Veterans with PTSD on trial

Wounded Times

Kathie Costos

January 12, 2022

My head is exploding right now. Can any reporter explain to me why they manage to always report on a veteran with PTSD committing crimes, use it in the headline, yet do not notice they do not report on everyone else committing crimes when they have PTSD too?

Apparently veterans with PTSD are on trial but reporters fail to see we all are!

This is the headline the headline that caused a massive headache!

"Veteran with PTSD pleads guilty to killing 2 men in SC in 2017, lawyers say" and is on Stars and Stripes.

Family members for King and McNair spoke on Friday before Melton's sentencing "about the tragedy and loss of their sons," Campbell said.
Mental illness and drugs

Melton served in the military and was stationed in Iraq in 2004, developing Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) as a result of that experience, said his defense lawyer, Justin Kata of the Giese Law Firm in Columbia.

Kata said Melton was later diagnosed by a psychiatrist.

At the time of the killings, "he had PTSD symptoms and he was self-medicating," Kata said.

According to the National Center for PTSD, there are 15 million Americans joining the PTSD club every year but reporters will only cover veterans committing sucide and crimes.

Facts about How Common PTSD Is

The following statistics are based on the U.S. population: About 6 out of every 100 people (or 6% of the population) will have PTSD at some point in their lives. About 15 million adults have PTSD during a given year. This is only a small portion of those who have gone through a trauma. About 8 of every 100 women (or 8%) develop PTSD sometime in their lives compared with about 4 of every 100 men (or 4%). Learn more about women, trauma and PTSD

Let's look at the results of this. 

Veterans have a hard time finding jobs because employers remember reading about a veteran like this one. Because reporters do not cover all the other survivors with PTSD, they have no idea that PTSD does not make people dangerous or even get them to contemplate the simple fact that they have probably already hired a lot of good employees with PTSD unknowingly.

Veterans getting all the attention is a billion dollar industry because people care about veterans. While that is a good thing, we should consider why there are no massive fundraisers for everyone else with PTSD not getting the help we all need.

People in law enforcement, fire departments, emergency responders, medical, you name the occupation, are ignored. No one seems to care.

I was guilty of this too. I spent decades focused on veterans when few others were. I thought that since there were so many other people, they'd have enough help but I did not know no one in the media was putting it all together. It never even dawned on me that after surviving over 10 events, I had a rare form of it. It also didn't dawn on two therapists I saw over the years.

Do we take care of veterans properly? NO!

Do we take care of anyone in need to mental health care properly? NO!

Until we get reporters to cover all of us so that we know how many of us there are after surviving, we will not be able to focus on what is helpful to others, that can help us too. We will not be able to inspire hope to others suffering from something only we can understand. While we may not be able to fully understand the causes if we did not experience it, we can understand what it is doing to them, and they can understand what it has done to us.

Kathie Costos on Amazon

#BreakTheSilence and #TakeBackYourLife from #PTSD

To avoid hiring someone with PTSD because of the jobs they took to save lives, is reprehensible, as well as stupid.

UPDATE

Civilian woman with PTSD hired then fired because of PTSD

City of Fargo approves settlement agreement in discrimination suit filed by former firefighter

KFGO News
by Don Haney
Tuesday, January 14, 2020

He claimed in his federal lawsuit, his disability, post-traumatic stress disorder, was revealed during one of his appeals to the city and he was unable to find a permanent job after that information was made public.

Scott Kelsh Photo: KFGO News

FARGO, N.D. (KFGO) - A settlement agreement has been approved on a unanimous vote by the Fargo City Commission, awarding a former Fargo firefighter and state lawmaker $63,000 in a discrimination lawsuit.
read it here

Why are employers still avoiding the elephant in the room?

Facts seem to be missing in the decision to hire people known to have PTSD. In the case of Scott Kelsh, his PTSD was known, although not by his own decision. Yet, with over 7 million Americans with PTSD, companies do not know if the person they are interviewing...or already working for them, have PTSD or not.

