Paraplegic Activist Leaps From Wheelchair, Runs From Police

SAN BERNARDINO, Calif. -- It's a miracle or a scam.
Police said a paraplegic activist for Southern California's disabled managed to leap from her wheelchair and run.

Police said Laura Lee Medley, who repeatedly filed claims and lawsuits for noncompliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, was a con artist.

A San Bernardino County spokesman, David Wert, said Medley had complained to police earlier that she was having medical problems so she was taken to a hospital for treatment.

Wert said, "That's where the great miracle occurred."
Officers said Medley, 35, leaped from her wheelchair and ran for freedom after being placed under arrest by Las Vegas police. The barefoot woman was caught after a brief pursuit.
According to authorities in Southern California, Medley was never disabled but used her supposed condition to file many medical claims and lawsuits. Her questionable claims led to the arrest in Las Vegas.

Medley's claims in California against San Bernardino County, South Pasadena and Long Beach included one allegation that a bus dropped her off near what she called a non-ADA compliant roadway, causing her wheelchair to topple over.

Last year, South Pasadena settled Medley's claim for almost $7,000.

Medley is also a fugitive with arrest warrants in Arizona for forgery and California for fraud.
Medley is in Las Vegas waiting extradition to San Bernardino, Calif., to face charges including two counts of insurance fraud.

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