HOUSTON (AP) – A blind Massachusetts man is upset it took him 2 months to get Houston authorities to pursue criminal action against a limousine driver who refused to take him, his wife and a friend to the airport with their two guide dogs.

Under Texas law, refusing public transportation to a person with an assistance animal is punishable with a fine of $300 to $1,000. But Carl Richardson, from Boston, said the police officer investigating the case didn’t initially know such a law existed. Richardson’s efforts, which he said including countless phone calls and nonstop e-mails, resulted in two citations issued to the driver by the airport division of the Houston Police Department.

The prosecutor handling the case was also unaware of the law. “Even I – and I do this all the time – had never heard of this,” said prosecutor Randy Zamora.

As a result, the case originally scheduled for trial in late April was dismissed. Zamora said his office is planning to refile criminal charges against the driver, Eyad Doleh.

The driver’s attorney, Edward Casanova, said the matter is all a big misunderstanding.

Doleh didn’t know about the two dogs, both Labrador retrievers, when he was called and didn’t think there was room in his Lincoln Town Car to safely accommodate everyone, Casanova said.

Richardson said he was told it was against the limousine company’s policy to let dogs ride in the car.

Omar Abaid, who owns Houston Limo and Transportation Service, said his company has no policy against dogs as long as they are restrained. He said he offered to send another car to take Richardson’s party to the airport, but they insisted that Doleh take them. He said Doleh is an independent driver who uses his own car.

Councilman Adrian Garcia, a former police officer, said he will push to better educate the city’s law enforcement about the legal rights of the disabled.

City officials say the incident is also prompting them to consider whether a recently amended ordinance that penalizes cab drivers who violate people’s rights should be expanded to limo drivers as well.

“We want the driver to know there is a consequence to do this so he will think twice about doing it again,” Richardson said.

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Information from: Houston Chronicle, http://www.chron.com

AP-ES-05-20-07 1917EDT