UAM’s Fong charged with aggravated assault, terroristic threatening
Published by Jason April 19th, 2007 in Police /Legal.The University of Arkansas at Monticello employee, Paul Ruston Fong, arrested Tuesday by the Drew County Sheriff’s office has been charged with aggravated assault and terroristic threatening. Fong, 31, was charged with aggravated assault for spitting on officers while being detained at Drew Memorial Hospital. He has also been charged with terroristic threatening. He allegedly referenced “Columbine” in his descriptions about what he was going to do in reference to UAM.
“With the events of the past week, the measures taken by the university, hospital staff and officers prove that an emergency response plan, when utilized, does work,” said Drew County Sheriff Mark Gober.
Officers had searched the Fong’s home yesterday. In the initial search, no weapons were found, nor anything that indicated any plans related to violence at UAM.
Gober said that Fong has a known medical condition for which he is currently on medication. The sheriff declined to give specific comment related to that. The sheriff related that Fong’s family is trying to admit him into a mental health facility.
“Whether or not he enters a mental health facility, these charges must be and will be answered for,” said Gober.
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I’m glad MonticelloLive has provided us this story. I’m a bit disappointed that the Advance has nothing about this incident in this week’s print edition or online. I hope you will keep us posted on Mr. Fong’s status — i.e. incarcerated, institutionalized, etc. As the spouse of a UAM faculty member, the safety of the campus is of great importance to me.
I am Paul Fong’s mother. With the very limited information you have, I understand why you think Paul’s public breakdown is “news”. In truth, Paul is only dangerous to himself. He suffers from Major Depressive Disorder (an Axis I mental disease). He has no history of violence. Last Tuesday, however, he made a very foolish decision to add vodka (a lot of it) to his psychotropic meds resulting in “psychosis” according to the ER doctor’s report. The ER recorded a nearly fatal level of alcohol in his blood (.30). He has no recollection of making any threats or of spitting on anyone. Paul is receiving in-patient treatment for his Dual Diagnoses at a hospital which has a unit specifically for that. He has already suffered from his binge and will continue to suffer the consequences for a very long time. Jail is not the place for mentally ill people. Of course anyone who has demonstrated a danger to himself or others needs to be placed somewhere safely away from the public. The State Hospital has a Forensic unit for those persons. The key word is “demonstrated”. A person who is “falling down drunk” and has a history of mental illness is not competent and responsible as the law requires for criminal culpability. If you do not have anyone in your family who is mentally ill or addicted to a mind-altering substance, then, thank God, because you are certainly in the minority.
I guess small towns are hungry for big news, but, I’m sorry to disappoint you. This is not a story of an aborted school shooting, but a story of a mentally ill person addicted to alcohol.
Maybe your blogger friends could find a mentally retarded person who eats and laugh and point at him for a while.
I’m sorry that you had to hear, read and experience this first hand as Mr. Fong’s mother. I can only imagine how heartbreaking and disappointed you are for your son’s illnesses. However, I too have dealt with someone who was addicted to a “mind-altering substance” and he committed SUICIDE in front of his wife and with his 7 year old son in the next room. He was my ex husband, who I have two children with. Two children that saw first hand some of the “insane” things that their father did before he died. He also suffered from Bi-polar and ADHD. On two occasions that I “know” of, he took his meds and washed them down with A LOT of alcohol. If it hadn’t been for his wife finding him on both occasions, he would have successfully committed suicide by overdose instead of blowing his brain out! He has left behind three beautiful children that loved and miss him deeply and they will never understand why their “daddy” has left them. My question to you is this….”What makes you think he isn’t any danger to anyone other than himself if he has no recollection of his actions?” If his blood alcohol level was .30, could he not have had some accident on UAM’s campus that might have injured someone else son or daughter. You were right in stating that your son made a very foolish mistake by adding booze to wash down his meds.
I agree with you that jail isn’t the proper place for the mentally ill. But working on a college campus isn’t the best career choice either considering his actions from last week and his Dual Diagnoses of his mental diseases. I’m not in anyway trying to “hurt” you by saying these things and as a mother I can only “try” to understand the anger and hurt on you and your family for the comments about your child. But the truth still remains, everyone deserves the right to be safe in their environment and away from potential harmful experiences. I tried to keep my children from not having to witness some of the horrific events that their “mental” father did. But the courts said that since he HADN’T hurt his children, that he had every “right” to them. He had to HURT them physically before he could be under any type of supervision arrangements. I know that isn’t the case here, but what if your son HAD in fact hurt some innocent person that day while he was on campus, at work, with a BAC of .30? Oh….the what if’s……….or if I had only’s…….
Well, if someone would’ve listened and done something in my ex husbands case….then I can’t help but think that maybe just MAYBE he would be the lucky one in a treatment facility somewhere learning how to manage his disease and meds. I’m not wanting to hurt you or your family by saying this at all….but I don’t want my child, friend, family member or myself to be walking to class at UAM and be “run over” by an unstable employee who made a terrible “mistake”.
For the obvious reasons, he is more than a danger to just himself. For goodness sakes….he’s telling you that he doesn’t remember anything from that incident. This is your wake up call…..because when someone else is put in danger, him not remembering…..just isn’t going to cut it!
As far as small towns being hungry for BIG news….we are a small town that takes care of one another. We are small in ways that we mostly know everyone through some form or fashion and want the best for everyone in this community. This is BIG news…….and I believe you need to realize how big it really is too.
Also, what does your comment about finding a mentally retarded person that eats have to do with your son? That comment was uncalled for and tacky to say the least. I don’t think there is anything “funny” about this situation at all and looking back at the past comments, it doesn’t appear that anyone else did either. You need to realize that your son COULD HAVE potentially harmed himself or someone else and stop criticizing those that are thankful that proper action was taken so that it hopefully doesn’t happen. I’m truly sorry that you have to deal with this….I know it weighs heavy on your heart and as his mother, you want to protect. But please protect him, don’t make excuses for him.
TK, I am so sorry about your husband and pray for you and your children. Mental illness is a terrible thing - as much for the families as the individuals who have to live with it. If it seems that I’m trying to make excuses for my son, I am sorry. I was trying to give some background and show that there is ALWAYS more than meets the eye. Unfortunately, there is no way to understand or explain what goes on in a mentally ill person’s mind. Only God knows.
The last paragraph regarding a mentally retarded person who, like Paul, did not choose to be the way he is, was partially deleted but the whole paragraph should have been. Sorry for that!
You and your family have been on my mind so much this week. Thank you for your kind words in return to my somewhat “harsh” email that I sent to you…..my passion lies within those that can’t help themselves…..I always want to help, and sometimes it bites me in the rear! You must have a kind soul………:) thank you for “knowing” that what I was saying was coming from my heart and it certainly wasn’t any form of attack on you or your son.
GOD bless you
Thank you. Us moms need to stick together. GOD bless you and yours, as well.
I have only recently heard about this incident, and I was shocked to read it. Paul and I went to college together at UAM. I was his pledge master when he joined the UAM Knights, and was proud to call him a brother and a friend. Paul is highly intelligent and a good musician. I was never aware of his medical condition. I can only hope and pray he gets through this situation. My prayers are also with his family.