2015/11/17

A local media outlet believes the citizens of Kodiak, Alaska deserve to know more about a police encounter, which left an autistic man bloodied and bruised.

The authorities are determined not to reveal the details and have even denied a Freedom of Information Act request, seeking the release of public documents relating to the incident.

So the Kodiak Public Broadcasting Corporation has decided to file a lawsuit against the city.

The matter relates to an unfortunate incident that took place two months ago.
Nick Pletnikoff has lived on Steller Avenue most of his life.

On September 16, at about 5 PM that night, the severely autistic man walked down the street to check his mailbox, something that he does as part of his routine – it is one of the very few chores that he can manage unsupervised.

Around the same time police were responding to a 911 request.

The caller had stated someone was attempting to pinch an item from a car parked along Steller Avenue.

At some point, three cops spotted Pletnikoff.

Moments later his mother, Judy, found the 28-year-old lying on the ground surrounded by policemen.

No one knows what happened between the cops and Pletnikoff.

All that we can go by is what the officers told Judy.

Her disabled child lay in handcuffs, bleeding and bruised in front of her as the men in uniform pepper sprayed him at point blank.

Judy pleaded to know what her son’s offence was, she had to request at least four times before one of the officers told her that he had refused to answer their questions. It was as though she could not believe her ears.

“I said, ‘He has autism. He would really struggle to answer your questions. He lives right there,’” she says recalling the episode. 

Judy says they had his identity card and could see that he lived on Steller Avenue.
She added that Pletnikoff was weeping at the time.

“He had been pepper sprayed and he was crying and he said, ‘I’m so sorry, I’m so sorry.’”

Immediately after the incident, his mother said her son had developed a fear of people wearing uniform.

Even a week after the incident, she said, he had not slept through an entire night. The family had to hire an autism specialist to help Pletnikoff recuperate.

A case of wait and see

Within days of the horrific episode the family decided to pursue a legal course of action.
The police department, the family says, have been extremely uncooperative.

So, the Pletnikoffs decided to retain Kodiak defense lawyer Josh Fitzgerald.

According to him, the three cops probably slammed him to the ground and used the pepper spray on him and it is more than likely that they did not have a valid reason to do so.

The local public radio station KMXT filed a Freedom of Information Act request a few days after the incident; however, the appeal to provide public documents, relating to the encounter, was denied by the authorities.

Now, the Kodiak public broadcasting Corporation – a licensee of KMXT – has filed a lawsuit against the city seeking the release of this key information.

Watch the video below: