Consider comments excerpted from a local news website, www.capecodtoday.com. This narrative includes complaints made about the physical treatment reported by the parent of a special needs child in The Barnstable Public School System. The mother of the offended child provided a 20 minute portion of a videotape of her autistic child to authorities. The tape documented the alarming extent of improper and abusive physical restraint techniques used on her disabled child for "non-compliance". The incident was reported to the Office of the Barnstable District Attorney directed by Michael O'Keefe.
The parent in this case consulted a Boston attorney who referred the matter for investigation. Barnstable School Resource Room Officer Detective Reid Hall, a physician and a social worker from the May Institute were consulted in regard to the behavioral techniques used on this autistic child. Reports indicate District Attorney Michael O'Keefe stalled the investigation, confounding details and evidence in this matter. The principles involved forwarded three entirely different accounts of the incident in question, and "conflict of interest" was identified after false replies to the allegation were forwarded to the Massachusetts Board of Licensure in this matter. It was duly noted that there were three different versions of the incident on file, describing completely different accounts of the incident.
District Attorney Michael O'Keefe refused to file charges against the women who delivered three different versions of the incident recorded on videotape to the Board of Licensure. Some of the narrative was provided by a nurse attorney representing the Board of Registration in Nursing. The mother of this special needs child insists that the barbaric, abusive and aversive treatment of her autistic child reflects the low standard of the nurse, police and district attorney.
My own dealings with DA Michael O'Keefe
07/31/08 · 4:04 pm :: posted by editor ShareThis
All the documents I feel back up my concerns that I believe points to obstruction of justice and other possible infractions are current as they were written in 2004, 2005 and 2006. The way the police investigation was handled by District Attorney Michael O’Keefe concerns me due to the possibility of some sort of cover up and conflict of interest due to the hidden agendas on the part of all the parties involved with it. I also feel that the whole police investigation was sloppy, unfair, biased, flawed, and unprofessional and violated my child’s rights under Massachusetts law and possibly Federal Law. Further I feel that the police investigation was biased and prejudiced against my child right from the beginning as the alleged perpetrator was a town employee and my child was retarded and autistic.
http://www.capecodtoday.com/blogs/index.php/2008/07/31/my-own-dealings-with-da-michael-o-keefe?blog=36
Obviously, Barnstable County District Attorney Michael O'Keefe has become inured to the persistent threat to the safety of youth and children in Barnstable.
