Bond denied for hearing-impaired man in attacks

From: Vero Beach Press-Journal, FL - Mar 22, 2003

By staff report
March 22, 2003

A hearing-impaired Brevard County man accused of attacking a Sebastian resident and another woman was denied bond after a court hearing in Titusville Friday.

Attorneys for Daniel T. Harrison, 28, had sought a $5,000 bond for the man accused of aggravated battery, aggravated sexual battery and kidnapping in connection with an April 4, 1999, incident involving the Sebastian woman and an October 1998 attack on the Brevard woman, according to Brevard County Assistant State's Attorney James Earp.

The Sebastian woman, who was beaten severely in the incident, expressed happiness over Brevard County Circuit Judge John D. Moxley's decision to deny bond. She did not attend the hearing, but the other woman allegedly attacked by Harrison attended and commented regarding injuries incurred in the 1998 incident.

Under the bond proposal put forth by Harrison's attorneys, the defendant would have been under home confinement.

Harrison has been in the Brevard County jail in Sharpes since 1999. In December, Moxley, following reports from a group of experts, determined he was not linguistically competent to stand trial.

Earlier this month, Lawrence Fleischer, a California professor of deaf studies, was appointed to conduct training with Harrison. At the conclusion of the training, Fleischer will testify to whether he believes he has succeeded in educating Harrison to the point of making him competent to stand trial. The training is expected to take place over four months.

If Fleischer says he has succeeded in his educational training, Harrison will be re-evaluated by the expert witnesses who originally evaluated him. The exception will be Fleischer, who had earlier served as a court-appointed expert witness at Earp's request. At that time, Fleischer stated Harrison was not currently linguistically competent to stand trial.

© 2002 - The E.W. Scripps Co.