Getting It Off My Chest: A Rant - October 13, 2011

According to statistics provided by the United States Department of Justice, the average length of time between an arrest and a conviction for a felony is 219 days. That's a long time. So what does it mean when a person sits in the local jail and rots away, waiting for trial, for (as of today), 978 days? It says, to me anyhow, that either the District Attorney's office is either corrupt or incompetent or a little bit of both.

The right to a speedy trial is one of the rights assured us by the United States Constitution. Yet, the DA's office here in Scotland County, Laurinburg, NC see's it more as a suggestion than an actual guideline to follow. I look at it and see one of two things happening. Either the DA's office knows it has a weak case and keeps dragging it out in the hope that some big piece of evidence or miracle will fall into their laps and they'll be able to get a conviction. Or they're dragging it out in the hopes that the defendant will give in and break down, deciding that (truthfully) anything, even prison, is better than rotting in that disgusting shithole of a county jail. He breaks, cops a plea and they get a conviction - end of story.

Forget about the fact that the case is flimsy and totally circumstantial and there is no proof, aside from the word of a person who's credibility is extremely questionable (her criminal records, history of drug use and personal history all support this opinion.) Forget about the fact that the defendent's life has been put on hold for three years and he's been deprived of the most basic of civil rights. Forget about the U.S. Constitution and the right to a fair and speedy trial. This is Laurinburg - this is Scotland County - this is NC District 16-A - and justice doesn't usually figure into the equation. It's all about getting that conviction and whether or not the person is innocent or the plaintiff is suspect or the charges are totally bogus, it doesn't matter.

This has nothing to do with the case I'm speaking of, but is a great example of how the DA's office is willing to make deals and bargain to get convictions. If you go to court and have more than one charge, more often than not, the D.A. will offer up a deal at the start of the session. If you plead guilty, they'll drop some of the lesser charges for you. So in essence, they're bribing you for a guilty plea. And most people will go along and cooperate rather than argue their innocence because it's easier and will get the situation over with, and also, if you plead not guilty, you have to wait until the end of the court day to have your trial and despite any evidence to the contrary, you will be found guilty and sentenced harsher than someone who just played along and did the guilty plea in the first place. You are rewarded if you play their game and plead guilty and you're punished for not going along with the crowd if you decide to declare your innocence and plead your case. And if you think I'm lying or wrong, just sit in the courtroom on any day at the Scotland County Courthouse and listen and watch.

Here's something else to think about. Everyone has heard of the "Underwear Bomber", who had a bomb in his underwear and attempted to blow up a plane in December of 2009. That was nine months after my friend was locked up. As of yesterday, the so called "Underwear Bomber", who faced several charges on both the Federal and State levels, finished up his court trial. He pleaded guilty. But my friend, who has only one charge against him, was locked up nine months before this guy and he has yet to go to trial. He's been there for 32 months. The DA's office keeps delaying and putting things off. And no one can give a reasonable explanation why.

So it's easier to try a terrorist on multiple state and federal charges than to bring a local guy to trial on one felony. That doesn't make sense unless the D.A.'s office doesn't want it to come to trial. They know that they can't win a jury trial if the truth about the plantiff, the truth about several of the detectives involved in the case, the truth about everything, comes out. They'd rather just put things off and delay it until the guy gets tired of rotting away in jail and breaks.

This could be resolved so easily. Give the plantiff a lie detector test (and a drug test), both of which she'd most likely fail. Give the defendant a lie detector test. And then, when the results come in, dismiss the charges and allow everyone to move on with their lives. Only problem with that is that the lies and incompetence of the local authorities would be revealed for all the world to see. And they wouldn't get their conviction. Wouldn't that be a shame.

What's that old cliche' about guilty until proven innocent? Not in Laurinburg. Not in Scotland County. And not in NC District 16-A. Truth and justice are not what matters here. If it was, then somone would be coming home today.