Looking Down the Barrel of a Brand New Day - COMPLETED

Fifty-Four

Friday, November 4, 2016 (continued)

Ceci

Sweet cowboy rescue story.

Jack

Thanks. Good way to end the week. 

Went to Probation to begin his supervision. The judge suspended all fines, but nowadays there are mandatory fees tacked on by the State. So when we went to the window to begin our sweet probation term, my 19-year-old kid gets hit with a bill for over $3000 bucks in court fees. Justice Incorporated squeezes out every penny from the most at-risk among us, and when they can no longer pay, throws them in jail to squeeze out what's left of their life.

I'm sorry. It's Friday. 

It was a very good outcome, compared to what we started with.

Anne's downloading your videos now.

Ceci

Did Ethan send more today?

Tell her to please check her email.

Jack

Anne says everything is cool. A-O-KAY!

Monday, November 7, 2016

Ceci

Right on.

Tuesday, November 8, 2016

Jack

Heading east to a distant county and a hostile courtroom to appear on one of the saddest and most unjust cases of my entire career

Ceci

I'm glad for them that they have you.

Sending out every police video from yesterday's list momentarily.

Jack

Thank you! We really appreciate all your work it's been excellent.

Looks like we may be back in Atlanta for more Nancy Grace next week.

14 years ago, in 2002, a young man in his late twenties was working as an alcohol counselor in a detention center for wayward girls. A 17-year-old girl was placed there who soon got in trouble for various things including telling her friends she was having sex with the alcohol counselor. There was a formal investigation which found no sex occurred, and that she made up the story. She was reprimanded, and had to apologize to the counselor. 

Later, after she had been released from the lock-up, she lost custody of a child. Under pressure to get her child back, she again reported she had sex with the alcohol counselor while she was in the detention center. The counselor was charged with sex assault on a child, a mandatory life-sentence charge. The defense tried to find the girl's prior criminal history, but the DA said there was nothing relevant and the defense was just conducting a "fishing expedition". The Court blocked the disclosure of the girl's criminal history.

Facing a mandatory life sentence to prison, the counselor accepted an offer of probation, with a suspended life-sentence. About a year later, the girl approached the counselor, who living in poverty as a convicted sex offender. She admitted to him that she made up the charge.

You would think her admission would end the case. No, not even close. The man's family had to hire me and Cleo to attempt to undo his conviction. We first met with the girl. On tape, she repeated to us and our investigator, that she made up the entire case. Later, she signed a sworn affidavit stating that she made up the charge.