My brain Injured Sis-in-Law, Jailed for a Computer Glitch

I have a very special sister-in-law she has survived a war of sorts; although she has emerged quite scarred from battle.

Some nine years ago my sister-in-law was a single mom on-the-go. She had her own car, her own apartment, a job working for the MGM Grand Hotel and a very full, tumultuous social life; including the drama of a last minute called off wedding.

She worked cleaning rooms for the hotel and her fiery temperament caused her many a reprimand for telling off her workmates.

Then on the day after Mother's Day in 1999 she had a bad headache that just got worse.

She had spinal meningitis.

Her fever topped 106, she had multiple seizures and when the infection was gone she was much like a 2 year old.

She did not recognize family members, she did not know who the president was or the month or year. If you handed her a bowl of soup she would stir it and if not interrupted she would continue to stir for hours.

Through tremendous therapy she relearned basic skills and after a couple of years she resumed a somewhat "normal" life.

Her eyes remained puffy for several years, her menstrual cycle did not resume for another five years. She cannot maintain a job or a household on her own.

Gone are the tight jeans and sexy blouses. Replaced with girl like flowery dresses and always a bow in her hair. She has not had a romantic relationship since her illness.

She was however able to regain her drivers license and although she cannot maintain a paying job she is indispensable to the family.

She keeps her grandmother company and drives her to the store whenever she needs something.

She babysits her 6 month old nephew so her newly single younger sister can work.

And she routinely runs errands for her mom's business.

Three years ago she received a ticket for an "unsafe turn" and outdated proof of insurance. She paid the ticket and has renewed her yearly car registration twice since then (which is flagged if you have unpaid tickets).

Friday at 5:30 in the morning she was on her way to her sister's to babysit her nephew for the day.

A cop who had nothing better to do ran her plates.

He pulled her over and arrested her, saying the computer showed she never paid the ticket.

He allowed her to make a couple of calls. One to my husband who spoke to the cop and told him of her brain injury and asked if he could pass that on to the folks at the jail.That she often mistakes sarcasm for literalism (concerned that this might get her into trouble).The cop allowed her to park her car instead of impounding it and placed the softer plastic handcuffs on her.

Down at the jail they weren't so nice.

They immediately removed the plastic handcuffs.

They slapped on tight metal handcuffs, chained her hands to her feet and her feet to a chair.

She was left with her arms and legs shackled painfully behind her for several hours, until they got to her.

Once they did, it just got worse.

She was stripped in a cold concrete room, shivering with cold and fear and humiliation. She was asked about allergies to which she responded "I'm allergic to something but can't remember what." and given a tenus shot anyway. She was then given paper underwear and jail clothing and stuck in a cold concrete cell.

A single toilet was in the center of the cell in full view of the MALE (wtf) guards.

Meanwhile, on the outside, my mom-in-law had the city judge sign an own recognizances order around three in the afternoon. He said he figured it would process around 10 that night.

Around 10pm we start calling the jail. They don't answer.

Around midnight they called back. They say they don't have anyone by that name in their jail. But they won't check to see if she was there earlier and released.

We are all somewhat panicked and start to second guess if she was in city or county. We remember that the judge who signed the O.R. was a city judge. This means that barring some other computer problem she was released.

This is the area where there release women in the middle of the night.





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I cannot begin to tell you what this area is like at night. But I'm sure you can imagine. Just picture any major metropolis city hall back ally at 1 in the morning.This is not where you want an innocent, trusting soul to be wandering while traumatized and confused.


She was not exactly sure where she had been taken and being dropped off in the back alley of City Hall Complex left her disoriented when combined with the 18 hour ordeal she had just endured.

Her mother showed up to the locked front doors of City Hall feeling like she had a lost little child she needed to get to desperately. She rattled the fastened doors again and suddenly felt the need to call out to her child. She shouted for her at the top of her lungs and a moment later she heard a faint voice call back. She followed the sound and found her in the parking lot behind the building.

For the last few days my sister-in-law has not wanted to leave the house.

She has stayed in bed watching Disney movies and being uncharacteristically quiet.

Today she found the receipt for her paid ticket.

Sigh.

-Tasha