Justice for Vinnie
Donation protected
I started this Go Fund Me account to help with my Nephews legal defense bills. My nephew Vinnie has Autism. He was born with multiple physical, mental and emotional challenges and life has not been easy for him or his family. On top of the challenges he was born with, when Vinnie was 16 years old, his mother Andrea died unexpectedly of a massive brain aneurysm at 42 years old. It was devastating, to say the least. In addition to Vinnie and his sister and brothers growing up without a mother, the stress of this loss caused him to develop insulin dependent diabetes, which he has been hospitalized for numerous times.
One thing that Vinnie does have, is a TON of family and friends who love and support him. And those of you who know him, you know that he also has a TON of LOVE and smiles and hugs to give! And he's always up for a chat and is a good listener.
Vinnie just turned 25, and his legal guardian is my brother Joe. Last year Vinnie was living in a group home, which in itself can be stressful being away from your home and in unfamiliar surroundings, especially when you have a very close family. Additionally, many of the residents are at a lower functioning level, which at times frustrates him even more. Vinnie knows right from wrong, but he doesn't always have the ability to control his emotions and doesn't have the capability to work through difficult situations like someone who is not autistic. He also doesn't have the capacity to fully comprehend the possible consequences of his actions.
At one point he was having a very difficult time coping with his situation, and he was supposed to be on 1:1 supervision, meaning a staff member was supposed to be with him at ALL times! Well this didn't happen, and sometime in the early morning, Vinnie went into the kitchen alone, and placed a notebook on the stove and turned on the electric burner. He also placed a fork and battery in the microwave and turned it on. There was minimal/no damage done, and no one was hurt, but Vinnie was arrested and charged with Attempted Arson, a felony.
He was sent to County Jail where he spent about a week until my brother bonded him out. He stayed home for a while working as a landscaper. At his first court date it was decided that he be released into my brothers care then he had to go upstate to a facility that was supposed to determine if he was "fit to stand trial".
He went to this facility for about a month and was declared “incompetent to stand trial” and returned home to live with his family until his next court date. Bail money had even been returned. We thought that was supposed to be a good thing. However, that is not the case. That means no trial in front of a jury of your peers. Your fate is left to the decision of ONE judge and the prosecutor. It's the luck of the draw. You could get a compassionate and understanding judge, or you could get someone who is not so understanding and compassionate. Same crime, different judge, completely different outcomes.
Since that time he has done EVERYTHING the court asked him to do. He returned home to my brothers custody. He has stayed out of trouble, staying with his family and even going to Church Youth group every week. He himself searched high and low for a job, which he finally found a great job with a great company, Precision Lawncare & Landscaping, Inc. and was even EMPLOYEE OF THE MONTH his first month there!!!
All Vinnie wants is to be "normal". And by normal I mean he wants the chance to have what most of us have. A girlfriend, a loving family, a job, a social life, friends, and even a car and drivers license one day!! It's NOT his fault that he has been made to face these challenges.
This all changed this past Monday, April 15, 2019 when Vinnie and his dad showed up at the Dutchess County Court house. My brother, who is Vinnie's LEGAL GUARDIAN, was NOT permitted to stand next to him, which he had been allowed to do in all of his other court appearances.
So, Vinnie stood alone in front of the judge, with NO IDEA what was happening. The judge said that he should have never been allowed to leave the facility upstate and shouldn't have been released on bond!! Why?! We have no idea! There was no explanation.
There were already 5 or 6 officers in the courtroom, so they handcuffed him, wouldn't let him talk to his father, and brought him to Dutchess County Jail with NO option for BOND!!! He was not NOT a flight risk. He has a job. He has a loving and supportive family and community. He doesn't understand what is happening.
My brother was told that there isn't even an offer on the table for a deal. No option for a lesser charge. At this time he is at Sunmount in Tupper Lake, NY where he is once again being evaluated to see if he is for to stand trial. He can be here for up to a year, and is facing 15 YEARS incarceration for this charge!
EVERY legal person we have spoken to, including a couple private attorneys we have consulted with, have said that this case should have NEVER gotten this FAR! Somewhere along the line, someone wasn't doing their job. They let Vinnie fall through the cracks of injustice!
Vinnie was never dealt a fair hand in life, and for this injustice to be served on top of that is completely unfair!! He has plenty of support at home to help him live a productive and positive life to the fullest of his ability. And he has the DESIRE and DRIVE to do so.
We are BEYOND blown away by this. Our family is DEVASTATED! We know that if you commit a crime you should have to pay your fit dues. But THIS PENALTY DOES NOT FIT THE CRIME!!!! 15 YEARS!!!! ! A person with autism and disabilities should be protected and helped by the system, not completely allowed to fall through the cracks of Injustice.
As you may or may not be aware, hiring any type of legal counsel is expensive, and when you are talking the possibility of a trial, it can easily run into the tens of THOUSANDS of dollars, even into six figures. If anyone can help Vinnie and his family by donating to his legal fund, we would greatly appreciate it. Anything Helps!!
Even if you can just please share this on your page to help spread awareness of how our system fails to protect people with #autism and #disabilities, we would really appreciate it.
