Is there any law protecting people with glasses from being virtually blinded by having their glasses taken from them.

[plantsarelife]

A few years ago, I tried to leave my abusive fiance'. After several begging and then threatening attempt on his part, and him taking my phone so I couldn't call anyone, he took my glasses off my face and put them in his pocket saying "fine, but these stay with me". He virtually blinded me so I couldn't leave. I can't see 6 inches in front of my face. My vision without corrective lenses is so horrid the entire world is a blob without them. How is this not more of a crime? You're taking someone's vision away. It's absolute control, leaving them powerless. Glasses aren't something you just come by. You've TAKEN someone's SIGHT from them for CONTROL. How is that not a felony?

 

[Just Blue]

A few years ago, I tried to leave my abusive fiance'. After several begging and then threatening attempt on his part, and him taking my phone so I couldn't call anyone, he took my glasses off my face and put them in his pocket saying "fine, but these stay with me". He virtually blinded me so I couldn't leave. I can't see 6 inches in front of my face. My vision without corrective lenses is so horrid the entire world is a blob without them. How is this not more of a crime? You're taking someone's vision away. It's absolute control, leaving them powerless. Glasses aren't something you just come by. You've TAKEN someone's SIGHT from them for CONTROL. How is that not a felony?

What state? If in the US, did you report the situation to the police?

 

[justalayman]

Hmmm, so a blind person can’t move about?

I get your point but even blind people figure out how to navigate without sight. Taking your glasses would be a crime; something like theft or along those lines. If you were injured having to navigate to escape to a safe place, there is likely something there as well. Taking your phone could actually be a greater crime if domestic violence was involved. In my state that pretty much guarantees you will face felony charges. Preventing a person from contacting the police is taken very seriously

While I would have to move slowly I know I could navigate through and out of my house and down the road without any sight so, did he physically prevent you from leaving or simply made it very difficult?


And what state?

 

[commentator]

Okay, if he was abusing you, as in physically, that was something you should already have been thinking of as a crime. So what is the big deal about "And then he took away my glasses. Is this a crime?" What do you think should happen for taking your glasses that shouldn't happen for the other abuse? And apparently he gave them back, as you couldn't be typing this without the glasses. So why don't you do something now about leaving if you are being abused? What you say is that this happened, 'A few YEARS ago....' Okay, tell us your state, and what you want to do about it now?

 

[cbg]

What with everything else that's going on in Washington these days, I'm having a hard time coming up with a scenario in which the legislature would consider it a priority to create, sponsor, and pass a bill that says, in effect, it shall be considered a felony to take someone's glasses and put them in your pocket.

Really, what with the laws already covering domestic abuse, theft, and assault, I suspect the resulting actions will handle the matter quite well enough without being quite that specific.

 

[TigerD]

Felonious restraint, kidnapping, assault, theft, tampering with a victim, hindering prosecution and a possibly more. Of course, as already stated, the state is rather important. And the statute of limitation is also important. Frankly if you failed to report it for a few years, the police aren't likely to be too interested in timely investigating it either.

TD

 

[LdiJ]

Hmmm, so a blind person can’t move about?

I get your point but even blind people figure out how to navigate without sight. Taking your glasses would be a crime; something like theft or along those lines. If you were injured having to navigate to escape to a safe place, there is likely something there as well. Taking your phone could actually be a greater crime if domestic violence was involved. In my state that pretty much guarantees you will face felony charges. Preventing a person from contacting the police is taken very seriously

While I would have to move slowly I know I could navigate through and out of my house and down the road without any sight so, did he physically prevent you from leaving or simply made it very difficult?


And what state?

A blind person has LEARNED to move about without sight and has some equipment or a service animal to do so. A person who is suddenly without vision is literally helpless. I could manage to move about fairly easily without my glasses but I certainly could not drive a car to get away from someone nor would it be safe for me to try to walk anywhere other than maybe to the next door neighbor to ask for help.

It sounds like her vision is a lot worse than mine. However, I am not sure that she is asking the question because she wants to try to do something about it. I think that she is asking the question because she simply wants to know the answer.

 

[stealth2]

I would kind of expect that a person whose vision is so compromised as to be essentially blind would have a back-up pair of glasses.

 

[justalayman]

A blind person has LEARNED to move about without sight and has some equipment or a service animal to do so. A person who is suddenly without vision is literally helpless. I could manage to move about fairly easily without my glasses but I certainly could not drive a car to get away from someone nor would it be safe for me to try to walk anywhere other than maybe to the next door neighbor to ask for help.

It sounds like her vision is a lot worse than mine. However, I am not sure that she is asking the question because she wants to try to do something about it. I think that she is asking the question because she simply wants to know the answer.

She suggested she was totally unable to navigate due to losing her glasses. That is not what happens in the real world. Especially in a living space one is Familiar with. How many people walk through there home in total darkness?

Realistically a person can navigate their own familiar home and as I said. While it wouldn’t be speedy I could get 1/4 mile down the road with absolutely no vision. I know because I have done it in such darkness that there was no difference in what I saw whether my eyes were open or closed.

 

[Mass_Shyster]

One could argue that taking glasses off someone would constitute robbery, a felony in all jurisdictions that I'm familiar with.

 

[Zigner]

The defense would argue that a quick snatch of the item uses neither fear nor force and, here in CA, if force or fear wasn't used then it's not robbery.

 

[HighwayMan]

One could argue that taking glasses off someone would constitute robbery, a felony in all jurisdictions that I'm familiar with.

Without the use of force or threat of the use of force it would not be a robbery in the areas where I work (but it would still be a felony - Grand Larceny 4th).

 

[xylene]

It's possible in some states that if taking the glasses was done to prevent a 911 call or to emergency service line (or even to deny telephone communication) that could constitute a crime.

 

[Mass_Shyster]

Without the use of force or threat of the use of force it would not be a robbery in the areas where I work (but it would still be a felony - Grand Larceny 4th).

Some amount of force is required to move the glasses - basic physics. Whether that constitutes force used in a larceny is debatable. I've seen prosecutors argue that simply taking a pen from someone's hand constitutes robbery. He didn't get a conviction, and was using that as a tactic to force a plea. I could see the same situation here.

 

[PayrollHRGuy]

A few years ago, I tried to leave my abusive fiance'. After several begging and then threatening attempt on his part, and him taking my phone so I couldn't call anyone, he took my glasses off my face and put them in his pocket saying "fine, but these stay with me". He virtually blinded me so I couldn't leave. I can't see 6 inches in front of my face. My vision without corrective lenses is so horrid the entire world is a blob without them. How is this not more of a crime? You're taking someone's vision away. It's absolute control, leaving them powerless. Glasses aren't something you just come by. You've TAKEN someone's SIGHT from them for CONTROL. How is that not a felony?

As has been made clear in the previous posts it likely was a felony. But did you actually call the police and report what you felt was a crime? Crimes can't be investigated and people don't get arrested if the police aren't informed of the crime.