A reported hate crime involving a University of Kentucky hospital worker raises concerns after family says decades of untreated mental health concerns led to it.
Ryan C. Hermens
rhermens@herald-leader.com
A recent incident described as a hate crime by the Lexington Police Department is under investigation, but the suspect’s family says it’s a sign that the man charged in the case has long been in need of better mental health treatment.
A University of Kentucky hospital worker wearing a hijab said she was spit on and threatened by a man outside a University of Kentucky hospital on Aug. 11, which led to 52-year-old Damian Hisle being arrested in the case. Hisle has a long history of similar incidents.
Hisle’s family has said they feel bad for the victims of Hisle’s cases, but they hope the courts will order him to spend a longer period of time receiving mental health treatment than they have in the past.
Here are seven things to know about the case:
Hoda A. Shalash, a UK hospital worker, said a man spit on her face and shouted “I’ll kill you” as she walked to her car after work on Aug. 11, and she captured a photo of the man wearing a blue “UK Welcome Home” shirt while a construction worker intervened.Hisle was arrested by the Lexington Police Department, taken to the Fayette County Detention Center and held on a $5,000 bond.The Lexington and University of Kentucky police departments called the incident a “reported hate crime,” with Hisle facing charges of harassment through physical contact without injury and third-degree terroristic threatening.Hisle has been repeatedly found incompetent to stand trial and committed to mental health facilities since the 1990s, and his family says he has been diagnosed with severe paranoid schizophrenia but has never received sustained treatment.His stepfather, George Garber, 72, told the Herald-Leader “there is a bigger story here,” saying Hisle has cycled through psychiatric hospitals, homeless shelters, jails and the street for 30 years and only gets some treatment when he’s locked up.Chris Peck, chief advancement officer for the Hope Center, said the lack of a strong program for people with severe mental health issues is “definitely a gap right now in the city of Lexington,” noting people can be banned from the shelter for a year over violence or drug use.Court records show Hisle faces an additional terroristic threats charge tied to an Aug. 14 incident at UK’s Good Samaritan Hospital, with an arraignment scheduled for Sept. 11.
The summary points above were compiled with the help of AI tools and edited by journalists. The source reporting referenced above was written and edited entirely by journalists.