Superior, Montana (WBAP/KLIF) – A Montana man charged with slamming a 13-year-old boy to the ground fracturing his skull for refusing to remove his hat during the national anthem, believed he was doing what President Trump wanted him to do.
The lawyer for 39-year old Curt Brockway told ‘The Missoulian’ that his client had convinced himse
lf that he was following the president’s orders because the child was “disrespecting the anthem.”
Brockway, a US Army veteran suffered a traumatic brain injury in a car crash in 2000 which affected his decision making is expected to undergo a mental health evaluation.
The Saturday incident at the rodeo in western Montana left the boy bleeding out of his ears and seizing on the ground. He was hospitalized but has since been released.
According to the arrest record, Brockway told a deputy he asked the boy to take off his hat out of respect for the national anthem. It says that when the boy cursed at him, Brockway grabbed the boy by the throat, lifted him into the air and slammed him to the ground.
Attorney Lance Jasper, told the Missoulian Wednesday the president’s “rhetoric” contributed to the U.S. Army veteran’s disposition.
“His commander in chief is telling people that if they kneel, they should be fired, or if they burn a flag, they should be punished. He certainly didn’t understand it was a crime.”
Jasper continued, “Obviously he (Brockway) owes a big portion of accountability for what took place, but it’s certain that there was other things at work here that definitely contributed”
“Trump never necessarily says go hurt somebody, but the message is absolutely clear. I am certain of the fact that (Brockway) was doing what he believed he was told to do, essentially, by the president.”
When talking about how he plans to defend Brockway in court, Jasper said, “There is the defense that his mental illness or brain injury that will be raised, along with permission given by the president. Whether that passes muster with the court as a viable defense is for a different day.”
“Obviously it’s a tragedy whenever someone is injured, especially a young kid, but with my client being a veteran with a traumatic brain injury, it is absolutely fair to say he got caught up in a heightened animosity and a heightened rhetoric that too many people are engaged in. Everyone should learn to dial it down a little bit, from the president to Mineral County.”
(Copyright 2019 WBAP/KLIF 24/7 News. This story contains material from the Missoulian)
