Paraplegic asserts innocence in DUI case

By JOHN W. GOODWIN JR.

jgoodwin@vindy.com

YOUNGSTOWN

A paraplegic city man maintains he was not the SUV driver at the time of an accident that led to driving while intoxicated charges and an allegation of brutality from a city police officer.

Willie Daniel, 36, of High Street, appeared Friday before Judge Elizabeth Kobly of Youngstown Municipal Court for arraignment on a single charge of misdemeanor operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated. Daniel said he is innocent and will be back in court April 1.

Daniel, paralyzed from the waist down, was in a sport-utility vehicle Feb. 27 that was involved in an accident along Wilson Avenue. Daniel told police and the court that he was not driving the SUV at the time. He said his brother was driving and went to get help before police arrived.

Daniel also alleges officer Robert Jolliff used excessive force after the accident, hitting him and dragging him into the street with his pants hanging off and exposing his adult diaper. Police internal affairs is investigating.

Jolliff has been off on sick leave after collapsing at work shortly after the complaint against him was made public.

Daniel, under direction of his attorney, would say little about the case after Friday’s court proceedings except that he was not the driver of the car.

Police Chief Jimmy Hughes said, however, the department believes Daniel was in fact behind the wheel

“We have charged him, and those charges are going forward. He was driving the car while impaired. We do believe he was operating the vehicle. We believe that he had some mechanical help with the gas and brake pedal, and we are going forward with that,” the chief said.

Daniel, according to Hughes, was using a stick to operate the gas and brake pedals in the car.

Hughes said the investigation into the use of excessive force and the impaired driving are separate issues and being investigated as such.

He said the investigation into the reported police misconduct is going forward with officer interviews and may take a few weeks.

“The investigation is ongoing; there are some necessary things that must be done. Jolliff is off duty. There is some issue as to how to go about interviewing him. His injury was somewhat of a setback to that,” the chief said.

Daniel’s wife, Pamela, is also facing misdemeanor charges of disorderly conduct at the scene of an accident in relation to the Feb. 27 incident. She has said she was defending her husband against the actions of the officer. She is due back in court May 14.

Daniel said the process has been hard on his family.

“This has been a difficult process, but we are hanging in there,” he said.