CountyJail.net

Find Lee County Jail inmates...

Pre-sentencing

Interview with Jared, Bree, George, Sherry and Timothy

JM: Tell us about the pre-sentencing process:
Jared: i got asked a few questions, and then you wait and wait. no matter who you talk to or what you say. it seems that no one cares or listens
Bree: it was very stressful because they give you a bunch of false hopes, they wanna assume whats gonna happen to you and they tell you it will be fine really when its not. they like to play mind games with you and treat you bad and it is not right.
George: the guards bring all the new inmates in a small room.there is chairs where you sit and wait for the judge to call your name and then go up to a video camera and the judge asks whether you plead.If guilty seen the judge just go ahead and sentence the person right there.If not guilty then its bond out or sit in jail.
Sherry: When brought in I was put in a holding cell with 6 bunks awaiting to go to first appearance. After being taken down the hall and having my first appearance through a TV screen. I was brought back to a front holding cell and given a chance to try and post bail. After not being able to afford to post bail I was processed intobpopulation.
Timothy: I got arrested on a violation of probation charge, so the process for me was a bit different. I had bond which I posted, and then when i went for my violation of probation hearing, they put me in jail. I had no idea for how long or when I would find out how long id be in there for. Met with a public defender who told me to plead no contest.

JM: Did you have police stop by your house for questioning? If not please give us details on how you came to be arrested.
Jared: they stoped by, not to talk, but to place me in handcuffs.
Bree: no they did not come to my house, i was with the wrong people and at the wrong time. got pulled over for speeding and i let the worse become of me and now i am regretting the mistakes i have made. all i can do now is learn from my mistakes and move forward.
George: I was renting a room at the motel 6 in north fort myers.I figured they must have checked the motels guest register with their warrant list.the lee county sheriff asked me to step outside and made sure he had the right person,then told me to put my hands behind my back and told me he had a warrant.
Sherry: I had the police at my door when I got home from the grocery store. I was brought down to the station for questioning. Once there I was stuck in a freezing room for three and a half hours before official questioning began. The interview was recorded on a tape recorder.
Timothy: I had violated probation, and had been accused of another crime at a local store. When they caught me for the crime i am accused of They also realized I had a violation of probation warrant, and arrested me for both charges, VOP and the new felony charge i got.

JM: What was court like? Please give as many details as you recall.
Jared: you wait around, and when you do get in front of a judge. you feel like everyone knows what is going on but you.
Bree: ugh court sucked, espically if your incarcerated and going that way. the officers were always nasty to you and did not care about the inmates. like we were not human. it takes almost 6 hours sitting in a holding cell and give you a cold egg or bologna sandwich yuck!
George: The guards loaded us in a transport bus.When we got to the court house they put us all in waist chains connected to chains on the wrists.they then took us to a basement looking holding cell area with 3 other inmates waiting for the judge to see them.they called me and i was taken to a room with a big desk with about 4 people on each side and the judge sturgis was at the head of the table.
Sherry: Court was intimidating. Having to be shackled around ur ankles with a chain that comes up to your stomach where your hands are than shackled to your midsection. Dressed in an orange jumpsuit it was a very clean place nice to see some color for a change. Judge was respectable. As any judge should be.
Timothy: For my violation of probation hearing court was pretty much empty other than my mother and a few other people. They took me into a private back room where my mother and attorney sat on both sides of me. I got my sentence in this room, very stressful but made it easier since i could sit next to my mother.

JM: What were your original charges? What did you end up being convicted of?
Bree: smuggle contraband into facility, driving on a suspended license, vop (leaving a program)
George: petty theft,and also convicted of it.
Sherry: I have one charge of grand theft 2 charges of false identification to a pawn broker and two charges of dealing in stolen property.
Timothy: My charges for this were violation of probation (on probation for possession of marijuana), and grand theft. I was convicted on the marijuana charge, they withheld adjudication on the grand theft.

Read about sentencing in the Lee County Jail