Phoenix Jones, real name Ben Fodor, lost his job working with autistic children after he was arrested for allegedly pepper-spraying a group of people in the course of his self-styled superhero duties. (AP)
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Seattle's Masked Superhero Loses Job Working With Autistic Kids After Arrest
November 03, 2011
“The whole point of what I do is to keep people safe.”
Seattle's self-styled superhero Phoenix Jones lost his job working with autistic children after his arrest on an assault charge last month for allegedly pepper-spraying a crowd.
Jones -- real name Benjamin John Francis Fodor -- was released on bond after the Oct. 9 incident. He said he was trying to break up a fight and later attacked. He hasn't been formally charged, though his case remains before a city attorney.
Despite the lack of formal charges, Washington's Department of Social and Health Services contacted Fodor's employer after his arrest and asked he be removed from working with any vulnerable children while his case is pending, the Seattle Post-Intelligencer reported.
"The provider was asked to remove him from any cases that we had," DSHS spokeswoman Sherry Hill told the newspaper.
As a result, Fodor lost his job working with autistic kids, ranging from age 4 to 18.
"I had to leave work in the middle of the day," he told Publicola. "It was embarrassing."
Hill said Fodor is not permanently barred from working with children, but the department wanted to "err on the side of caution" by alerting his employer about the assault investigation.
A spokeswoman for Seattle City Attorney Pete Holmes said a final decision has not been made about whether to charge Jones. People convicted of assault are legally prohibited from jobs working with vulnerable children and adults, according to the Post-Intelligencer.
Fodor could return to his job if his case is dropped and he is not convicted, Hill said.
Fodor disputed the notion that he is dangerous to children.
“I would say I have a history of fighting crime,” he told Publicola. “The whole point of what I do is to keep people safe.”
Watch Fodor discuss his arrest on Fox News:
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