The_RANDy_Corporation
08-31-2001, 09:39 AM
Fell through the cracks, I guess. How much will this cost DC?
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Deaf Man Wrongly Jailed in D.C. for 2 Years
The Associated Press
Published: Aug 31, 2001
WASHINGTON(AP) - A mentally ill deaf man whose case file slipped through the cracks spent nearly two years in jail before officials realized that a misdemeanor charge against him had been dropped.
The Washington Post reported Friday 42-year-old Joseph Heard was released from the D.C. jail August 13 and sent to St. Elizabeths Hospital after corrections officials retrieved his case file from storage and discovered the error. His file had been archived about a year ago after being erroneously labeled inactive.
Officials say the problem started in October 1999 when police delivered Heard to the jail without any paperwork. A court officer had told a records examiner at the jail that his case had been dismissed. But files authorizing his release never arrived and no one at the jail tried to resolve the discrepancy, the Post reported.
Heard, who reportedly is unable to speak, spent the time inside a solitary cell in the mental health ward. Records show that no one visited Heard during his two-year incarceration. . . .
The Associated Press (http://ap.tbo.com/ap/breaking/MGAIU49Z1RC.html)
****
Deaf Man Wrongly Jailed in D.C. for 2 Years
The Associated Press
Published: Aug 31, 2001
WASHINGTON(AP) - A mentally ill deaf man whose case file slipped through the cracks spent nearly two years in jail before officials realized that a misdemeanor charge against him had been dropped.
The Washington Post reported Friday 42-year-old Joseph Heard was released from the D.C. jail August 13 and sent to St. Elizabeths Hospital after corrections officials retrieved his case file from storage and discovered the error. His file had been archived about a year ago after being erroneously labeled inactive.
Officials say the problem started in October 1999 when police delivered Heard to the jail without any paperwork. A court officer had told a records examiner at the jail that his case had been dismissed. But files authorizing his release never arrived and no one at the jail tried to resolve the discrepancy, the Post reported.
Heard, who reportedly is unable to speak, spent the time inside a solitary cell in the mental health ward. Records show that no one visited Heard during his two-year incarceration. . . .
The Associated Press (http://ap.tbo.com/ap/breaking/MGAIU49Z1RC.html)