My wife had to sell my ASM collection off to bail me out of jail!

[bluerosekiller]

Yep, no joke.

And, before anyone asks, let me be clear, I was innocent of all charges.

Yeah, I know, EVERYONE says that. But, in my case, it's the truth & eventually ( after three court appearances spread out over two months ) I was cleared of all charges & the case dismissed.

This all happened beginning back in November & it's a long story, but I'll try to be as brief as possible.

 

The trouble actually began last summer when I became friends with a woman ( yeah, I know, all too often a guy's troubles always seem to start with a woman, but not in the way you think in this case... ) named Theresa that I'd known casually for about three years since moving into my building ( my wife & I have been separated since 2012 ). And, JUST friends. Platonic friends, because she's gay. And no, I wasn't at all attracted to her. Whatsoever.

So, we just hung out & watched television together, talked & what not.

This went on for about a month or so, then during the hottest portion of the summer, she told me that her AC broke down & she asked me if she & her dog could crash on my couch until it got fixed. By that time, I thought that I knew her well enough & was comfortable enough with her to say yeah. No problem.

But, what I thought would be a night or two turned into a week. And then two. Which turned into a month.

Now, I realize how odd this must sound & believe me, in retrospect, I know now that all sorts of alarm bells should have been going off, but at the time, I was sort of enjoying having the company. It was no big deal.

But then, it began to become to become a nuisance. And I knew that maintenance would have definitely fixed her AC.

And, then, I found out that she was buying people's Adderall & Valium prescriptions & it was all just too shady for me. She'd definitely overstayed her welcome & I told her she had to leave.

I did it as nicely as possible & she seemed cool with it, but guess, what? She wasn't.

I stayed friendly with her, but began to get a strange vibe from her, so I stayed away from her as much as possible.

Fast forward to the beginning of November & she called me & asked me to help her to carry a bunch of boxes of stuff that she'd tried to sell someplace, from the lobby back upstairs to her place on the 11th floor. So, I did. But, while I was doing so she was behaving really hostile toward me & just acting in a really bizarre way, so I just left the stuff at her door & left.

I went back to my place on the 4th floor & stayed there for the rest of the day/night. At that point, it was about four o'clock.

Then, after midnight, I was woken up by loud knocking at my door.

Which, I chose to ignore because I knew that it had to be her after the way that she'd been acting earlier & I wanted nothing more to do with her. But, the knocking just got louder & more persistent so I went to the door & asked who it was. "Theresa," she said.

I told her through the door that I'd talk to her the next day, but she insisted that she just wanted to apologize.

So, like an insufficiently_thoughtful_person, I decided to open my door.

I was promptly greeted by a bunch of cops who forced their way in as soon as I undid my lock & they immediately slapped handcuffs on me while demanding to know "where's the knife!".

Of course, I had absolutely no idea what the hell they were talking about.

I tried to explain to them that I'd been in my apartment all night & that I never left it, but they didn't want to hear anything I said. Not a word. They just told me that I was under arrest for assault with intent to cause bodily harm & menacing with a deadly weapon.

I couldn't even challenge her accusation because she took off as soon as the cops were in my door.

So, I was dragged down to the station, booked, spent the rest of the night in a cell, was given some paperwork to fill out for the public defender's office & then taken before the judge who simply read me my charges & told me that my bail was set at $2500.

I was absolutely stunned.

I had no idea whatsoever that such a thing could happen to someone. In fact, if someone had told me this before it happened to me, I'd have assumed that they were a liar. I thought that prior to being arrested for a crime that someone would have to be brought in for questioning etc. But, I'm living proof that such is definitely NOT the case.

Anyhow, only after appearing before the judge was I given my phone call. With it, I got my wife's voice mail. I left a message & then I was put back into my cell until being transported with a bunch of other men to the county jail.

Where, due to all manner of f**k ups & problems too lengthy & convoluted to go into detail about ( but which included my wife's car being totaled & a subsequent hospital stay by my daughter ), I wound up spending the next 27 days.