To avoid hiring someone with PTSD is impossible. To avoid hiring someone with PTSD because of the jobs they took to save lives, is reprehensible, as well as stupid.

Imagine having someone who proved they know what hard work is. Imagine them being so mission focused they understood the ramifications of being distracted. Imagine turning someone like that away, to hire someone you assume is fine and then discover they have PTSD too.

Iraq veteran blamed PTSD for shooting at car and road rage?

Route 29 road rage driver gets three months in jail

Fauquier Now
By Don Del Rosso
Staff Journalist
December 19, 2019

Testifying Wednesday in circuit court for 15 minutes, Mr. Busicchia blamed his behavior on post-traumatic stress disorder, caused by military experiences in Iraq. Beginning in 2003, he served about 13 months in the country.

A Jeffersonton man will spend three months in jail for firing two gunshots from his car at a van near New Baltimore in June.

Damian Patrick Busicchia pleaded guilty Oct. 23 in Fauquier County Circuit Court to one felony count of firing a weapon from a vehicle — in exchange for dismissal of an identical gun charge and a felony hit-and-run count.

After a 35-minute hearing Wednesday afternoon in circuit court, Judge James E. Plowman sentenced Mr. Busicchia to seven years in prison, suspending all but three months.

Driving a black Audi A6, Mr. Busicchia cut off the driver of a van, according to investigators

The van driver gave him the finger. Mr. Busicchia, 39, then lowered his driver-side window and fired two shots, according to investigators. The bullets didn’t strike the van or other nearby vehicles.
read it here

PTSD and Courts

CLEVELAND, Ohio

(WOIO) - After more than a year of fighting for PTSD to be recognized for EMS crews like it already is for police and fire, a judge just ruled in the union’s favor.
So it went to a higher court, and Judge Michael Russo just ruled that mental health can be considered an injury, allowing Cleveland EMS workers to take paid leave in “certain qualifying events.”

ST LOUIS, Mo.

A St. Louis Army veteran who served in combat and suffers from PTSD said he is being forced out of his home for using prescribed medical marijuana.
Torrence Morris said his landlord is evicting him from The Tower at OPOP Apartments downtown. Morris said the situation started when he had a new neighbor move in next to him who started complaining about the smell of cannabis. He said he offered to start cooking edibles instead but said the neighbor was still upset about the situation.
Morris served active duty in the Army and later deployed to Iraq with the Missouri National Guard.

PTSD on Trial: Third wife of Iraq veteran sought justice

Life was like a 'horror film': Wife's tale of abuse puts tormented war veteran behind bars

Buffalo News
By Thomas J. Prohaska
March 24, 2019

Defense attorney Randy S. Margulis said Cody Tomaselli, a Texas native, joined the Army a few months after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. He spent 3½ years in Iraq and Germany and received the Army's Expert Combat Infantryman Badge. Margulis said his client suffers from severe PTSD, apparently stemming from his Army service, including infantry combat in the Iraq War's vicious Battle of Fallujah in 2004.

Cody Tomaselli joined the Army at 17, spent nearly four years in Iraq and Germany and had “dozens of kills” that left him with severe post-traumatic stress disorder.

But his claims that PTSD led him to three days of violence and threats against his wife last year did little to sway a judge to lessen his punishment. Tomaselli, 33, was sentenced last week to seven years in state prison for attempted kidnapping during a three-day ordeal that ended in the parking lot of a Niagara Falls elementary school.

Tomaselli is "dangerous and unstable," his wife, Nichole, said last week in Niagara County Integrated Domestic Violence Court.

"I'm asking for justice not only for myself but for the other women he was in relationships with," Nichole Tomaselli told State Supreme Court Justice John F. O'Donnell.

She is the third woman whose marriage to Iraq War veteran Cody Tomaselli allegedly ended in violence, but she's the first to see him convicted.

"It's my opinion that everyone who goes to war comes back with some form of PTSD," O'Donnell said. But he added that "millions of veterans" don't commit the crimes that Tomaselli did.

read more here

He is 100% disabled and was going to the VA. So how is it that he did not get enough help to keep three of his wives safe from his rage?

