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Man arrested for pepper-spraying boy Comment By Buffy Pollock for the Mail Tribune MailTribune.com By Buffy Pollock for the Mail Tribune Posted May. 25, 2016 at 6:31 PM By Buffy Pollock for the Mail Tribune Posted May. 25, 2016 at 6:31 PM » Social News By Wednesday afternoon, 24 hours after being pepper-sprayed by one of his west Medford neighbors on his way home from school, Jackson Elementary School student Pheonix Scott said redness and blistering around his eyes had gone from "burning and swelling so bad I was scared I couldn't see anymore" to "not hurting as bad as it did." The 10 year-old boy's face was still red and blistered Wednesday, and he said his sense of taste was not what it usually is. The local Cub Scout was in the car with his mom, Randi Brock, as they followed a handful of other cars on a shortcut down an alley between Jackson and Haven streets. Haven Street resident William Roger Garner, 81, was also making his way down the alley in his truck, but from the opposite direction as he approached Brock's car. "I motioned, pointing that I would pull over so he could pass, and he promptly flipped me off about 10 times, over and over. Being as he was an older person, I thought maybe he thought I had flipped him off," Brock said. "I didn't want to think someone would have a bad day because of something some young whipper-snapper did, so I slowed down and rolled my window down and said, 'I'm sorry, sir. I think there's a misunderstanding. I hope you didn't think I flipped you off. I was just trying to tell you to pass.' " Brock said Garner approached her car and said, 'Do you know why I don't pull over?' and then sprayed pepper spray a foot or two from her son's face. Pheonix likened the pain to "the worst thing that I ever felt." "I was really scared because it hurt a lot and felt like my eyes were bleeding and I wasn't gonna be able to see anymore," said Pheonix. "I thought that maybe he's crazy, because he was spraying at my face. And then everybody came and tried to help because I was screaming bloody murder and the ambulance was taking a long time to come, so other people helped me try to wash my eyes off." Garner declined to comment for this story, stating, "I don't talk to nobody about anything. I'm sorry. Don't call back here. Goodbye." Garner was arrested and booked in Jackson County Jail shortly after the 3 p.m. Tuesday for second degree unlawful use of mace and first degree criminal mischief. He was released late Tuesday night. Medford police Lt. Kevin Walruff confirmed that Garner had been arrested and released. Walruff said he couldn't discuss specifics of the case, but said civilians who use self-defense devices such as pepper spray or Tasers are responsible for proper use. Brock, a coordinator of a west Medford community Facebook group who facilitates graffiti removal and a community garden, voiced frustration with the charges filed against Garner. "The charges are a joke. It's not criminal mischief when you intentionally cause harm to a child. Criminal mischief is when you write your name in permanent marker on a picnic table or you knock over garbage cans full of trash. That's what criminal mischief is," Brock said. "I really wanted them to make him go in jail, because I was really scared when he sprayed me in my eyes," Pheonix said. Reach reporter Buffy Pollock at [email protected] By Buffy Pollock for the Mail Tribune MailTribune.com By Buffy Pollock for the Mail Tribune Posted May. 25, 2016 at 6:31 PM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... 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