After being kicked in the back on video, Independence woman’s life has fallen apart | Opinion

After years of alleged abuse at the hands of her former husband, Terri Golding said she’d finally found stability. For six years, Golding, formerly of Independence, had a place of her own and a peace of mind.

In one fell swoop — she was kicked in the back by a neighbor, an incident captured on security video — and Golding’s life unraveled.

To say the Kansas City-area woman has had a tough go of it lately would be putting things mildly. Since being attacked by a former neighbor and one-time friend, Danny Thomas, Golding said she has experienced homelessness, lost her possessions and had to sell her vehicle to a salvage yard for $200.

Thomas, 49, is due in Independence Municipal Court July 9. He is expected to go on trial for assaulting Golding and abusing her dog, Ham, in the same incident April 7.

I was in court May 28 when Municipal Court Judge Gary Helm told Thomas he faced serious charges — misdemeanor assault and animal abuse — with the possibility of jail time and needed an attorney.

Thomas left the courtroom before I could speak with him. He is presumed innocent. But based on a video Golding made with her cellphone from a security monitor that recorded the incident, Thomas is going to have a hard time defending his actions that day.

Because of repeated harassment from a few residents at Heritage House apartment complex who Golding said sided with Thomas, she was forced to move after going public with the assault. Although she can’t prove someone intentionally damaged her vehicle, she said she had to junk her 2007 Dodge Nitro SUV because it suddenly started sputtering.

“It was like someone had stuck something in the tailpipe,” she said.

When Golding left Independence in early May for a brief stay in Warsaw, Missouri, she took nothing but a handful of personal items.

“I left my clothes, my furniture, everything,” Golding said.

She has Ham — a black-and-white McNab mixed-breed dog Golding described as super smart — but not much else. After spending a few days at a campsite in Warsaw, Golding made her way back to the Kansas City area. She’s slept at a friend’s residence in Independence since then, she told me.

“I’ve lost everything except my dog,” she said.

Golding is disabled with a fixed monthly income, she said. Thanks to a federal housing voucher administered by the Independence Housing Authority, she’s been approved for an apartment in the historic 18th & Vine Jazz District in Kansas City. Her expected move-in date is July 1, she said.

To help offset costs, Golding set up a “starting over” gift registry on Amazon asking for household goods and other items. She hopes people who read this column or learn of her tribulations after being assaulted will contribute.

Citation for animal abuse

Thomas is Golding’s former neighbor whom she considered a friend. A dispute between the two over who legally owned Ham ended with Thomas kicking Golding in the back and onto the ground. The impact from the blow sent Golding crumbling to the pavement and left her with a 1-inch scuff mark on her knee, according to a police report.

In April, Thomas told me over the phone that he uses a wheelchair because of a traumatic brain injury from 24 years ago. He denied kicking Golding, but the video I watched told a different story.

Thomas said he only pushed Golding to the ground.

“It looks like I kicked her but I didn’t,” he said then.

I beg to differ from Thomas’ version of the story. While seated on his motorized wheelchair, Thomas clearly kicked Golding in the back, the video shows. He also made contact with Ham.

On April 19, Thomas was cited for animal abuse. Although the incidents occurred at the same time, almost three weeks passed before the assault charge was filed by Independence City Prosecutor Mitch Langford.

Golding’s medical history includes a diagnosis of complex post-traumatic stress disorder and spinal stenosis of both the neck and lower back. Walking or standing for long periods of time is difficult and sometimes painful, she told me. Her condition worsened after Thomas struck her, she said.

Citing a state statute that protects disabled people from harm, Golding said her disabilities made her a special victim in this case — and she is, according to state law. She wants Thomas charged with a much more serious felony and the case transferred to Jackson County Circuit Court.

So far, and rather incredulously, the case remains only a municipal violation.