Woman pepper sprayed at close range, loses her eyesight

(KABC) — A woman, who says she was blinded when a police officer used pepper-spray at close range, is speaking out for the first time.

Monique Hernandez has been blind since the Feb. 21 incident and doctors say she’ll probably never see again.

She was undergoing a field sobriety test in her Beaumont neighborhood when there was a dispute, and Beaumont Officer Enoch Clark allegedly fired his pepper-spray gun in her face at close range. Hernandez says her deepest regret is that she can’t see her 10-year-old daughter.

“My daughter currently is not staying with me right now. She’s staying with my mom, because I can’t take care of her right now. I’ll probably imagine her looking like a 10-year-old all her life – that’s the worst part,” said Hernandez.

The family’s attorney, Milton Grimes, is filing a claim against the city of Beaumont.

Clark has been indicted by a grand jury on criminal assault charges and faces trial. His attorney says he acted in self-defense.

http://abclocal.go.com/kabc/story?section=news/local/inland_empire&id=8644601