If you are not wondering how they go from putting their own lives on the line to save others...into abusing people they love, then you are missing the point. PTSD is on trial and so are we!

Texas executed Vietnam veteran with PTSD?

Texas death row inmate's son arrested for outburst during father's execution

The Chronicle
By Keri Blakinger
February 28, 2019

Billie Wayne Coble's son pounded on the execution chamber windows, cursing and shouting "no" as he watched his father die.

It was just after 6:20 p.m., and the 70-year-old triple killer was about to become the oldest Texan executed in the modern era of capital punishment.

The aging Vietnam veteran who murdered his in-laws in an apparent rash of vengeance offered a only a short final statement before he was pronounced dead, according to the Texas Department of Criminal

It was a dramatic and unexpected end to a decades-long saga.

Back in the summer of 1989, Coble was distraught over the disintegration of his third marriage when he kidnapped his estranged wife and killed her parents and brother before attempting to kill himself.

But the Waco man, now 70, had no priors and, as he racked up years of good behavior in prison, his attorneys argued that a pair of experts for the state got it wrong at trial when they offered testimony claiming he'd be a future danger even behind bars.

"That Coble will be executed on such discredited testimony is unconscionable," Brian Stull, an ACLU attorney who previously handled the case, wrote two days before the execution. "The example of his case already shows all who are willing to look why the death penalty is never justice, and why it should be abolished once and for all."

Raised in an orphanage, Coble went on to serve in Vietnam as a machine gunner involved in combat. Afterward, his sister said he came back "different," according to court records, and he was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress and bipolar disorder.
read more here

PTSD On Trial, Disabled Combat Veteran

Knox combat vet avoids jail time after PTSD-related shooting

Knoxville News Sentinel
Hayes Hickman
Feb. 8, 2019

"In my mind, I was trying to get rid of those rounds before one ended up in my head," Jones said. "But I never wanted to hurt anyone."

A disabled Army combat veteran will serve no jail time on charges stemming from a PTSD-related shooting incident at his North Knox County home as part of a plea agreement with prosecutors.

Casey Jones, 31, pleaded guilty to two misdemeanor counts of reckless endangerment in Knox County Felony Court on Thursday, assuring Judge Tony Stansberry he is seeking treatment for his struggles with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.

Jones initially was charged with four felony counts of reckless endangerment with a deadly weapon after firing two handguns into the bedroom ceiling and walls of his home Nov. 7.

One of those bullets went through a window and lodged behind the shutter of his neighbors' home across the street. No one was hurt.

The Purple Heart recipient previously told the News Sentinel he emptied the clips of both weapons in a desperate attempt to save himself during a suicidal episode.
read more here

PTSD on Trial: Louisiana Walmart

Attorney: Veteran who threatened to ‘shoot up’ a Walmart suffers from PTSD

Houma Today Louisiana
Dan Copp
January 19, 2019

An attorney representing man who was accused of threatening to “shoot up” a Thibodaux store last month said his client suffers from PTSD and is a decorated Army war veteran.

Louis Albarado, 68, Thibodaux, was charged with terrorizing following an incident at the Walmart at 410 North Canal Blvd., the Thibodaux Police Department said.

Shortly after 2:09 p.m. Dec. 23, the suspect entered the store and became irate after someone took his grocery cart while he wasn’t looking, police said.

Albarado then accused several customers of taking the cart and made threats about “shooting up the store,” police said.

The post-traumatic stress disorder his attorney says he is suffering from is a mental health condition that’s triggered by a terrifying event — either experiencing it or witnessing it, according to the mayoclinic.org website.

After management escorted Albarado out of the store, police were called to the scene and arrested him.

During questioning Albarado admitted he had planned to retrieve a gun from his vehicle and shoot the person who took his cart, police said. A search of the suspect’s vehicle led police to a loaded .44 magnum handgun.

Albarado’s attorney, Eric Santana, said there is a lot more to the story.

