EMT implies suspect’s seizures are faked

Jayson Gargiulo of Springfield has pleaded innocent to three misdemeanor counts of disorderly conduct and a count of simple assault before he was released on conditions.

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Published December 19, 2015 in the Rutland Herald EMT implies suspect’s seizures are faked By Eric Francis Herald Correspondent WHITE RIVER JUNCTION — Jayson Gargiulo of Springfield has pleaded innocent to three misdemeanor counts of disorderly conduct and a count of simple assault before he was released on conditions. Gargiulo came to police attention in the summer after emergency medical technicians with Springfield Ambulance Service complained that on four occasions, Gargiulo had been the focus of a 911 response because he was supposedly experiencing seizures. “But when he comes out of them he is immediately alert and begins to threaten first responders,” a police affidavit said. A Springfield EMT wrote in his statement, “With all my years of service and training, I know that when a patient suffers from grand mal seizures there is a prolonged recovery time (and) the seizure patient is unable to focus, is confused and extremely sleepy … which will last between 5 and 30 minutes.” However, the EMT said after each of Gargiulo’s episodes, he was able to snap out of it instantly and “became increasingly agitated and aggressive,” telling ambulance crew members he would harm them and their family members. Springfield Police Officer Shaun Smith wrote of an incident in June when Gargiulo was taken to Springfield Hospital for evaluation. An EMT saw “Gargiulo jump onto a hospital bed yelling at hospital staff ... produced a knife and threatened to harm hospital staff ...” the affidavit said. Three years ago, Bennington Police Sgt. David Rowland questioned Gargiulo repeatedly while investigating an October 2012 arson case in which a vacant home belonging to a female friend of Gargiulo was burned to the ground. Rowland wrote in his report that when Gargiulo was told that he was being charged with first-degree arson, he said “he has seizures during which he can’t remember anything and had one on the day of the fire and spent time in the hospital.” Gargiulo was eventually convicted of a felony charge of acting as an accessory after the fact in the arson and was sentenced to serve six to 30 months, all of which was suspended so he could be placed on probation. The most recent incident involving Gargiulo took place a month ago at the skate park next to the Riverside Middle School. Police said a 13-year-old girl intervened between a male teenager and Gargiulo, who were in a heated argument. Jennifer White, an adult who heard the commotion, said she called police after she approached a half-dozen kids screaming “Don’t hit her!” and spotted “a kid with his shirt off saying he was a Marine and was going to kill them.” “(Gargiulo) was standing above her with his right hand drawn back at his waist level making threats to punch her in the face,” White wrote in her statement. “These poor girls were screaming.”