Scandal at Scandia

Photo: Alanna Kelly

Photograph of Scandia Golf on July 17, 2018.

Any parents would be upset if they took their family to an amusement park and their son got verbally abused—but what if the son looks like an adult but has the intelligence of an eight year old.

Craig MacFarlane took his son Jake, who is 22 years old but developmentally is about three to eight years old, to Scandia Golf and Games on July 14.

It was supposed to be a fun afternoon with friends but quickly turned into a heated argument leaving both business owners, MacFarlane and his son very upset.

According to MacFarlane, an attendant was working on the machine that was malfunctioning.

“All the balls had jammed up and it spit out a free ticket,” he said. “My son, who is mentally handicapped, pulled the ticket out and was super excited, running around, in front of the attendant and was waving his arms.”

Surveillance video shown to a Castanet News reporter shows Jake grabbing a ticket, raising both his hands up in the air, showing everyone he had the ticket.

This happens once more, Jake shows everyone he has the ticket.

“No one really thought anything about it and we kind of sat around and thought, OK since you have another free play we are going to play another round of golf,” said MacFarlane.

An employee came out at this time and went over to Jake.

“(He) took the ticket, grabbed it… he got right in his face and called him an f-ing idiot,” said MacFarlane. "Jake of course, immediately started to cry and came over to me."

Castanet News went to speak with Scandia employees about this encounter, but they said they have no comment at this time in regards to the remark made to Jake.

Scandia Golf & Games controller Gary Brooks said they are reluctant to share the video publicly because “it may adversely affect the individual’s life.”

Brooks said the video “clearly shows an individual helping themselves to two golf passes… stealing two golf passes from the 18th hole mechanism.”

But MacFarlane said his son doesn’t know any better.

“He didn't steal. He took the ticket, but he was very open about taking the ticket,” he said.

“If he had just come out and said we need that ticket back, I would have gladly given it back to him and told Jake that’s not yours you have to give that back.”

Shortly after the employee took the tokens, which were approximately $11 each, a verbal argument broke out between the two men.

“(The employee) never once touched the man,” stated Brooks.

MacFarlane appreciates the manager deals with difficult people on the job but he feels the man overreacted and when he found out the boy was mentally handicapped he should have understood.

“You can’t talk to kids like that, had he been a normal 22 year old… that’s a really poor way to talk to someone when you’re a manager, but not the end of the world,” he said.

“When someone points out to you that this person is mentally handicapped and they are bawling, for you to continue raging, it’s not the kind of place I want to be.”