Santana said his client’s experiences in Vietnam have left him suffering from multiple mental health and physical issues and the VA hospital classifies him as “100 percent disabled.” Albarado is a decorated war veteran whose life has been thrust into chaos since his arrest, Santana said.

According to military records submitted by Santana, Albarado received a National Defense Service medal, a Vietnam Service medal, two Bronze Stars and other medals and commendations in the 1970s.
read more here

Veterans in other news

Iraq Vet Jailed For Angry Voicemails Will Remain Locked Up

KPBS News

Starting just after Thanksgiving, Eric Benson began leaving voicemails on the work line for his private psychiatrist, demanding medication and treatment for his anxiety. The psychiatrist terminated Benson from his practice.

Food Stamp Programs to Remain Available Through February for Troops, Vets

Military.com

In 2016, a total of more than 44 million low-income Americans received SNAP benefits, according to the Agriculture Department.The number of active-duty military households currently participating in SNAP has been difficult to track, but the most recent estimate by the Government Accounting Office in 2016 put the number at about 23,000.

‘Things are slipping’ as Coast Guard families brace for missed paychecks

Stars and Stripes 

“I have two teenagers and an 8-year-old. All I care about is just getting them fed and having gas to get to work so I can keep that paycheck,” said Murdock, 34. “It’s hard, because they know. The kids know about what’s going on. They ask for things and I have to tell them it’s too tight right now.”Petty Officer 1st Class Ron Murdock is one of roughly 41,000 Coast Guard members bracing for the partial government shutdown to continue through the weekend and to deny them paychecks on Tuesday.

Man convicted of selling fentanyl to veteran with PTSD

Kalamazoo man convicted of selling fentanyl to veteran with PTSD, causing his death

FOX 17 News
BY BOB BRENZING
NOVEMBER 29, 2018

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – A Kalamazoo man has been convicted in federal court for distributing the drug fentanyl to a veteran with PTSD, causing his death.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office announce that Deondray Abrams, 26, was convicted by a jury Wednesday evening after a two-day trial in the death of Brandon Demko. Abrams is scheduled to be sentenced on April 8 and faces life imprisonment due to prior convictions.

The U.S. Attorney says that Abrams sold fentanyl as heroin to Demko on March 21, 2017. Demko used the drug thinking it was heroin and lost consciousness. Responding officers from Kalamazoo DPS and Life EMS were not able to revive Demko and he died.

Demko was a Marine Corps veteran of Iraq and Afghanistan and suffered from severe post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
go here for more

Veterans in other news October 17, 2018

Ex-Marine to serve 18 years after attempt to run over Las Vegas pastor

A former Marine convicted of menacing his neighbors and attacking a Las Vegas pastor was ordered to serve up to 46 years behind bars on Tuesday. Walter Laak was found guilty but mentally ill in August after prosecutors argued that he knew his actions in September 2016 were illegal, while acknowledging that the Iraq War veteran suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder...He was acquitted of one count of assault with a deadly weapon. Laak, who served two tours of duty in Iraq, was accused of beating and attempting to run over a Las Vegas pastor with his vehicle, then driving to the victim’s home and firing multiple gunshots into it while the pastor’s wife and children were inside. It was the third serious crime for which Laak faced charges since his return from combat. He was given a general discharge in 2005. read more here

We’re Too Excited About MDMA’s Potential for Treating PTSD is the headline, however, it is far from new. They have been "researching" it since the 70's.

Read the rest of the article on SLATE here

Florida man rescued after clinging to capsized boat for nearly 20 hours says he prayed, 'called on the Father'

“A bigger wave came and it just filled the back of the boat up and it just went down,” Stills told FOX35. The grandfather and Vietnam War veteran grabbed onto the boat while his friend, 73-year-old Earnest Jones, ended up in the water with a lifejacket on. “Then he started drifting off and he told me to stay with the boat,” Stills told FOX35. read more here

An Army Veteran Wages War on Social-Media Disinformation

 The Wall Street Journal

Kris Goldsmith’s campaign to get Facebook Inc. to close fake accounts targeting U.S. veterans started with a simple search. He was seeking last year to gauge the popularity of the Facebook page for his employer, Vietnam Veterans of America. The first listing was an impostor account called “Vietnam Vets of America” that had stolen his group’s logo and had more than twice as many followers. Mr. Goldsmith, a 33-year-old Army veteran, sent Facebook what he thought was a straightforward request to take down the bogus page. 

