SEATTLE -- Seattle's self-proclaimed crime-fighting super hero is out of work Wednesday night.
He's still fighting crime, but Phoenix Jones is no longer working with kids with special needs and he says they are the ones who will suffer.
Most of us know Phoenix Jones on the street, fighting crime and in the dark. But his day job shows a much different character.
I teach basic life skills to autistic children, said Jones. Stuff like balancing a checkbook, if you want to go shopping at the mall, how to figure out how much money to spend, how to balance money for the entire month, how to survive with your autism that you have.
Phoenix Jones has worked for a company contracted by DSHS for the past five years,until last week, when he got a letter from the state.
It basically just said that effectively immediately, I was no longer able to work with disabled or autistic children, said Jones. 'The reason is because I was put on a list of people who interject themselves into dangerous situations and some government agency put me on that list.
The 23-year-old says because he is being investigated in an assault case, that falls under the DSHS Secretary's List of Crimes and Negative Actions that disqualifies him from working with developmentally disabled children and adults.
It all stemmed from this incident last monthwhen the masked superhero tried to break up a fight by dispersing a can of pepper spray on a crowd. He wasarrested for assault. But no charges have been filed against himand Phoenix Jones says losing his job isn't fair.
I feel like it's an unjust characterization of me. In five years I haven't had one complaint from any of the people I've worked with, said Jones.
Phoenix Jones says he'll be patrolling the streets as a superhero during the day, until he can find a new job. And he hopes that will be soon because he says he has a family to support.
