Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs

Teenager explained taking hold of his autistic brother in trial today

A different paid caregiver is facing felony abuse charges in San Diego Superior Court

The teenaged brother of an autistic man was called as a defense witness today, in the trial of a 62-year-old registered nurse accused of abusing his patient.

Michael Oakley said he is 19 years old and has been a paid caregiver for his 23-year-old brother Jamey for more than a year. Michael Oakley was shown a video clip of himself taking hold of his retarded, autistic, and epileptic half-brother and escorting him out of camera range.

In a rambling explanation which included Ju-jitsu technique, Michael Oakley said he put his arm across his brother’s chest “for support.” In response to attorneys’ questions, the teenager reassured, “It was never my intention to choke him.” Other persons who saw the video during trial described Michael Oakley’s hold on his brother as a “choke-hold.”

This video clip was captured last summer, when Michael Oakley was one of seven paid caregivers for his brother Jamey, while their mother was in Europe for a month. A new video camera was installed in the autistic man’s bedroom shortly before Mrs. Oakley left.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jpv3GbG37hE

Mrs. Kim Oakley, mother of both Michael and Jamey, was asked earlier in the trial to describe what Michael was doing in the video, and she said: “He’s definitely in the process of trying to control his brother.” Mrs. Oakley said her son Mike has no formal training as a nurse or caregiver, although today Michael told the jury, “I took an EMT course at Palomar College.”

The strong-arm technique clearly seen in that one video is in stark contrast with video clips used as evidence by a prosecutor in a case against a different caregiver, 62-year-old Michael Dale Garritson. Garritson, who has been a Registered Nurse for 30 years, is on trial now, charged with seven felonies. Michael Oakley is not facing any charges.

Mrs. Kim Oakley contacted authorities after she returned home August 22, 2012, she accused Garritson and one other caregiver of abusing her autistic son. In very short clips, Mrs. Garritson told a jury that she could “clearly” see Garritson “hair-pulling” and “slam-to-the-ground” and “shove” her son Jamey. However, some observers in the courtroom were heard wondering aloud as to what could actually be seen in the grainy clips.

Mrs. Oakley gave certain video clips as evidence to investigators, but the video clip of her son Michael taking hold of brother Jamey was recovered from a “recycle” folder on her laptop, after it was taken by a law enforcement computer expert.

Defense is expected to finish their case sometime tomorrow, April 17, 2013, before Judge Blaine K. Bowman, in San Diego’s North County Superior Courthouse.

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all

Previous article

San Diego Reader 2024 Music & Arts Issue

Favorite fakers: Baby Bushka, Fleetwood Max, Electric Waste Band, Oceans, Geezer – plus upcoming tribute schedule

The teenaged brother of an autistic man was called as a defense witness today, in the trial of a 62-year-old registered nurse accused of abusing his patient.

Michael Oakley said he is 19 years old and has been a paid caregiver for his 23-year-old brother Jamey for more than a year. Michael Oakley was shown a video clip of himself taking hold of his retarded, autistic, and epileptic half-brother and escorting him out of camera range.

In a rambling explanation which included Ju-jitsu technique, Michael Oakley said he put his arm across his brother’s chest “for support.” In response to attorneys’ questions, the teenager reassured, “It was never my intention to choke him.” Other persons who saw the video during trial described Michael Oakley’s hold on his brother as a “choke-hold.”

This video clip was captured last summer, when Michael Oakley was one of seven paid caregivers for his brother Jamey, while their mother was in Europe for a month. A new video camera was installed in the autistic man’s bedroom shortly before Mrs. Oakley left.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jpv3GbG37hE

Mrs. Kim Oakley, mother of both Michael and Jamey, was asked earlier in the trial to describe what Michael was doing in the video, and she said: “He’s definitely in the process of trying to control his brother.” Mrs. Oakley said her son Mike has no formal training as a nurse or caregiver, although today Michael told the jury, “I took an EMT course at Palomar College.”

The strong-arm technique clearly seen in that one video is in stark contrast with video clips used as evidence by a prosecutor in a case against a different caregiver, 62-year-old Michael Dale Garritson. Garritson, who has been a Registered Nurse for 30 years, is on trial now, charged with seven felonies. Michael Oakley is not facing any charges.

Mrs. Kim Oakley contacted authorities after she returned home August 22, 2012, she accused Garritson and one other caregiver of abusing her autistic son. In very short clips, Mrs. Garritson told a jury that she could “clearly” see Garritson “hair-pulling” and “slam-to-the-ground” and “shove” her son Jamey. However, some observers in the courtroom were heard wondering aloud as to what could actually be seen in the grainy clips.

Mrs. Oakley gave certain video clips as evidence to investigators, but the video clip of her son Michael taking hold of brother Jamey was recovered from a “recycle” folder on her laptop, after it was taken by a law enforcement computer expert.

Defense is expected to finish their case sometime tomorrow, April 17, 2013, before Judge Blaine K. Bowman, in San Diego’s North County Superior Courthouse.

Sponsored
Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
This comment was removed by the site staff for violation of the usage agreement.
April 19, 2013
This comment was removed by the site staff for violation of the usage agreement.
April 20, 2013
Ask a Hipster — Advice you didn't know you needed Big Screen — Movie commentary Blurt — Music's inside track Booze News — San Diego spirits Classical Music — Immortal beauty Classifieds — Free and easy Cover Stories — Front-page features Drinks All Around — Bartenders' drink recipes Excerpts — Literary and spiritual excerpts Feast! — Food & drink reviews Feature Stories — Local news & stories Fishing Report — What’s getting hooked from ship and shore From the Archives — Spotlight on the past Golden Dreams — Talk of the town The Gonzo Report — Making the musical scene, or at least reporting from it Letters — Our inbox Movies@Home — Local movie buffs share favorites Movie Reviews — Our critics' picks and pans Musician Interviews — Up close with local artists Neighborhood News from Stringers — Hyperlocal news News Ticker — News & politics Obermeyer — San Diego politics illustrated Outdoors — Weekly changes in flora and fauna Overheard in San Diego — Eavesdropping illustrated Poetry — The old and the new Reader Travel — Travel section built by travelers Reading — The hunt for intellectuals Roam-O-Rama — SoCal's best hiking/biking trails San Diego Beer — Inside San Diego suds SD on the QT — Almost factual news Sheep and Goats — Places of worship Special Issues — The best of Street Style — San Diego streets have style Surf Diego — Real stories from those braving the waves Theater — On stage in San Diego this week Tin Fork — Silver spoon alternative Under the Radar — Matt Potter's undercover work Unforgettable — Long-ago San Diego Unreal Estate — San Diego's priciest pads Your Week — Daily event picks
4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
Close

Anchor ads are not supported on this page.