Thank you for all of you that have read this and will hopefully share and make more of the public aware that people with disabilities need justice.
#autism #autismawareness #mentalhealth #ACLU #americanswithdisabilitiesact #americancivillibertiesunion #disability #disabilities #justiceforvinnie #bringvinniehome
One thing that Vinnie does have, is a TON of family and friends who love and support him. And those of you who know him, you know that he also has a TON of LOVE and smiles and hugs to give! And he's always up for a chat and is a good listener.
Vinnie just turned 25, and his legal guardian is my brother Joe. Last year Vinnie was living in a group home, which in itself can be stressful being away from your home and in unfamiliar surroundings, especially when you have a very close family. Additionally, many of the residents are at a lower functioning level, which at times frustrates him even more. Vinnie knows right from wrong, but he doesn't always have the ability to control his emotions and doesn't have the capability to work through difficult situations like someone who is not autistic. He also doesn't have the capacity to fully comprehend the possible consequences of his actions.
At one point he was having a very difficult time coping with his situation, and he was supposed to be on 1:1 supervision, meaning a staff member was supposed to be with him at ALL times! Well this didn't happen, and sometime in the early morning, Vinnie went into the kitchen alone, and placed a notebook on the stove and turned on the electric burner. He also placed a fork and battery in the microwave and turned it on. There was minimal/no damage done, and no one was hurt, but Vinnie was arrested and charged with Attempted Arson, a felony.
He was sent to County Jail where he spent about a week until my brother bonded him out. He stayed home for a while working as a landscaper. At his first court date it was decided that he be released into my brothers care then he had to go upstate to a facility that was supposed to determine if he was "fit to stand trial".
He went to this facility for about a month and was declared “incompetent to stand trial” and returned home to live with his family until his next court date. Bail money had even been returned. We thought that was supposed to be a good thing. However, that is not the case. That means no trial in front of a jury of your peers. Your fate is left to the decision of ONE judge and the prosecutor. It's the luck of the draw. You could get a compassionate and understanding judge, or you could get someone who is not so understanding and compassionate. Same crime, different judge, completely different outcomes.
Since that time he has done EVERYTHING the court asked him to do. He returned home to my brothers custody. He has stayed out of trouble, staying with his family and even going to Church Youth group every week. He himself searched high and low for a job, which he finally found a great job with a great company, Precision Lawncare & Landscaping, Inc. and was even EMPLOYEE OF THE MONTH his first month there!!!
All Vinnie wants is to be "normal". And by normal I mean he wants the chance to have what most of us have. A girlfriend, a loving family, a job, a social life, friends, and even a car and drivers license one day!! It's NOT his fault that he has been made to face these challenges.
This all changed this past Monday, April 15, 2019 when Vinnie and his dad showed up at the Dutchess County Court house. My brother, who is Vinnie's LEGAL GUARDIAN, was NOT permitted to stand next to him, which he had been allowed to do in all of his other court appearances.
So, Vinnie stood alone in front of the judge, with NO IDEA what was happening. The judge said that he should have never been allowed to leave the facility upstate and shouldn't have been released on bond!! Why?! We have no idea! There was no explanation.
There were already 5 or 6 officers in the courtroom, so they handcuffed him, wouldn't let him talk to his father, and brought him to Dutchess County Jail with NO option for BOND!!! He was not NOT a flight risk. He has a job. He has a loving and supportive family and community. He doesn't understand what is happening.
My brother was told that there isn't even an offer on the table for a deal. No option for a lesser charge. At this time he is at Sunmount in Tupper Lake, NY where he is once again being evaluated to see if he is for to stand trial. He can be here for up to a year, and is facing 15 YEARS incarceration for this charge!
EVERY legal person we have spoken to, including a couple private attorneys we have consulted with, have said that this case should have NEVER gotten this FAR! Somewhere along the line, someone wasn't doing their job. They let Vinnie fall through the cracks of injustice!
Vinnie was never dealt a fair hand in life, and for this injustice to be served on top of that is completely unfair!! He has plenty of support at home to help him live a productive and positive life to the fullest of his ability. And he has the DESIRE and DRIVE to do so.
We are BEYOND blown away by this. Our family is DEVASTATED! We know that if you commit a crime you should have to pay your fit dues. But THIS PENALTY DOES NOT FIT THE CRIME!!!! 15 YEARS!!!! ! A person with autism and disabilities should be protected and helped by the system, not completely allowed to fall through the cracks of Injustice.
As you may or may not be aware, hiring any type of legal counsel is expensive, and when you are talking the possibility of a trial, it can easily run into the tens of THOUSANDS of dollars, even into six figures. If anyone can help Vinnie and his family by donating to his legal fund, we would greatly appreciate it. Anything Helps!!
Even if you can just please share this on your page to help spread awareness of how our system fails to protect people with #autism and #disabilities, we would really appreciate it.
Thank you for all of you that have read this and will hopefully share and make more of the public aware that people with disabilities need justice.
#autism #autismawareness #mentalhealth #ACLU #americanswithdisabilitiesact #americancivillibertiesunion #disability #disabilities #justiceforvinnie #bringvinniehome
Organizer
Sherry Berry
Organizer
Myers Corner, NY
