On May 5th 2015 my life would change forever around 3 or 4 o'clock in the morning and I heard beating on my front door and looked out the window and saw group of about 5 people heavily armored persons carrying heavy weapons. I thought a gang had the wrong house. My poor landlord rushed downstairs and screamed through the door "WHO ARE YOU!?" while the armed men Kept beating on the door saying "open up!" but never announced who they were.(This is illegal my public defender told me. They are SUPPOSED to announce themselves). I called 911 I said in a panic voice "Hey, there are heavily armed men at my front door please come quick!
As I was on the phone, these unkown people kept pounding at the door still "saying open up!". My landlord replied "no! Who are you?" The police on the phone operator on the phone got back to me, and the lady said "they were already there". Apparently they were the police. I said "oh, OK, well in that case, I'll let them in then". But by this period in time, the police had already used a battering ram to force entry. I was half asleep, but I managed to put some sweatpants on. By the time I was going to come downstairs, about 3 police officers had already stormed their way up the stairway with their rifles with flashlights on them like hot shots. They could have easily turned the stairway light on, but they chose to be in darkness with flashlights and they shined this gun flashlight in my face blinding me as I raised my hands in the air. I believe they asked me to identify myself, and I said who I was and they demanded I come downstairs. So I came downstairs and I saw my poor landlord was face down on the floor , zip tied behind his back. They did the same thing to me face down on the floor zip tied. I still had no idea what was going on. I thought they were there for my landlord because I have never done anything wrong. My landlord came from Puerto Rico. I didn't know of his previous life and I thought the police still had the wrong house or something. Eventually, a special agent in a suit comes inside in civilian clothes and takes me upstairs and explains why he was there. I did not answer any questions as he told me I did not have to. But he did tell me he'd have to search my room. I told him "just do what you gotta do". and so he let me just sit downstairs on the couch, uncuffed as I heard my Room being torn up for about 2 hours. Outside, I could see some kind of TANK and I was baffled by the scope and magnitude of what was going on. There must have been 20 people involved inside and outside apparently even a flash grenade was detonated on the exterior of the garage door for no reason even though me, nor the landlord were ever near the garage doors. We were always inside toward the front, and under supervision by at least 3 officers. The garage door is in the back of the house and everything that was being searched was upstairs.
Eventually the main interrogation guy told me no one was under us at this point, so he handed me his business card and was about to leave. His associats were taking suit cases and cases of every electronic I ever owned. Even burned video games I had, Ancient cell phones and ancient cameras that didnt even work. But this one computer specialist put 1 disk of mine in his own laptop and found some illegal files that were flagged originally in West Virginia when I lived there very briefly when the investigation started, and they were able to arrest me on the spot, and put me in a squad car and I was taken to jail. 😭
Back story to that. I lived in West Virginia for 2 months because I was homeless. An old lady I use to work at a health food store, with was nice enough to let me stay with her. She lived in the middle of nowhere near harpers Ferry. The only internet provider available was Hughs net. Because it is a smaller network, files that are incoming and outgoing, are easier to monitor and can be flagged. It is there, where I came across the 5 files I was eventually charged with.
Intake at jail took forever because they made me change clothes and as they were watching the evidence, multiple officers were watching the evidence as they had to write a very detailed description of what was being seen on the files. They were all videos. Even other officer looked at the other and said "what are you watching?" but he could not stop looking away as if he wanted to keep seeing what was being seen or displayed. (This other officer(s) had their own work to do, but could not stop looking at videos I was being charged with. Maybe an hour or 2 later I finally got up brought to the magistrate office and officially charged, and I started hearing words of how much time I could be facing. Each felony had a minimum of a year and they had 5 charges on me all the same. I finally got taken to booking were they had to take a mug shot, fingerprints and then I was offered to make my 1st call to my father. When I called him, his response was nothing more than a scoffing "Oh mark", and he hung up on me. That was my only phone call and it would be hours and hours and hours or A-day until I could call someone else again.