And, due to all manner of financial issues that I won't bore you with, I had to have my wife take my three long boxes of ASM to a local dealer to sell in order for her to come up with the cash to bail me out.

Once I got out though, it was very easy to prove my innocence ( even though, as I said earlier, it took three separate court dates to get it done ) because the building I live in has security cameras in all the hallways, stairways & elavators. And the footage proved that I never left my apartment after four o'clock, much less went up to Theresa's apartment at eleven o'clock, broke in, beat her up & held a knife to her throat!

Also, like the lunatic that I learned she was/is, she told several of her neighbors that she split her own lip & left what looked like a cut mark on her neck by using the thin chain from a necklace. One of whom testified for me.

So, you might ask, was she arrested for filing a false police report?

Nope. Because conveniently enough, she had checked herself into our local psych unit when she knew that they were coming to question her about it back in January. And the last I heard, they weren't going to persue a case against her because "she's under a doctor's care for PTSD & other issues". Groovy, huh?

Sorry for taking up so much of your time with this, those that have actually managed to read this far. I just had to get this all off of my chest & vent a bit. And, since it is comics related, this is where I chose to do it.

All I can say is be VERY careful who you befriend. Because there are a people out there who you might think you know & who you like & even try to help out who will turn on you & turn out to be batsh*t crazy.

[comicalgems]

27 days in the clink for something you didn't do...someone get this man a beer, and a lawyer.

 

Sounds like there was a lack of due process. Let's see add to the list of injustices a violation of your constitutional rights and your civil rights I'd be contacting a lawyer pronto.

[Buzzetta]

Yep, no joke.

And, before anyone asks, let me be clear, I was innocent of all charges.

Yeah, I know, EVERYONE says that. But, in my case, it's the truth & eventually ( after three court appearances spread out over two months ) I was cleared of all charges & the case dismissed.

This all happened beginning back in November & it's a long story, but I'll try to be as brief as possible.

 

The trouble actually began last summer when I became friends with a woman ( yeah, I know, all too often a guy's troubles always seem to start with a woman, but not in the way you think in this case... ) named Theresa that I'd known casually for about three years since moving into my building ( my wife & I have been separated since 2012 ). And, JUST friends. Platonic friends, because she's gay. And no, I wasn't at all attracted to her. Whatsoever.

So, we just hung out & watched television together, talked & what not.

This went on for about a month or so, then during the hottest portion of the summer, she told me that her AC broke down & she asked me if she & her dog could crash on my couch until it got fixed. By that time, I thought that I knew her well enough & was comfortable enough with her to say yeah. No problem.

But, what I thought would be a night or two turned into a week. And then two. Which turned into a month.

Now, I realize how odd this must sound & believe me, in retrospect, I know now that all sorts of alarm bells should have been going off, but at the time, I was sort of enjoying having the company. It was no big deal.

But then, it began to become to become a nuisance. And I knew that maintenance would have definitely fixed her AC.

And, then, I found out that she was buying people's Adderall & Valium prescriptions & it was all just too shady for me. She'd definitely overstayed her welcome & I told her she had to leave.

I did it as nicely as possible & she seemed cool with it, but guess, what? She wasn't.

I stayed friendly with her, but began to get a strange vibe from her, so I stayed away from her as much as possible.

Fast forward to the beginning of November & she called me & asked me to help her to carry a bunch of boxes of stuff that she'd tried to sell someplace, from the lobby back upstairs to her place on the 11th floor. So, I did. But, while I was doing so she was behaving really hostile toward me & just acting in a really bizarre way, so I just left the stuff at her door & left.

I went back to my place on the 4th floor & stayed there for the rest of the day/night. At that point, it was about four o'clock.

Then, after midnight, I was woken up by loud knocking at my door.

Which, I chose to ignore because I knew that it had to be her after the way that she'd been acting earlier & I wanted nothing more to do with her. But, the knocking just got louder & more persistent so I went to the door & asked who it was. "Theresa," she said.

I told her through the door that I'd talk to her the next day, but she insisted that she just wanted to apologize.

So, like an insufficiently_thoughtful_person, I decided to open my door.

