THAT MUST HAVE BEEN ONE TOUGH PARAPLEGIC

Comments (0) By Michael Lacey Wednesday, Nov 4 1992

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Eagle Scout Hunter was still in the Bullhead City jail when this happened, and under oath he contradicted the police and confirmed the desperate paraplegic's final act in custody.

Once hospitalized, it took four months before West was released.
The attorney for Bullhead City actually argued to the judge that West's long hospital stay was his own fault because the cripple continued to smoke in bed against his doctor's advice.

West's other attorney, Jim Hill, made short work of this legal theory. His client, after all, not only suffered from an acute break in his leg but also "ecchymosis of his scrotum" and "decubitus of the sacrum."

In other words, said Hill, officers Roper and Brown had kicked the paraplegic in the groin and stomped his broken spine.

It took $66,000 in medical bills before Steve West could be returned to his wheelchair.

After such a staggering litany of abuse, I wondered how McGillicuddy would conclude his remarks to the judge. How do you explain such cold-blooded behavior? The answer is, you cannot.

The best you can do is sort out the lies from the truth. McGillicuddy finished by repeating West's comment after he had been knocked out of his wheelchair.

"Go ahead," West had told the cops. "Beat up a cripple."
Hearing once again West's pathetic taunt, Officer Ted Roper's face lit up the courtroom with a huge grin.

To be continued