A mother whose son told police he was assaulted by two female McDonald’s employees hopes sensationalism surrounding the case can be brought to an end so it can quietly work its way through the courts.
Richmond-area resident Barbara Jones said she met with Chief Deputy Craig Brady and others at the Fort Bend County Sheriff’s Office Thursday evening.
As a result of that meeting, “We have decided that we are going to let this go through normal court proceedings,” Jones said early Friday morning, “and not let this be tried in the media.”
Jones’ 20-year-old son, Raymond Smith, complained to sheriff’s deputies that during a July 13 trip to a McDonald’s at 1125 Crabb River Road, two 18-year-old female employees assaulted him, biting him in the back and groping him.
Smith also said the women entered his car and stole some music CDs and a small amount of cash. Jones said some collector’s coins given to him by a relative were among the itmes taken. She added that Smith has since recovered them via the sheriff’s office.
Shortly after the incident, Smith and his mother complained in televised news reports that they felt the incident wasn’t being taken seriously by the sheriff’s office.
One station reported Brady as saying he thought Smith “made the whole thing up,” a statement Brady said he never made.
After that, Houston activist Quanell X held a press conference with Jones in front of the McDonald’s restaurant and said sheriff’s deputies had “re-victimized the victim.”
On Friday morning, Jones said Quanell X “still has his eyes on the family.” However, the family now wishes publicity surrounding the case would die down. She said the experience has been stressful for her son and, “as a Christian, it’s quite embarrassing for the girls.”
Jones took steps toward accomplishing that goal on Thursday, after reading a FortBendNow report of events surrounding the restaurant altercation.
“When I read your article I called and I said to Brady, ‘it is time to stop,’” Jones said.
That call came minutes before Brady had scheduled a press conference in which he intended to release release security video, audio and statements from the women involved in the July 13 McDonald’s incident. Jones asked that he not do so, at least until she had a chance to meet with him.
Brady then walked into a meeting room at the sheriff’s office, full of reporters and TV cameras, and announced that he was honoring Jones’ request, and the press conference had just been canceled.
Jones said she believes the next step for her and her son will involve a hearing before justice of the peace Judge Gary Geick.
“We’re still very eager for the charges to be pressed,” she added.
This is not about an apology to the Sheriff’s Office.
Let the case run it’s course.
Do you think there is going to be an apology to the Sheriff’s Office? I’ll just sit and wait. I think the Sheriff’s deputy did his job, the detectives did his job, the activist did his job,…..and the media did thiers?..I think or did they?