Not just any jail either… we’re talking Rikers Island Prison!
The man, Aitabdel Salem, was originally charged with 3 separate charges and was left in jail and unaware after details of his case changed. He was facing an assault charge which originally had a $25,000 bail amount attached to it. But, after prosecutors failed to get an indictment on that charge, it was dismissed. Which means, that $25k bail price gets thrown out. The other two minor charges had a bail amount of $1 dollar each… so $2 dollars would have got him out of jail. The problem… nobody told him.
On top of that, somehow the guy missed another court date while in jail. Because of that, he was charged again. This time with a $30,000 bail amount set. His new lawyers are arguing that the system is at fault for causing him to miss that date, therefore causing the new charge and bail amount.
“(Salem) was shocked and dismayed and frustrated that his case was unconscionably mishandled and there was no communication by his attorney telling him his bail was $2 which he could have made at any moment,” argued one of Salem’s new attorneys, Glenn Hardy at a recent court hearing. “You can’t do what you don’t know and if you’re a defendant in a criminal case you certainly have a right to rely upon the system (to know) what your next court date is.” (WNEP.com)
You can read more about it HERE.
-zigz
