Clerical mistake at DA’s office kept woman in Louisiana jail 6 months on misdemeanor charges
By APFriday, February 26, 2010
Mistake kept woman in Louisiana jail for months
BATON ROUGE, La. — A homeless, mentally ill woman has been released from a Louisiana jail after a clerical mistake kept her there for six months.
A relative says 55-year-old Melissa Poche was sent to a hospital after her release Wednesday. She had been in the East Baton Rouge or East Carroll parish jails since July 22, when she was charged with four misdemeanors.
Prosecutors decided in August to dismiss all four charges, but only one was dropped because of a clerical error. Poche stayed jailed until her family drew attention to the case.
Her family says she was diagnosed in 1992 with schizophrenia and bipolar diseases and has diabetes.
East Baton Rouge Parish District Attorney Hillar Moore says he’s met with his staff to ensure it doesn’t happen again.
Information from: The Advocate, www.2theadvocate.com
