Mother takes stand in trial over autism dispute

JONESBORO - The mother of an autistic man, accused of obstructing a police officer to protect her son, testified Thursday that she did not grab or push the officer. <br> <br> Police were called to a Publix supermarket Jan. 13 after 24-year-old Billy Munger started screaming obscenities from the store&#39;s men&#39;s room. Julia Munger is accused of obstructing Clayton County police Officer Shannon Stroup and grabbing her arm hard enough to create bruises when the officer tried to restrain her son after he hit Stroup in the face. <br> <br> Munger testified she just wanted to tell Stroup know that she was the mother and to ``please let me handle this.&#39;&#39; <br> <br> ``She didn&#39;t hear a word I said to her,&#39;&#39; Munger said. After another officer arrived on the scene and the situation was under control, Munger said, Stroup and other police officers, along with the store manager, brought her back into the store. One officer told her she had no business bringing Billy to the store and that she shouldn&#39;t bring him back, she said. <br> <br> After an hour of deliberations, the jury was dismissed for the evening and was to reconvene Friday at 9 a.m.