I was promptly greeted by a bunch of cops who forced their way in as soon as I undid my lock & they immediately slapped handcuffs on me while demanding to know "where's the knife!".

Of course, I had absolutely no idea what the hell they were talking about.

I tried to explain to them that I'd been in my apartment all night & that I never left it, but they didn't want to hear anything I said. Not a word. They just told me that I was under arrest for assault with intent to cause bodily harm & menacing with a deadly weapon.

I couldn't even challenge her accusation because she took off as soon as the cops were in my door.

So, I was dragged down to the station, booked, spent the rest of the night in a cell, was given some paperwork to fill out for the public defender's office & then taken before the judge who simply read me my charges & told me that my bail was set at $2500.

I was absolutely stunned.

I had no idea whatsoever that such a thing could happen to someone. In fact, if someone had told me this before it happened to me, I'd have assumed that they were a liar. I thought that prior to being arrested for a crime that someone would have to be brought in for questioning etc. But, I'm living proof that such is definitely NOT the case.

Anyhow, only after appearing before the judge was I given my phone call. With it, I got my wife's voice mail. I left a message & then I was put back into my cell until being transported with a bunch of other men to the county jail.

Where, due to all manner of f**k ups & problems too lengthy & convoluted to go into detail about ( but which included my wife's car being totaled & a subsequent hospital stay by my daughter ), I wound up spending the next 27 days.

And, due to all manner of financial issues that I won't bore you with, I had to have my wife take my three long boxes of ASM to a local dealer to sell in order for her to come up with the cash to bail me out.

Once I got out though, it was very easy to prove my innocence ( even though, as I said earlier, it took three separate court dates to get it done ) because the building I live in has security cameras in all the hallways, stairways & elavators. And the footage proved that I never left my apartment after four o'clock, much less went up to Theresa's apartment at eleven o'clock, broke in, beat her up & held a knife to her throat!

Also, like the lunatic that I learned she was/is, she told several of her neighbors that she split her own lip & left what looked like a cut mark on her neck by using the thin chain from a necklace. One of whom testified for me.

So, you might ask, was she arrested for filing a false police report?

Nope. Because conveniently enough, she had checked herself into our local psych unit when she knew that they were coming to question her about it back in January. And the last I heard, they weren't going to persue a case against her because "she's under a doctor's care for PTSD & other issues". Groovy, huh?

Sorry for taking up so much of your time with this, those that have actually managed to read this far. I just had to get this all off of my chest & vent a bit. And, since it is comics related, this is where I chose to do it.

All I can say is be VERY careful who you befriend. Because there are a people out there who you might think you know & who you like & even try to help out who will turn on you & turn out to be batsh*t crazy.

 

Oh. My. Lord.

[comicalgems]

Google says

 

 

Under both federal and state law, a person who is falsely arrested is entitled to compensation for (1) loss of liberty, and (2) physical and/or emotional pain and suffering caused by the false arrest. (Injuries caused by excessive force and malicious prosecution are compensated separately.)

 

Importantly, a person who is falsely arrested is legally entitled to compensation for loss of liberty (to redress denial of free movement and harm to personal dignity), even if he or she does not experience any additional physical or emotional pain and suffering. See Kerman v. City of New York, 374 F.3d 93,123-126 (2d Cir. 2004); Gardner v. Federated Department Stores, Inc., 907 F.2d 1348, 1353 (2d Cir. 1990).

 

Obviously, a person who suffers more harm, including physical and/or emotional injuries, would be entitled to more compensation than a person who suffers less harm, including only loss of liberty. Nevertheless, “even absent such other injuries, an award of several thousand dollars may be appropriate simply for several hours loss of liberty.” Kerman, supra, at 125-126.

- See more at: http://warshawskylawfirm.com/lawyer/2014/02/01/Civil-Rights-Law/How-Much-Is-My-False-Arrest-Case-Worth_bl11513.htm#sthash.UFDchu0j.dpuf

 

 

But again contact a lawyer.

[bluerosekiller]

And, I'm very sorry to say, I never did get any of my comics back.