There was finally lunch time between 12 and 2 and they tried offering me what was being served for lunch that day. Super nasty gross Bologna on stale bread with some kind of gross coleslaw and stale corn ships. It was so gross, I could not eat it. Then they put me in the drunk tank- a very very cold large Room nothing but cement sitting area in the shape of an L or U. it was too cold to lay on the bare cement and I was there for hours. I got to speak to mental health more and they mentioned an extended intake program that I could go to to help me prepare for general population which they did put me in called Foxtrot. A pod of Maybe only 10 cells and I was one of 2 guys there. I recall the other guy talking to himself and screaming in the middle of the night. It used to be the women's wing. I recall seeing lip kiss marks on both sides of the glass of the cell door. There were some graffiti written on the walls here and there. One I remember it saying "inhale da good shit, exhale da bullshit" .I was not given any sheets. Nothing but a mattress, maybe a mini security tooth brush and mini tooth paste. That was all I was given. I didn't know I supposed to be given sheets and it was freezing cold. Too cold to sleep. I paced the room whispering songs of a video game Oblivion in my head and out loud. My cell did have small narrow window. I could sorta look out and see the grass swaying in the wind thinking about what had been done and how this will affect all my loved ones friends and family. Started to get paranoid on how this would blow up on Facebook and I was going to try to get my mom or my friend to make a statement on Facebook about what had just happened and try to respect my privacy and keep faith. I finally did get hold my mom on the phone and I told her to make such a post on Facebook and I should not have, because all hell did break loose on Facebook. all kinds of stone throwers and people making absurd accusations. Throughout the day there would be periods I could walk around the pod. I attempted to take my 1st shower which was very awkward and drafty and just generally awful. In the pod I would occasionally get maybe one hour of TV time. If I was lucky, I'd get to see an episode of South Park or Comedy Central. The reception was horrible, and you could just barely watch it. Spoke to my friend Shannon and now former friend Erin. she seemed to be on my side at first. she claimed she was going to help me. Boy was I wrong, and I'll get to that later. I tried calling as many people as I could. I had to spend my 30th birthday in jail making phone calls about my situation and I think I finally spoke to my public defender. I had kind of a virtual preliminary indictment or hearing. Maybe after the 1st or 2nd weekend there, they let me go to phase 2 where I had access to this tall in closed cement area basketball court, and ball was not inflated enough, so I mostly just walked around noticed the dead bird in the corner it was pretty hard to emotionally handle. and then another inmate joined the extended intake phase 2 program, so now I had to deal with somebody else and his idiosyncrasies (he talked to himself too and had anger issues) and I'm trying my best to not speak and not be disrespectful or impolite. Luckily the pod showers in the phase 2 pod were not that bad. There was a light above you, and the heat stayed in the shower with you, as opposed to being carried by the air to the outside of the pod.
After notes found in another journal. Keywords describing more things I had to deal with in the month of May.
I had an inability to really reach anyone (phone calls) for a long time. It was Mental health that finally got a hold of my mom in regards to me and give her the update. I did not even get to talk to her just yet.
I was initially denied a medical request and told to "Tough it out" (probably having pain flare ups from my Ankylosing spondylitis or some other matter). I later found out, the Chinese doctor there did not request any of my medical records from ANYWHERE. and when I discussed with him my panic attacks, he told me "we can't treat them hear. All we can tell you to do is "Calm Down"" . Ok Dumb ass. Don't you think if that worked for me, I would not have had to go to the hospital 15 times in 3 months like I did in 2013?
There was another VERY attractive nurse that worked there at the time. She probably knew my manager at a dog walking company I was working with at the time and claimed to know people of high standing. A lot of drama came about when my boss heard I was locked up and frequently called my dad demanding I take down my employment with them on my facebook page or she would sue me.
During lunch time, either while in intake or in general population, I despised how this one officer Martin would like a jock asshole scream out to the other inmates when they were given their trays "Eat your beats! Eat Your Beats!" he said it in such a manner that was demoralizing, inhumane and just made himself to come off like an asshole.