At first, Facebook told him to try to work it out with the authors of the fake page, whom he was never able to track down. Then, after two months, Facebook deleted it. The experience launched him on a hunt for other suspicious Facebook pages that target military personnel and veterans by using patriotic messages and fomenting political divisions. It has become a full-time job. read more here

PTSD on Trial: Emmanuel Hernandez

Vet with PTSD not guilty of trying to murder police officers
The Jersey Journal
By Michaelangelo Conte
October 6, 2018

A West New York veteran with post-traumatic stress disorder was found not guilty of attempting to murder two police officers but convicted of lesser charges yesterday.

Michaelangelo Conte | The Jersey Journal

Emmanuel Hernandez, 28, showed no reaction to the verdict in which he was convicted of aggravated assault for firing a handgun at an officer and aggravated assault for running over a police officer's foot during the Feb. 5, 2017, incident.

He was also found guilty of eluding police in his vehicle, causing a risk of death or serious bodily injury and resisting arrest using force or the threat of force. He was additionally found guilty of unlawful possession of a weapon in the incident, which began at a QuickChek in North Bergen and ended after a 12-hour standoff with police at his 57th Street home.
read more here

Lawsuit: Sheriff fired Deputy because of PTSD?

Army veteran diagnosed with PTSD sues over firing from sheriff's office
NJ.com
Matt Gray
July 6, 2018

Several of John McMickle's co-workers at the Gloucester County Sheriff's Office visited the U.S. Army veteran as he mourned the death of a friend in February 2017.

While McMickle wasn't a drinker, he had several alcoholic beverages that night and ended up in the hospital.

The events of that evening would eventually lead to his firing, and McMickle has filed a suit claiming the county discriminated against him.

McMickle was honorably discharged in 2006 after serving six tours, according to attorney Kevin Costello, and suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder related to his service.

The veteran believes, according to the suit filed in Superior Court, that the county treated him unfairly based on his disability, rather than anything he actually did wrong.

Following his trip to the hospital, a health and welfare check was conducted "and no issues were identified." Despite that finding, McMickle's gun and ammunition were removed from his home, the suit states.
read more here

Couple heads to jail...after charity helped them?

I am not posting this whole thing...but it goes with the unintended theme of the day. YOU CAN'T MAKE THIS STUFF UP!

Utah military couple who won $10K in free groceries sent to jail for theft

Jeffrey D. Allred, Deseret NewsRetired U.S. Army Cpl. Nicholas Mannino and his wife, Stephanie, shop at the WinCo grocery store in South Salt Lake on Friday, Nov. 17, 2017. Mannino was given $10,000 for a year's worth of groceries at the store. They two were sentenced to 30 days in jail and three years' probation in connection with a theft at Kohl's.

 "Days before the couple was due in court in November for the charges, a group that helps military families who are struggling financially awarded the couple the grocery prize. The charity, Operation Homefront, said later it was saddened by the case and would consider the resolution in deciding whether to award the entire $10,000. Background checks weren't typically required when the parents of six were selected, the group has said."

Disabled Vietnam Veteran shocked to discover he was wanted...again!

Iowa prison escapee on lam for 37 years arrested in Arizona; wife says it's all a mistake
The Republic
Derek Hall
March 30, 2018

Fugitive arrested in Ariz. after 37 years on the lam

Virginia Cagley said her husband was found to be permanently disabled by Veterans Affairs in 2006 as the result of post-traumatic stress disorder. He has been treated by the VA since 2004, she said.
"He had to go to Phoenix and get a letter sent to the (VA) stating that Iowa no longer wanted him and there was no warrant," Virginia Cagley said.

