Monday, June 14, 2004
DARIUS DOES IT AGAIN The New York Post has the best story about the Friday arrest of Darius McCollum, the widely-profiled serial MTA impostor. McCollum is thought--at least by his supporters--to suffer from Asperger's syndrome, a mild form of autism.
Sad story. My knee-jerk reaction is to call for the MTA to just cave in and put McCollum to work--on the grounds that there has to be somewhere in the subway system where he could make a contribution that would benefit both him and the city. But obviously the situation is a lot more complicated than that.
The twenty-time offender had been released only two months ago for another subway-related offense.
McCollum was caught with a transit worker's vest, a hard hat, and several sets of keys including engineer, universal and switch keys, said authorities.[...]
McCollum, of the Lower East Side, was charged with attempted grand larceny, criminal impersonation, possession of stolen property, trespassing and possession of burglar tools, according to Queens District Attorney Richard Brown.
He was held in lieu of $250,000 bail after being arraigned.
Sad story. My knee-jerk reaction is to call for the MTA to just cave in and put McCollum to work--on the grounds that there has to be somewhere in the subway system where he could make a contribution that would benefit both him and the city. But obviously the situation is a lot more complicated than that.
The blog of a man who (allegedly) has Asperger's syndrome is located here.
The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) definition of Asperger's syndrome can be found here.
UPDATE: The New York Times has more.