I was too far behind on my bills, my wife needed help with obtaining a new vehicle for her & our daughter, there was just no way that I could use the money for comic books when I got it back from the court. It was in the wind man.

Fact is, this is the first time that I've really even thought about comics since all that went down.

I was just to hurt & too bitter. Without the ASM portion of it, I didn't even feel like I had a collection anymore. That was, by far, my favorite part of it. I haven't bought a single comic since I got out of jail & I even thought very seriously about just selling off the rest of it.

But, I'm starting to come out of my funk over it now.

I doubt if I'll ever collect ASM again, though. It would just be too damned hard to start from scratch, you know?

So, I'm just considering my options, deciding what I want to do from this point.

 

[bluerosekiller]

Google says

 

 

Under both federal and state law, a person who is falsely arrested is entitled to compensation for (1) loss of liberty, and (2) physical and/or emotional pain and suffering caused by the false arrest. (Injuries caused by excessive force and malicious prosecution are compensated separately.)

 

Importantly, a person who is falsely arrested is legally entitled to compensation for loss of liberty (to redress denial of free movement and harm to personal dignity), even if he or she does not experience any additional physical or emotional pain and suffering. See Kerman v. City of New York, 374 F.3d 93,123-126 (2d Cir. 2004); Gardner v. Federated Department Stores, Inc., 907 F.2d 1348, 1353 (2d Cir. 1990).

 

Obviously, a person who suffers more harm, including physical and/or emotional injuries, would be entitled to more compensation than a person who suffers less harm, including only loss of liberty. Nevertheless, “even absent such other injuries, an award of several thousand dollars may be appropriate simply for several hours loss of liberty.” Kerman, supra, at 125-126.

- See more at: http://warshawskylawfirm.com/lawyer/2014/02/01/Civil-Rights-Law/How-Much-Is-My-False-Arrest-Case-Worth_bl11513.htm#sthash.UFDchu0j.dpuf

 

 

But again contact a lawyer.

 

Oh, I have my friend. But, it'll be a long process toward who knows what outcome. But, I haven't just rolled over & taken it.

[solm4st3r]

Wow sorry you had to go through all that. Be careful who you trust man, and good luck in the future.

[Domo Arigato]

...transported with a bunch of other men to the county jail.

[Noodlez]

Crazy women suck! Not as bad as jail though...

 

All 3 long boxes were ASM only?

 

What was the most valuable of each you had?

[chrisco37]

Wow! Now that effin' sucks!

 

 

[Chaseman210]

I hope you're able to do something about this eventually. That's just crazy.

[krighton]

Never befriend a woman who isn't your wife...end of story

[HighRadArt]

I've read a lot of crazy stories here and this one ranks pretty high on the list. I hope I never have to experience sitting in jail for 27 days due to something I didn't do. At least you sold your comics to help your ex and not because you had to due to a divorce settlement (seen that a lot here). Also, you should move.

[BlowUpTheMoon]

...transported with a bunch of other men to the county jail.

 

Richard and Sal!

[GM8]

Wow. That's a wild story. I'm happy for you that it eventually turned out right but what a mess to go through.

[chrisco37]

...transported with a bunch of other men to the county jail.

 

Richard and Sal!

 

Didn't recognize them.

[bluerosekiller]

Wow sorry you had to go through all that. Be careful who you trust man, and good luck in the future.

 

Thanks. I genuinely appreciate it.

[Wally's Comics]

Was she Hot?

 

Most crazy girls at least got that going for them...

 

 

 

 

Anyway I hope it was replaceable stuff.

Could be worse where your wife flipped 3 long boxes of gerber 9's to get you out of the tank!

[chrisco37]

Was she Hot?

 

Most crazy girls at least got that going for them...

 

 

 

[Paul © ® ⚽️💙™]

Very sorry to hear that horror story. People you befriend can very often let you down. It's happened to me, tho' nothing so extreme. The fact that you've posted all that story here now shows you're starting to heal. Karma takes care of these things in the end, rest assured.

One thing tho', I don't know about these kind of legal issues, but because you were innocent, don't you get all that bail money etc back?