Community | July 06, 2009 | 24 comments

4 on trial over Texas school fight club

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Grainy cell phone videos showing developmentally disabled students forced to fight each other will likely be shown to jurors this week as four former employees at a Texas school go on trial.

The late-night "fight club" at the Corpus Christi State School — orchestrated, authorities say, for the entertainment of those responsible for protecting the students — was uncovered in March after the images were found on a lost cell phone.

On Monday, jurors were expected to be picked for the trial of Timothy Dixon, 30, D'Angelo Riley, 23, and Jesse Salazar, 25, all charged with multiple counts of causing bodily injury to a disabled person. In a separate courtroom, Stephanie Garza, 21, was to face a lesser charge of not intervening to stop the fights. Two other former employees are scheduled to go on trial later this year.

"These people did horrific things," said Jeff Garrison-Tate, of the advocacy group Community Now!, which has called for closing the state schools in favor of community-based services. "But they were given silent permission for these heinous acts."

District Attorney Carlos Valdez did not return calls for comment. Defense attorneys for the accused declined to comment.

Almost 20 videos dating back to 2007 were found on a cell phone turned in to police, showing staff at the Corpus Christi State School forcing residents into late-night bouts, even kicking them to egg them on. Eleven staff members were identified and six were charged.

Dixon is believed to have shot the videos, though other staff members can been seen pointing cell phone cameras toward the brawls. None of those charged still works at the facility.
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