Interview with man in wheelchair beaten by family with metal pipe

Writer: Rachel Murphy
Published: Updated:
Lea este artículo en Noticias WINK
WINK News Anchor Michael Hudak with Wesley Victor (CREDIT: WINK News)

A mother and her two sons charged with beating a man in a wheelchair with a metal pipe made an appearance in court.

WINK News brought you the story of this assault Tuesday. According to the Lee County Sheriff’s Office, the mother attacked a man in an electric wheelchair on 26th Street Southwest in Lehigh Acres.

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Jason Chavez,(left) Jonathan Gonzalez (center), and Evelyn Rodriguez (right) mugshots. Credit: Lee County Sheriff’s Office

The family of 39-year-old Evelyn Rodriguez, who was armed with the metal pipe, claims the victim provoked the assault. They said surveillance video uncovered by WINK News proves the man in the wheelchair is not wheelchair-bound.

The family claims video recorded on a nearby security camera shows the man getting up out of the chair to fight Rodriguez and her two sons.

WINK News spoke with the victim, Wesley Victor, who has known Rodriguez for more than a month. Victor said he tried to help her with her credit because he knew her neighbor.

The friendship took a rough turn, starting when Rodriguez stole a laptop charger from Victor.

Victor said he absolutely did not slash her tires or harass them for over a month as the family accused. But because of the grievances within their friendship, Victor thinks Rodriguez believed he was the one who slashed the tires.

Rodriguez and her two sons, Jonathan Gonzalez and Jason Chavez, asked if the judge would allow them to bond out of jail and rejoin their family before the trial. The judge agreed, and all three are under pre-trial supervision.

Rodriguez’s bond was $30,000 on aggravated assault and abuse of a disabled person charges. Her sons were each placed on $15,000 bonds.

The Lee County Sheriff’s Office, however, confirmed that the victim is disabled, but contrary to what they posted on Facebook on Tuesday, they said he can walk a few steps on his own. They would not retract the post that said he was wheelchair-bound.

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