PHOENIX — Is he still wanted — or not?

Days after the arrest of a fugitive who had escaped from a prison work detail in Iowa in 1981, an alternative narrative has emerged.

Charles Leroy Cagley, 68, was arrested by Prescott Valley Police Department detectives this week, soon after the FBI notified the department about Cagley's fugitive status.
read more here

PTSD "Prevention" on Trial but Judges MIA

PTSD "Prevention" on Trial
Combat PTSD Wounded Times
Kathie Costos
March 4, 2018

The military did a great job selling "resilience" training. Too bad it turned out that it did not work. As a matter of fact, it made seeking help an impossible dream. Who the hell would want to ask for help, especially a Marine, after hearing the training was intended to make them mentally tough enough?

That is exactly what this training did. Every member of the military has to take this training since 2009 and since then, while the number of enlisted personnel went down, the number of suicides were not reduced accordingly.

There was Sergeant Major's trail that is more of an indictment on this FUBAR than on him. 

Marine sentenced for hate crime at Iraqi restaurantBy: The Associated PressMarch 3, 2018
PORTLAND, Ore. — A highly decorated active-duty Marine who slammed a chair into the neck and shoulder of an employee at an Iraqi restaurant in Portland has been sentenced to five years of probation and $21,000 in fines.
The Oregonian/OregonLive reports Damien Rodriguez was charged with a hate crime and assault that could have put him in prison for a mandatory five years and 10 months.
But Rodriguez’s defense attorney presented evidence that Rodriguez suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder from witnessing soldiers die while in combat in Iraq.read more here

Is anyone paying attention to this? It keeps happening but no one with the power to end this deadly assault on our troops, will call for accountability!

It was predicted to have this outcome back in 2009! And it was predicted right here. 

So, now this Marine, has lost everything because no one stopped what should have never been pushed before they had any proof of what the results would be.

Who is accountable to this Marine?

Marine Corps sergeant major indicted on hate crime charges

Immediately following the incident, the 1st Marine Division removed Rodriguez from his position as the 1st Battalion, 11th Marines battalion sergeant major. "The 1st Marine Division will continue to assist the Portland District Attorney with this matter," Gainey said. "The Marine Corps does not tolerate disorderly conduct or bad behavior from its Marines or senior leaders and expects all Marines to uphold the highest of principles and ethical behavior, both on and off duty."

Who is accountable for any of them since this cause more harm to them than enemy bullets? 

Factor in all the younger veterans committing suicide, despite having been trained to be "resilient" and out of the combat zones. 

Factor in how they now have 400,000 charities to turn to for help. 

Factor in how they have Veterans Courts to get them the help they need.

Factor in the Suicide Prevention hotline.

Why would they continue to push this training when they could have easily accomplished the same result by giving them bean bags to fight with instead of bullets? 

The deadly outcome was predicted but no one listened. They are still not listening!

PTSD, Domestic Violence and Alaska?

Did Sarah Palin get her son help after the last time? If he went for help, and it did not work, then why didn't she use her celebrity image to scream about how our veterans are not getting the help they need? 

Aren't they fair questions considering that she was the Governor of Alaska, and as such, responsible for the National Guards.

During a January 2016 rally in support of President Trump, Sarah Palin suggested Track’s problems stemmed from post-traumatic stress disorder he developed after a military deployment in Iraq. 

“I can certainly relate with other families who feel these ramifications of some PTSD and some of the woundedness that our soldiers do return with,” the former governor said at the time.

That was almost two years ago.

Sarah Palin's oldest son, Track, arrested on domestic violence charges
Los Angeles Times
Matt Pearce
December 17, 2017

Track Palin is shown at the Republican National Convention in St. Paul, Minn., in September 2008. (Emmanuel Dunand / AFP/Getty Images)

Track Palin, the oldest son of former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, was arrested Saturday in Alaska on charges of domestic violence. It marks the second time he’s been arrested on suspicion of domestic violence in two years.

