The Harris County District Attorney’s Office has declined to file charges against a man accused of punching an elderly couple in their faces after they asked him to clean up after his dog.
In April, Lisa and Minh Le, both 76 years old, told Eyewitness News they encountered the man at Westwillow Park, their neighborhood park.
They said he did not pick up after his dog and when they confronted him about it and took his picture, he hit them in their faces.
That report led to the alleged “park puncher’s” identification and a much different story, according to the Harris County Sheriff’s Office.
It’s a story authorities believe more.
“We feel bad. It’s like they don’t believe us and they believe him and he’s a liar,” said Lisa Le, a grandmother.
Accompanied by an attorney, the 23-year-old man told an investigator he felt threatened by the couple with a camera, who are three times his age, and only pushed Mr. Le away.
The Le’s say they were 10-12 feet away when they took his picture. The couple also questions whether the investigator did not understand them, because “maybe our English isn’t very good,” said Mrs. Le. They are disappointed they were not believed.
In a statement, the district attorney’s office explained why charges were not filed.
“A Harris County Sheriff’s Office deputy concluded that neither of the two complainants had injuries consistent with having been punched in the face. One of them had a “small red mark where his glasses rest on his nose, but not an injury that would have been caused by a punch.” The other had no marks at all.
The officer did not find that the complaining witnesses’ alleged injuries were consistent with what both claimed had occurred.
After reviewing the evidence and the officer’s findings, a Harris County District Attorney’s Office prosecutor determined there was not probable cause that a crime had been committed and declined to file charges in this matter, and the deputy agreed with that decision.”
