A man was arrested while he was sitting in his friend’s limousine. The limousine was stopped because of tinted windows. He had on him Turkish tobacco. The police officers who had stopped them accused him of possessing marijuana. There was no “lab people” present. (people eligible to determine what substance was in the bag). He was arrested under a minor possession of marijuana charge. He was not read his rights. He was searched without permission. The police officers took his refillable butane lighter, which he is under the impression that these lighters are allowed inside the jail, to be left with his other possessions. He was in the prison system for 50 days. He appeared in front of a magistrate judge who set his bond. He wanted to pay his own bond, as he had no friend or family member who could pay his bond for him. He attempted to talk to more than one official about paying his bond, but was unable to acquire help. He never saw another judge. While in the prison system he was transferred from the holding cell to Templeton, to Angola and finally to Lake Providence. He had not cut his hair in 25 years, and upon arriving at Angola, they cut his hair against his will. Inside the OPP the windows were broken, and there were 15 people in his cell. He was given no bedding. There was mold everywhere and spiders everywhere. He suffered from high blood pressure and was given medical attention in Angola. Most corrections officers ignored the inmates. He was released on November 15 without being given a court date, but the charges are still pending. He is concerned because he does not have an address where a subpoena can be sent to, and the charges are still pending, meaning he could be picked up again at any point.