The charges seem to stem from an incident in his family’s hometown of Wasilla, though further details about what happened were not immediately available.

Palin, 28, was arraigned Sunday morning on three counts: felony burglary, misdemeanor reckless assault and misdemeanor criminal mischief for causing up to $500 in property damage, according to online court records. Each of the charges was related to domestic violence.

read more here

PTSD on Trial: Oceanside Iraq Veteran

PTSD on Trial:

Iraq war vet with PTSD gets 16 to life for killing his friend
San Diego Union Tribune
Teri Figueroa 
December 15, 2017

A former Marine who served two tours in Iraq was sentenced Thursday to 16 years to life in prison for stabbing a friend to death in the friend’s Oceanside home as the victim’s two toddlers slept.

An Iraq war veteran with PTSD was sentenced Thursday to 16 years to life in prison in the 2015 stabbing death of a friend in garage of the victim's Oceanside home. Inside, the victim’s two toddlers were asleep on a couch. (Teri Figueroa)

Last month, a North County jury convicted David Anthony Strouth, who has post-traumatic stress disorder, of second-degree murder for killing Brad Garner, 49, while the two were hanging out in Garner’s garage.

Strouth, who had started cutting himself, asked the neighbors and responding police to kill him, according to the prosecution’s filing.

Police found Strouth’s bloody K-bar knife — with the inscription Operation Iraqi Freedom — in the garage. 

At trial, Strouth testified that it had been self-defense, telling the jury that Garner had come at him with the knife, and they struggled, but Strouth won control of it.

Deputy District Attorney Patrick Espinoza said Friday he was pleased with the outcome of the case. He said in October that “the verdict demonstrated that PTSD may explain but does not excuse an unprovoked killing.”

read more here 

PTSD on Trial: Doctor Who Left Boating Victims

Medical board considers case of Poland doctor for leaving fatal crash scene

WFJM News
Mike Gauntner
November 13, 2017 

However, the defense argued that the court was duty-bound, and directed by law, to consider Dr. Yurich's military background and a diagnosis of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.

COLUMBUS, Ohio -

The Poland doctor convicted of leaving the scene of a 2015 fatal boating crash on Berlin Reservoir faces possible disciplinary action from the State Medical Board of Ohio.

Dr. Joseph Yurich was sentenced to ten days in jail in July after being convicted of vehicular homicide and leaving the scene of an accident.

Yurich's speedboat hit a fishing boat around midnight on May 9, 2015, on Berlin Lake. The man in the fishing boat, Neal Cuppett of Akron, died. Another man in Cuppett's boat was injured.

The state medical board has notified Yurich it intends to determine if the doctor will face discipline because of his conviction on the charge of leaving the scene of an accident.

As part of the sentence handed down by Mahoning County Common Pleas Court Judge John Durkin, Yurich was also placed on house arrest for 90 days with electronic monitoring, given five years of probation, and was ordered to perform 200 hours of community service at the Rescue Mission of the Mahoning Valley, performing medical services for those that need it. read more here

High Speed Chase Started at Joint Base Lewis McChord

Police: Wash. man who threatened 'Vegas-style assault' was driving 120 mph

KATU 2 News
Bob Heye
October 6, 2017

Authorities also said Bleavins "was suicidal, had a head injury and PTSD," the acronym for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Bleavins is retired from the US Army.

KELSO, Wash. — Police say a Washington man who led police on a high-speed chase down Interstate 5 Wednesday and threatened a "Vegas-style assault" was driving in excess of 120 miles per hour. The chase began around 4 p.m. at Joint Base Lewis-McChord military installation south of Tacoma and ended near Kelso.

According to court documents, military police at the base said 35-year-old Christopher Bleavins was "threatening a Vegas style assault" when he fled, almost hitting officers on his way out.

Cowlitz County Sheriff's deputies picked up the chase as it headed south on I-5 near Kelso, Bleavins' car dodging in and out of freeway traffic, sometimes slamming on its breaks in front of other drivers then speeding off again, according to authorities.
read more here