The very first cell you are put into, the light stays on 24/7. At least in general population and even in extended stay, half the light goes off amking it a little more tolerable, but you still have to put some kind of towel or shirt over your face. Which of course some random guard you never see will knock on your door real hard to wake you up and say your not allowed to do that, just top piss you off and wake you up. Maybe it is a safety protocol, but they do not understand, you cannot sleep otherwise.
I believe I mentioned it before, But I was not given sheets for 2 weeks (because I did not know I was allowed to have any) a sgt Arsenault discovered this and got mad at the other officers for not giving me sheets and finally gave me some. It was still cold even with sheets. I complained a few times, a "good squad" came in my cell at maybe 2 a.m to address my complaint and said that ALL the cells are supposed to be this cold. Whether this was true or not. It is inhumane, and they certainly did not need to wake me up in the middle of the night. They did that on purpose! LOL that reminds me of why I saw every vent covered with soap residue and paper, because you had to somehow cover your vent by any means necessary. Otherwise, too cold to even sleep. But when you had cell inspection every day, you had to remove that paper and soap or they would remove it for you, or write you up for it.
When you are locked up for the first time, You fear the worst naturally, regardless of what your charge is, victim or no victim. I cried, I prayed, I apologized to the universe and everyone I knew. I cried on my cell floor plenty of nights, sobbing curled up in a ball leaving a puddle of tears.
Also when you are in your first cell, they make EVERYONE watch a video on Prison rape, which does not help your anxiety at all. You think to yourself "Gosh, Do I actually have to worry about this!?"
While you are in intake, any time of day or night, you hear endless leg chains, keyss, handcuffs, people being brought in, processed, more chains, Deputy chatter and laughter, Cb radios, walkie talkies, heavy cell doors opening and closing, and a deputy walks by your door every 30 minutes to make sure you have not killed yourself. This with the combination of bright lights, cement and steel surroundings, and not being able to even see a clock, no window at all, it is very hard on someone, especially a person like me who is psycho somatic sensitive.
According to my notes, Because my Dad hung up on me, it took 5 to 7 days until mental health could reach my mom for me and told her how to add phone funds to my acount.
Mental health only saw me because I was already a client of mental health. I was petrified, so it was good to speak to someone, but eventually, it started to feel like I was talking to investigators. They started to come in pairs. One guy looking EXACTLY like the main dude on the show TMZ. The other, some old lady. Gray hair, who was the head mental health lady. I quickly grew to dislike them. I remember when I first went to foxtrot, I was still myself. Upbeat, friendly, polite and so on. I shook hands with mental health and was cordial and respectful with everyone. But about a month in, Jail took my personality away from me, and I have not been myself ever since. Perhaps even to this day. Four and a half years of prison will change you permanently.
Sorry I keep jumping around in my notes I found. Back to the extended intake program, the whole purpose is to prepare you for general population, but they also want to try to put you on medication to have you "stable" to be able to handle general population. HA! No such thing or medication could prepare a guy like me.
I mentioned that 2 weeks in, all my health conditions really started to flare up. I learned about request forms and finally saw the P.A "Physicians assistant". She was the head nurse. The one to make final decisions if you were gonna be given permission to be prescribed motrin for 2 weeks at a time or creams and so forth. I have seen this nurse before. She USE to work at INVOA telemetry. I was once in there for 2 weeks under her care and she cared for a guy in the room next to me. HE DIED UNDER HER CARE. I Almost died myself a few times under her care. She does not care for her patients as she should. So working at the jail, was probably the only place she could get a job still being in the same field. Her name was Yvonne. She really looked like the wicked witch of wizard of oz without the makeup. I told her all my physical and mental problems in the jail and she dismissed them all assuming I was making them all up. (This was not the first time this would happen). Eventually I did start getting 2 motrin 2 times a day for 2 weeks. I am luckily I got that, and Very thankful I got it though.
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