Posted on 03/09/2011 10:48:36 AM PST by rawhide
A Decatur man accused of punching a 14-year-old girl in the face for running into his son on the slopes in Colorado has pleaded guilty to third-degree assault.
The Vail Daily reported Tuesday that the plea from 41-year-old Scott Filler, a renowned malaria expert, was for a misdemeanor stemming from the December incident at Beaver Creek Ski Resort.
Police reports say Filler thought the teen was skiing carelessly when she bumped into his 4-year-old son. Eagle County sheriff's deputies say that's when he jumped on the girl and hit her with his fist. The girl said she was swerving to avoid another skier.
District Attorney Mark Hurlbert says Filler was sentenced to anger management classes and restitution, the amount of which would be determined by the girl.
Prosecutors also sought community service, but Hurlbert says the judge fined Filler $500 instead.
Three witnesses told deputies they observed Filler punch girl between two and four times.
The ski instructor who pulled the Decatur man off the girl told deputies Filler punched her "at least four times, using a closed fist," sheriff's Lt. Mike McWilliam told the AJC. Two other witnesses said they observed Filler yell at the girl before landing two or three punches, the sheriff's office spokesman said.
Filler, charged with misdemeanor child abuse, told deputies he thought the girl was skiing carelessly and had seriously injured his son. The boy was not hurt, however, and Filler apologized. The girl was treated for minor injuries at a local medical center.
Her father requested charges be filed against Filler, who was banned for life from Vail's six ski resorts.
(Excerpt) Read more at ajc.com ...
Well, in my defense, little girls are the only fighters I have a chance against.
the four year old was uninjured. The skis couldn’t have been too hard on him.
Oh, by the way, the reason the girl swerved was another skier has fallen in front of her. She was not being reckless. She swerved and the 4yr old came into her path, and she was unable to avoid him. Shr tried but could not. The little boy was not hurt, the girl was injured.
He punched her after the fact, when she no longer posed a danger. Hence this was not an act of defense.
The proper course of action would have been to report her to the ski patrol and get her lift ticket yanked.
At the same time, he didn't injure her, and it's not like she was innocent in all this, so he didn't deserve more than a slap on the wrist, which is what he got.
Kudos to a wise judge for striking the right balance.
A fourteen-year-old is not a little girl, though I agree with you that he was wrong to have punched her.
Your accusation does not stand up tp the facts. The girl had swerved to avoid a skier who had fallen in front of her. The little boy came into her path. She tried to avoid him, but could not. She was not reckless.
Did you read the article? It said the teen girl was trying to avoid another skier, not that she was out looking for toddlers to run over. Have you ever been skiing? It’s not a place for small children.
Scott Filler, is that you?
You don’t get it.
He deserves a slap on the wrist for punching a little girl repeatedly in the face?
That’s sick.
Laz, when you fight you as supposed to use something other than your Johnson to hit them with. This is not the time to hit just anything.
And if the girls father came along and kicked the crap out of the guy, that should be OK too, correct? What would he 'deserve'?
Then she was skiing too fast. There's no excuse for running into a child on the bunny slope.
Have you ever been skiing?
I ski between 10 - 14 days per year.
It’s not a place for small children.
This was a bunny slope, which most definitely is a place appropriate for small children.
Living in The People’s Republic of New Jersey you are used to getting “ beat up” , especially by the government and Gestopo State Police . Its sad that your citizens can’t even arm themselves for protection in public.Then again elections have consequences and the people elected the bozos who run your “State of Confusion”
It appears that the Court is prompting Coloradans (adapted to high altitude) to resolve the next such incident on site.
This was a bunny slope, according to one of the linked articles. If she had to hit someone to avoid an obsticle, she was skiing too fast.
There's no excuse for hitting a child on the bunny slope.
You really need a different screen name. This is twice in a couple days that I have seen you post vile things, including profanity.
So you were there and you know, I guess. I wasn't. Parents have some sense of who is a threat to their kids and who isn't. The father thought the girl was skiing recklessly. Otherwise, given the girl's self-serving scenario and the assumption that the father is some sort of madman, he would have gone after you other skier.
ML/NJ
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.