Tuesday, February 18, 2014

Weasel of the Week: Frank Wood

It would not surprise me in the least bit if this next story is fodder for an episode of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.

On February 2, a 40 year old woman was raped in the ladies' restroom at Aqueduct Racetrack in Jamaica, Queens. What was so special about this case, as it was brought to light in today's New York Daily News? The victim is mentally challenged, and has been described by her own mother has having the mental capacity of a toddler.

More than 2 weeks later, her attacker, Frank Wood, was arrested and charged with the crime, among other things. What kind of depraved individual would exploit a disabled person like that? Someone with little or no moral scruples, obviously, but in this case it is far worse. The victim has already dealt with enough issues, and being forced to disrobe in a public restroom---at a racetrack, of all places---and perform oral sex against her will, adds to whatever trauma she'd already suffered before this.

It will only get worse once this case goes to trial, assuming it actually does. I can just picture the press trying to get a statement from the victim or her family, or even a photo of the victim. That's only going to add to the trauma.

The price Frank Wood pays here, in this forum, for humiliating a defenseless, disabled woman, is a set of Weasel ears. They used to say that the mind is a terrible thing to waste, and in some cases, that's certainly true. In Frank Wood's case, he wasted two people's minds. His own, and his victim's.

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