his lent him a cane with help to maintain his stability, he said.

He also developed seizures and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

In the time between June 13, 2007 and the trial date he had seen physicians in Corbin, London, Lexington, Nashville, Hazard and the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Fla.

They included neurologists, psychologists, optometrists, opthamolotists, a neuro-psychologist pain managers and general practitioners.

He told his lawyer, Hal Friedman of Cooper and Friedman from Louisville, that by June 2008 he was having seizures and he was referred to BRMC's Trillium Center.

He described the seizures as all muscles tightening up, losing consciousness, sometimes urinating, having trouble walking and standing. After recovering consciousness his muscles feel bad and he is tired.

After admission to the Trillium Center, he was going outside the hospital to smoke pushing an IV pole when he caught the pole in an elevator and pulled the IV needle from his arm, a seizure came upon him.

Security guards came and he said he "freaked out pretty good."

He awoke in his bed with arm and leg restraints.

Later he signed himself out against medical advice and on his way home tried to jump from a moving truck.

When he got home he said he called a nurse at the hospital and told her he was going to kill himself.

He was picked up by an ambulance and was taken back to BRMC, from which he was eventually transferred to Appalachian Regional Hospital in Hazard, where he stayed for two days on suicide watch.

Other testimony came on his application for disability by the Social Security Administration's, Supplemental Security Income program. He said he collects about $450 a month.

Jane Winkler Dyche, lawyer for the defendants, began cross examination.

She began with a followup on he SSI program.

Jane Dyche asked about his deeding of some of his property to his grandmother in order to qualify for the program.

She then addressed how he could operate two businesses with employees with no salaries paid to the employees noted on his tax return.

He had gone to Louisiana following the Katrina hurricane disaster to install FEMA trailers and had hired several persons.

He wasn't sure about the lack of 1099s or other documentation of his payments.

That was solved after he left the stand and his father Billy Brewer testified that Chris had been hired by a company named Varna and paid Chris for his services, as well as paying the employees he was training to install the trailers. So that money was not listed on Chris's tax forms.

Jane Dyche turned to the amounts of medicine Chris Brewer was buying and the number of physicians who were prescribing it and the various pharmacies from which it was being bought.

She was particularly asking about the drug Suboxone, a treatment for opiate addiction. She noted that he had gotten monthly prescriptions for 28 of those tablets over about a year.

Now, he told her, he was only taking medicines for nausea, seizures and half a pain killer in the morning and another at night.

The session closed with a 15-minute testimony by Billy Brewer about Chris as a child and how he had to drive Chris where he needs to go because of his medical problems.

The trial continues Monday morning.



Local News

Brewer ordered $6.2M payment

Just after 9 p.m. Wednesday, a jury of six women and two men returned a verdict against Whitley County and Sheriff Lawrence Hodge ordering a $6.2 million award to Christopher Brewer.

November 11, 2010

Recanvas called for in two elections

Candidates have requested a vote recanvas in two races on ballots for the November general election.

November 11, 2010

Union College to rededicate Tribute Wall with new set of military soldiers

Union College will rededicate a new set of names of military soldiers for a Tribute Wall that stands inside the college's Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Gymnasium at 1:30 p.m. Friday.
The new additions to the wall will bear the names of over 300 men and women who serve or have served in the military.

November 11, 2010

Knox County School District to receive assistance

Knox County School District is among 13 Kentucky school districts that will receive assistance to help them achieve adequate yearly progress.

November 11, 2010

The Arena gets new management

Now that she's on board in an official capacity, Connie Hunt will "really dig into the events that have taken place already and see where the people are coming from," she said after she was appointed manager of the Arena at Corbin's commission meeting Monday.

November 9, 2010

Married couple found dead

A married couple was found dead in their Corbin home Tuesday of an apparent homicide-suicide, according to Corbin Police Chief David Campbell.

November 10, 2010

Smoke-free laws study information released Tuesday in press conference

A sign posted on the door of The Roasted Mug in downtown Barbourville asks customers to observe the coffee shop's no smoking policy.

November 10, 2010

Whitley man faces attempted murder indictment

A Whitley County man arrested in September after police said he shot at a passing car and caused it to crash has been indicted for criminal attempt to commit murder.

November 10, 2010

W'burg to get pump station upgrade

The Williamsburg City Council met for its last meeting of the year Monday night.

November 10, 2010

27 witnesses testify during investigation

Twenty-seven witnesses testified before the Whitley County special grand jury that was empanelled in June to investigate criminal wrongdoing by Whitley County Sheriff Lawrence Hodge.

November 9, 2010

Additional information:

Coping with the stress of Canine Seizures
Stress Causing Seizures Ask.com
Can anxiety fear stress cause seizures Anxiety
Stress -induced seizures Symptoms, Treatments and Resources for
Ask an Expert: Defining Stress Seizures
Stress and epilepsy Epilepsy Action
http://thetimestribune.com/loc...

Related "Stress":

• Taking stress out of the system
  Website of the Telegraph Media Group with breakin ...
• "Poppit Stress Buster" game
  I it is important when getting a life insurance q ...
• GardenCity-Life.com Calendar
  Our Times CoffeehouseAt 8 p.m. at the Ethical Hu ...
• Bre'Ana Flanagan makes her singing debut tonight
  Lotta Road's new sealcoat can be seen Friday nea ...
• Students Have GREAT Things to Say About SAT Prep Offered at Portland Pupils in ...
  Listen to what students are saying about the SAT ...

Comments

Add Comment