by Hudson Kamphausen CTNewsjunkie
Things didn’t go as expected Wednesday for the samaritan who defended Rep. Maryam Khan from her attacker following a prayer service last June.
Jason Spencer’s attorney, Aaron Romano, told reporters that instead of accepting a “mitigation package” for accelerated rehabilitation the court’s position has changed.
Now, Romano said, prosecutors told the court they need more time to properly review the accelerated rehabilitation application, and that they want to “let the court decide.” The state attorney’s office was not immediately available for comment.
Another hearing is scheduled for May 16, during which a decision will be reached as to whether or not Spencer will receive AR. Romano said Judge Courtney Chaplin, who has been hearing the case since its beginning, has been patient and understanding.
Khan, a Democrat representing Windsor, said Wednesday she was “very disappointed” about the delay in a decision for Spencer.
“I came here today hoping that we would be able to at least put some parts of this behind us, and Jason would be able to move on with his life,” Khan said. “It’s been about seven or eight months of this and I know he [Spencer] was looking forward to putting this behind him and I was looking forward to putting this behind me.”
Spencer was previously instructed by Judge Chaplin to apply for a diversionary program and return to court today, March 13. Since the beginning of the case, Spencer has lost his job as a gig worker, Romano said. Spencer said he received an email from Uber telling him he could not drive for the company while the case was ongoing.
“This has been a very hard time for him [Spencer],” Romano said,” and we were just hoping for some closure.”
Still, Spencer said he was thankful for the support he has received – including a petition at SGTJasonSpencer.com that calls for the case to be dismissed.
Spencer, 43, of Coventry, an honorably discharged former U.S. Army sergeant, came to Khan’s aid outside the XL Center in June and reportedly fought off the alleged attacker, Andrey Desmond, and then pursued him and detained him until police arrived. News reports say that police later charged Spencer with third-degree assault based on surveillance video from the incident.
The attack on Khan reportedly occurred after a prayer service to mark the Eid al-Adha holiday, and the representative has proposed legislation making it easier to charge a hate crime and easier for people who witness the events to step in and help.
Romano said that Spencer has been consistent in his message throughout the case: “If you see something, do something.”
The case is being prosecuted by the chief state’s attorney for the Hartford District, Sharmese Walcott. Romano said there was some confusion as to what significance the title “sergeant” has for Spencer – he added that Walcott said she was not sure if Sergeant or Jason was Spencer’s first name.
Asked if the matter is going to be resolved at the hearing in May, Romano made the stakes clear.
“It’s going to be resolved one way or another,” Romano said. “Either with an accelerated rehabilitation program or we’re going to trial – and we plan on getting our non-guilty verdict.”