“This morning, Haywood Collins was transported to the Carroll County Courthouse and arraigned on multiple counts of assault and battery. He is currently being held at the Carroll County Detention Center. Bail was denied due to a prior history of violence towards his wife. Mrs. Collins and Miss Smith were released from the hospital yesterday morning and were both sent home at that time. Mister Papandreas’ injuries were treated at the scene.”
“There has been considerable interest in this case due to the fact that Mister Buckman is currently running for Congress. In light of this fact, I have taken a personal interest in this case. I have personally interviewed all the police officers who answered the call to the Westminster Diner that evening, all of the paramedics and ambulance personnel, and a number of the employees of the restaurant. I have also reviewed security videotape from the restaurant, and copies of these will be made public at the end of this press conference. Allegations have been made as to the conduct of Mister Buckman, allegations of excessive force and vigilante behavior.”
“These allegations are false. Eyewitness testimony clearly shows that the first thing Mister Buckman did was arrange for a call to the police. The video clearly shows that his actions used the minimum of force necessary to subdue Haywood Collins, and then after Collins was subdued, he immediately released him and began treating Miss Smith for her injuries. He has cooperated fully with this investigation. These are not the actions of a vigilante.”
“The officers who responded to the assault that night were wearing protective vests purchased with a donation made by Mister Buckman. The paramedics who treated and transported Mrs. Collins and Miss Smith did so with equipment provided, in part, by a donation made by Mister Buckman. They were treated at the Carroll Hospital Center in an emergency room also supported by a donation from Mister Buckman. After Mrs. Collins was treated for her injuries, Mister Buckman then offered to make a donation to the Carroll-Coleman Women’s Shelter to make sure that she was kept protected.”
“There is no question that Carl Buckman is a friend of the law enforcement community. He is a friend of the fire department community. He is a friend of the health care community. One of the most amazing things to me is that Carl Buckman isn’t even a resident of Westminster. He doesn’t even live in Carroll County; he lives on the other side of Hampstead, in Upperco. I’ve asked around, and he supports police and fire departments and hospitals and clinics all over northern Maryland. It is for these reasons and many others that I am endorsing Carl Buckman for Congress!”
From around the scene there was a lot of applause from various policemen and the employees of the diner. George stepped back from the podium and Brew nudged me forward. I shook hands with George, and then I stepped up to the podium. I looked at the cameras and said, “I would like to thank Chief Tilden for both his kind words and his endorsement. Even more than an endorsement of my run for Congress, this is an endorsement of my belief that the police and fire departments and emergency squads are the first line of defense for all of us, and they need to be supported by all of us. When I was a kid, there was a popular bumper sticker that said, ‘You don’t like cops? Next time you’re in trouble call a hippie!’ Back in the Sixties that sounded pretty funny, but the older I got, the less funny it seemed. Policemen and firefighters and paramedics and doctors and nurses truly are the first line of defense all of us have, and I promise that as Congressman, I will do everything I can to support them. I urge everyone here to do the same.”
I paused and there was a round of applause from around the group. I made a few other quick campaign remarks, and then asked if anybody had any questions. I knew they would. The first one was easy — ‘Can you tell us in your own words what happened that night’
“Sure. Well, it had been a pretty normal day so far, with several campaign events and a dinner at the American Legion. I got to meet a lot of really nice people that day. I had with me a reporter, Fletcher Donaldson of the Baltimore Sun, who was doing a ride-along with me. Anyway, it was the end of the day, and we decided to stop for some coffee and pie at the Westminster Diner before calling it a day. We had just been served when this really big guy comes in, totally out of control. He grabs this woman in one of the booths, and then smacks around Nick and Amy. I grabbed my cell phone…” I lifted it out of my belt holster and showed it. “… and handed it to Fletcher, and told him to call the cops. Then I got up and told this guy to leave the diner. That’s when he started swinging at me.”
The reporter from WMAR asked, “How were you able to subdue Haywood Collins if he is so much bigger than you?”
I smiled at that. “Haven’t you ever heard that the bigger they are, the harder they fall? Seriously, though, I have two black belts in the martial arts and have been in these types of situations before. I was never in any danger, and somebody needed to stop him before he killed somebody!”
“Congressman Stewart has claimed that you only did this for the headlines,” commented WBAL.
“Congressman Stewart claims a lot of things. It doesn’t make them true.”
“Then why didn’t you wait for the police to arrive?”
“Because there simply wasn’t time to do that. Haywood Collins was about to haul this woman out, dragging her if necessary. I had no idea she was his wife, but I suspected she was a relative. By the time the police arrived — and I do not mean to imply that they were late showing up — he would have left with her. Unless the police were in the parking lot already, he would have gotten away. What would have happened then?! You do know that most violence against women comes from family members, don’t you?” I wasn’t sure of the exact statistics, but I knew this was true.
“Why did you feel the need to make a donation to the women’s shelter?” asked Fletcher.
“Domestic violence and spousal abuse is a national problem, but right here and now, it’s a problem that we can help with on a local level. I didn’t know it at the time, but Jolene Collins was six months pregnant, and was suffering from a broken arm and a black eye. Her husband has been using her as a punching bag for years. She was so afraid of him she only left after he threatened their unborn baby. A shelter can protect women like Jolene Collins and give them options for the future. I urge everybody here to support shelters like this.”
Some of the questions were unexpected. “Are you a regular diner here?”
I blinked at that one. “Well, I have eaten here a few times. I mean, who hasn’t!? Still, it’s not like I’m a regular on a first name basis with Nick Papandreas.”
“Had you ever met Mister Papandreas before?”
I shook my head. “No, we had never been introduced before, although I knew who he was.”
“How did you know who he was?”
Good Lord! Time to draw this to a close! “Probably because his picture is on the menu. Listen, I think it’s time to close this down. I appreciate all of you attending and I promise you all that once I am elected I will do my best to support the first responders in our community. Now, I want to take my lovely wife Marilyn inside for some pie and coffee, and then we have to get home for when the kids get home from school. Here’s an endorsement from me — Nick Papandreas and the Westminster Diner serve up the best pie! Now, come on in. The pie’s on me!”
I stepped away from the podium and led Marilyn over to the side and introduced them to Nick and Amy. I wasn’t the first politician Nick had ever run across, but the young waitress was starstruck. She wasn’t quite stuttering, but she was tongue-tied and red-faced. I teased her a touch, and Marilyn put her at ease by asking her if she was a Democrat or a Republican.