Peter Grant Legal Fund
Donation protected
It is with great desperation and need for support that I am writing this. My dad, Peter Grant who is mentally and physically handicapped, has been living independently in Fort Bragg for a long time, but his health and mental state have been digressing. Many of you know that my dad had a life altering stroke in 2000, and has never fully recovered. His inability to navigate common logic and communicate has been getting him in trouble for the last few years. Well, just when we began to worry about him living alone during a world-wide epidemic, he got into some trouble. It has taken several days to piece together this story, due to zero cooperation from Mendocino County Sheriffs.
On April 6th, he went to his favorite public spot in Fort Bragg to look at the ocean. The story I got from the police officer who arrested him. Around 6pm, April 6th, Peter approached a man who was flying a drone (Drones are a sensitive subject for him, as he believes his neighbor has been flying a drone over into his property and "spying on him.") His brain injury has heightened his fear of things that he doesn't trust or understand, and causes an irrational response. When he saw the drone on the cliffs, it made him irrationally upset, and he decided to take the remote control away from the man flying his drone. When the man attempted to take the controller back from my father, (which I can imagine was quite the scene considering my dad only has use of one of his arms) a button was accidentally pushed, sending the blade of the drone into the man's hand. Having no communication skills, and not having the ability to assess the situation, my dad panicked and went home to his house, where he was arrested by the Fort Bragg Police Department at 6:30pm. The man who was "assaulted," is now pressing charges, as my dad awaits trial with no private lawyer or ability to verbally defend himself. His medications that include three anti-seizure medications (epilepsy) and blood pressure medications, (to prevent another stroke) were withheld from him for over 48 hours, landing him in the hospital today, furthering his time in jail.
Our family does our best to make sure my father is safe and has what he needs. It is difficult to tell someone with a brain injury that they need to act a certain way, or have respect for other people. My dad's brain injury has been a huge disadvantage to him for the last twenty-five years of his life, and has been a difficult for his family as well. We have bailed him out of jail, helped defend him in court, explained his speech disability to people around town, and somehow managed to keep him healthy on many anti-seizure and blood pressure medications. Taking care of him is a full time job.
I began to worry about him after not hearing back from him for a few days. With Corona virus spreading fear and panic amongst our communities, I was already very scared for him, as he is incredibly immunocompromised. When he did not answer his phone, his family was incredibly worried. We have written letters with emergency contact information, asked neighbors to alert us if he is in trouble, and yet no one was notified that he was being detained in Ukiah, without any of his medications that he cannot live without.
The legal system is brutal, especially for individuals who cannot advocate on their own behalf. Without the explanation of what really happened, he is being charged with a Felony of Robbery and Felony of Assault with a Deadly Weapon. His bail is $150k. He is awaiting arraignment, which was scheduled today, but was postponed because he was not given his blood pressure medications, and as a result was close to another stroke. He is now stable, back in jail, awaiting trial, during a vicious epidemic. The man who pressed charges will absolutely be asking him to pay big $$, and we are already looking into lawyers, but my dad has nothing to contribute to his own misfortune. I know that moving forward my father deserves to lose some of his independence if he cannot be respectful in public and follow the law. It breaks my heart to hear of him viewed as a dangerous criminal, because I know he is my loving father, that would never intentionally harm someone. His brain makes impulsive and frequently irrational decisions.
I am asking out of desperation and gratitude, only if this is something that people can afford to contribute to during a difficult time. This is so hard on us all, mentally, physically and financially. I said I would never start a go-fund me, as it is hard to ask others for help. This has been a rough ride, trying to take care of my parent, that often doesn't understand basic behavior. We are all doing our best, and if we can somehow raise any money to cover even an inch of his legal funds, our family would greatly appreciate it, to help get my dad home safely. Thank you for taking the time to read, and I send the deepest love to everyone as we wait patiently for this to resolve so that we can move forward and be together again.
Emily
On April 6th, he went to his favorite public spot in Fort Bragg to look at the ocean. The story I got from the police officer who arrested him. Around 6pm, April 6th, Peter approached a man who was flying a drone (Drones are a sensitive subject for him, as he believes his neighbor has been flying a drone over into his property and "spying on him.") His brain injury has heightened his fear of things that he doesn't trust or understand, and causes an irrational response. When he saw the drone on the cliffs, it made him irrationally upset, and he decided to take the remote control away from the man flying his drone. When the man attempted to take the controller back from my father, (which I can imagine was quite the scene considering my dad only has use of one of his arms) a button was accidentally pushed, sending the blade of the drone into the man's hand. Having no communication skills, and not having the ability to assess the situation, my dad panicked and went home to his house, where he was arrested by the Fort Bragg Police Department at 6:30pm. The man who was "assaulted," is now pressing charges, as my dad awaits trial with no private lawyer or ability to verbally defend himself. His medications that include three anti-seizure medications (epilepsy) and blood pressure medications, (to prevent another stroke) were withheld from him for over 48 hours, landing him in the hospital today, furthering his time in jail.
Our family does our best to make sure my father is safe and has what he needs. It is difficult to tell someone with a brain injury that they need to act a certain way, or have respect for other people. My dad's brain injury has been a huge disadvantage to him for the last twenty-five years of his life, and has been a difficult for his family as well. We have bailed him out of jail, helped defend him in court, explained his speech disability to people around town, and somehow managed to keep him healthy on many anti-seizure and blood pressure medications. Taking care of him is a full time job.
I began to worry about him after not hearing back from him for a few days. With Corona virus spreading fear and panic amongst our communities, I was already very scared for him, as he is incredibly immunocompromised. When he did not answer his phone, his family was incredibly worried. We have written letters with emergency contact information, asked neighbors to alert us if he is in trouble, and yet no one was notified that he was being detained in Ukiah, without any of his medications that he cannot live without.
The legal system is brutal, especially for individuals who cannot advocate on their own behalf. Without the explanation of what really happened, he is being charged with a Felony of Robbery and Felony of Assault with a Deadly Weapon. His bail is $150k. He is awaiting arraignment, which was scheduled today, but was postponed because he was not given his blood pressure medications, and as a result was close to another stroke. He is now stable, back in jail, awaiting trial, during a vicious epidemic. The man who pressed charges will absolutely be asking him to pay big $$, and we are already looking into lawyers, but my dad has nothing to contribute to his own misfortune. I know that moving forward my father deserves to lose some of his independence if he cannot be respectful in public and follow the law. It breaks my heart to hear of him viewed as a dangerous criminal, because I know he is my loving father, that would never intentionally harm someone. His brain makes impulsive and frequently irrational decisions.
I am asking out of desperation and gratitude, only if this is something that people can afford to contribute to during a difficult time. This is so hard on us all, mentally, physically and financially. I said I would never start a go-fund me, as it is hard to ask others for help. This has been a rough ride, trying to take care of my parent, that often doesn't understand basic behavior. We are all doing our best, and if we can somehow raise any money to cover even an inch of his legal funds, our family would greatly appreciate it, to help get my dad home safely. Thank you for taking the time to read, and I send the deepest love to everyone as we wait patiently for this to resolve so that we can move forward and be together again.
Emily
Organizer
Emily Elizabeth
Organizer
Rohnert Park, CA