Disabled Man Faces 6 Years for Defending Himself in Washington County...
author: Harve Fresnell
 e-mail: bennetfox@hotmail.com
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Washington County is prosecuting a disabled, functionally blind (albino), mentally ill, low income man for Assault II, just for defending himself against an attacker in the Winco parking lot on Cedar Hills in Beaverton.
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In Washington County, the DA's Office, in case number C071715CR, Brandon Todd Whitten (booking number 0709779)was indicted by grand jury on one count of Assault II (a Class C felony and a Measure 11 offense, carrying a minimum mandatory term of 5 years 10 months), today.
According to at least one eyewitness, Mr. Whitten was attacked at about 7:30 PM on the first of July near the bike racks in front of Winco Foods on Cedar Hills Boulevard in Beaverton, by a man who first may have tried to sell him drugs, then, barring that attempted to rob him, striking Mr. Whitten, then spitting on him and continuing to hit the defendant. At some point during the altercation, Mr. Whitten, who is functionally blind, defended himself by hitting his attacker with a small d-shaped bike lock. The attacker received only a slight wound to the head, was treated and released from a local hospital with a ticket, while Mr. Whitten received extensive cuts, scratches and bruises over much of his arms, as well a couple of minor head wounds and was arrested for his troubles and is currently being held on $250,000 bond. At the grand jury, yesterday, the witness physically closest to the attack who also called 911 (a friend of Mr. Whitten's who had gone with him to get waffle mix) was not called to testify (and was called a liar by the prosecutor), the arresting officer was also not called, but the "victim" (rather attacker) was.
Brandon Whitten, who is an albino, is functionally blind and sensitive to any amount of sunlight, on disability and dealing with mental illnesses such as severe anxiety and bi-polar disorder. He has no past history of violence, nor any prior criminal record.
For more information, call the Washington County Jail at (503) 846-6896 (M-F, 8:00 am to 4:00 pm) or (503) 846-6826 (weekends and evenings) for inmate information, or the Washington County District Attorney's Office at (503) 846-8671, or you can see Mr. Whitten's next appearance at 10:30 AM this morning, in Courtroom 202C at the Washington County Courthouse, just to sign his indictment from yesterday. You can also find him on the web at MySpace and LiveJournal as the user bennetfox and in Washington County on th web at  http://pswebpub.co.washington.or.us/jms/incustody/. Or, if you happen to physically be there, Pod 7 of the Washington County Jail in Hillsboro.
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