Jul. 25, 2006 - 20:28 MDT

LOCAL ABU GHRAIB

Regardless of the character of a person, in my mind they still deserve a fair shake from the law.

According to the article in today's Rocky Mountain News by Ann Imse of that paper, this man did get a fair shake - finally, but blew it to the max. Here is the article in part:

INMATE SHACKLED 5 DAYS

Prison officials believed man had swallowed heroin

"An inmate was shackled to a chair for five and a half days without exercise or sleep at the state prison in Buena Vista, because officials suspected him of swallowing bags of heroin and wanted to collect the evidence."

"Lights in the room were never turned off and inmate Brian Willert, 29, was strip-searched 17 times, even though a guard sat a few feet away watching him constantly."

"Chaffee County District Court Judge Charles M. Barton threw out the evidence -- which Willert eventually managed to produce -- ruling that it resulted from an unreasonable search. He said prison officals could have accomplished the same thing in a few hours by obtaining a court order to administer a laxative."

"Forcing a shackled inmate to sit in a chair for over five days posed, in the court's opinion, an unreasonable risk to the life and health of the inmate," Barton said in his July 14 ruling. The judge said prison officials failed to check on Willert's health after he tested positive for methamphetaimine on the fourth day, indicating a balloon containing that drug might have burst inside, giving him an overwhelming dose."

"It is difficult for the court to imagine a more intrusive procedure," the judge wrote. "Defendant was watched every minute for over five days. He was not permitted to meet the basic human need to lie down and sleep."

"The judge also questioned how the repeated strip searches of an imate both shackled and watched could be related to security."

"Willert managed to turn victory into defeat in the end. He was released from prison but failed to show up for the hearing where his public defender won this ruling. So he was arrested again for violating his bail, was hit with an additional charge of attempted escape for allegedly trying to kick out a door on a police car and now is confined again in the Larimer Country jail awaiting trial."

+++++++++++++++

Almost like one of those, I think they were called "Morality Plays" where the baddie suffers in the end, no matter what.

The guy did "produce the evidence" which means that via a BM the baggies appeared. But due to the method used the evidence was thrown out, the man was freed. Through the benificence of the court a guilty man slipped through, only to fail miserably to stay free.

But to me the main thing is that treatment like that is inhuman, regardless of the person involved. Convicts or free men are entitled to humane treatment by the authorities.

Yeah, we make mistakes here too at our LOCAL ABU GRAIB . . . . . . . . . .

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