A few weeks ago, my 23 yr old son had an opportunity to visit NY (lower manhattan) with a good friend . We are from a small town in Mn and my son was thrilled at a chance to visit NY. For the past year and a half, our son had suffered bouts of depression but he appeared to have snapped out of it. He called us and told us what a great time he was having skateboarding in NY.
When it came time to board the plane back to Mn with his friend, our son suddenly announced that he was staying in Ny . His friend, who was frantic, phoned us saying that our son had refused to go to the airport with him . He told us our son was not on any drugs . With only $10.00 in his pocket and no place to stay , he was now homeless and stranded in NY .
I called the Manhattan Police and was told that I had to file a missing person report from his state. The police up here told me that I couldn't file because he was an adult and wasn't abducted. I protested that I didn't think my son was in his right mind and he probably didn't realize that he was putting himself in harms way .
Not hearing from him. We started to make plans to fly to NY to look for him. Five days later we received a call from a public defender informing us that our son had been arrested and was in jail for punching a police office in the face near the Brooklyn Bridge. I was floored because my son had never been in a fight in life. He has never been in any trouble with the law in his life ( a perfectly spotless record) . It turns out they sent him to Riker's Island for a couple days and then he was transferred to Belleview Hospital where he was diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder. This disorder is described as feeling like you are dreaming while you are awake. Apparently he had had his first psychotic break while in NY.
He told us he hadn't slept or eaten in 4 days. It had been around 100 degrees in NY at the time. Our son told us that all of the cars seemed to be swerving and he thought he must be dreaming because cars don't move like that. He kicked a car bumper to see if it was real which cause the police to move in on him. He told us he still could not distinguish reality from non-reality . He punched an officer in the jaw. He was tackled and cuffed. His head was slammed against the side walk and he was beaten in the shoulders. When they brought him to jail, they pushed a gun into his face and said they should shoot him now to avoid all the paper work. He was put in Riker's for 2 days but transferred to Belleview because he made a comment about being in a dream when he hit the policeman.
Three doctors at Belleview have told us that he has the classic symptoms of schizo-affective disorder. Never the less, the DA has charged him with 2nd degree assault of a police officer and could go to prison. We have withdrawn our life savings to hire a criminal defense attorney (he had a public defender for the first week) . Nobody in NY seems care that the mentally ill can be sent to prison. They act like this is a normal occurrence. Where I live, this is unheard of. After we posted bail, our son was transferred to the civilian wing of Belleview. His court date is for September.
What is the worst that can happen? What is the best case scenario? What is most likely to happen?
Thank you so much .......
Mary
When it came time to board the plane back to Mn with his friend, our son suddenly announced that he was staying in Ny . His friend, who was frantic, phoned us saying that our son had refused to go to the airport with him . He told us our son was not on any drugs . With only $10.00 in his pocket and no place to stay , he was now homeless and stranded in NY .
I called the Manhattan Police and was told that I had to file a missing person report from his state. The police up here told me that I couldn't file because he was an adult and wasn't abducted. I protested that I didn't think my son was in his right mind and he probably didn't realize that he was putting himself in harms way .
Not hearing from him. We started to make plans to fly to NY to look for him. Five days later we received a call from a public defender informing us that our son had been arrested and was in jail for punching a police office in the face near the Brooklyn Bridge. I was floored because my son had never been in a fight in life. He has never been in any trouble with the law in his life ( a perfectly spotless record) . It turns out they sent him to Riker's Island for a couple days and then he was transferred to Belleview Hospital where he was diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder. This disorder is described as feeling like you are dreaming while you are awake. Apparently he had had his first psychotic break while in NY.
He told us he hadn't slept or eaten in 4 days. It had been around 100 degrees in NY at the time. Our son told us that all of the cars seemed to be swerving and he thought he must be dreaming because cars don't move like that. He kicked a car bumper to see if it was real which cause the police to move in on him. He told us he still could not distinguish reality from non-reality . He punched an officer in the jaw. He was tackled and cuffed. His head was slammed against the side walk and he was beaten in the shoulders. When they brought him to jail, they pushed a gun into his face and said they should shoot him now to avoid all the paper work. He was put in Riker's for 2 days but transferred to Belleview because he made a comment about being in a dream when he hit the policeman.
Three doctors at Belleview have told us that he has the classic symptoms of schizo-affective disorder. Never the less, the DA has charged him with 2nd degree assault of a police officer and could go to prison. We have withdrawn our life savings to hire a criminal defense attorney (he had a public defender for the first week) . Nobody in NY seems care that the mentally ill can be sent to prison. They act like this is a normal occurrence. Where I live, this is unheard of. After we posted bail, our son was transferred to the civilian wing of Belleview. His court date is for September.
What is the worst that can happen? What is the best case scenario? What is most likely to happen?
Thank you so much .......
Mary
