Archive for the ‘Lt. Prescott’ Category
Sheriff Police Investigator Cynthia Sofus – Incompetent Investigations & False Arrests
by Dr. Linda Shelton:
DOCUMENTATION OF CORRUPTION, FRAUD, WASTE, AND INCOMPETENCE IN THE SHERIFF’S DEPARTMENT OF COOK COUNTY:
Cook County Sheriff Police Investigator Cynthia B. Sofus, earning a salary of $76, 450 per year, is a glaring example of incompetence, arrogance, and vulgarity among the Cook County Sheriff’s staff. She works for the Criminal Intelligence, Gangs & Crimes Unit of the Sheriff’s Police at the Cook County Department of Corrections. She has what is known as a “potty mouth”. The following gives a detailed description as to how, in two cases against me which are false arrests and malicious prosecutions, she was grossly negligent in her investigation and has ended up suborning perjury (supporting perjury of the state’s witnesses, Sgt. Anthony Salemi and Lt. Prescott, among others).
I as an innocent person, disabled with a partial right hemiparesis and congenitally weak arms was w rongfully convicted of ”bumping” my borken wheelchair into Sgt. Anthony Salemi while he was looking at me causing a vertical linear abrasion at the top of his shins and raising my right leg up (the one that is partially paralyzed and I cannot raise above my waste) and kicking him in the chest causing soreness. Despite no previous criminal record and laws that mandate that I receive a sentence of probation, I was sentenced to two years in the penitentiary. This happened due to Nifong-like prosecutorial misconduct, gross judicial misconduct, and a jury biased by emotion and being angry that they had to waste their time, who clearly made up their minds in the first few minutes of the trial and never bothered to actually consider the defense teams evidence and statements. This is what happens when one does not have publicity, one is on the shit list for being a whistle blower against government officials, and when one is honest and fights for others. This is a story of the MYTH OF AMERICAN JUSTICE:
Case 1:
On May 16, 2005, Cook County Correctional Sgt. Anthony Salemi came to my cell at the women’s medical unit of the Cermak infirmary at Cook County Jail. I was housed alone in a single cell. I was in the medical unit due to multiple medical problems including: 1) a congenital & acquired spinal cord injury causing a weak right side (right hemiparesis) where I cannot raise my right leg above my waist; 2) heart arrythmias; 3) Hemiplegic migraine causing frequent dizziness, unsteadiness, and headache, plus some intermittent neurologic deficits (migraines with symptoms of stroke); 4) severe intermittent asthma with vocal cord dysfunction, episodes of unconsciousness due to hypoxia, and severe sensitivity to chemicals such as cleaning solutions, perfumes, and the formaldehyde found in cigarettes (ignorant poorly-trained paramedics, nurses, and physicians, such as they have at the CCDOC, confuse my symptoms with malingering because I don’t always wheeze but rather develop a “silent chest syndrome” with poor air movement and whistling gurgling sound when inhaling, just before I go unconscious), and 5) malignant neurocardiogenic syncope – a severe form of nerve mediated fainting that in me is caused partly by the spinal cord injury destroying nerves needed to regulate respiration and heart beat, but also due to congenital disorder of contraction or twitchiness of the blood vessels necessary to keep a person from fainting when they stand up (the blood vessels in the lower body must contract when standing or the blood flows to the lower body and there is insufficient blood for the brain). This is a complex and interacting set of medical problems, which for treatment, require a certain mix of medications, a high salt diet, and rapid response to deterioration of medical condition.
As the jail staff had: 1) violated my constitutional rights to have pen & paper to write grievances and write court papers to appeal my unlawful incarceration, thus illegally and unconstitutionally denying me ”access to the courts” (I was later aquitted of the fraudlent charge for which I was incarcerated); 2) denied me necessary medication and high salt diet (the correctional staff said salt was contraband and everyone had to eat a low salt diet, despite the doctor’s orders) to prevent fainting on standing and weakness or other serious symptoms; and 3) denied me my statutory right to call non-collect when I was incarcerated to arrange for the care of my disabled father (when I came home a month later he was dehydrated, weak, mildly confused, and clearly had needed more assistance) – the social worker told me that she was instructed NOT to help me arrange for the care of my father, I protested with, from May 11, 2005 on, a continuous dry hunger strike.
I ate and drank NOTHING. Every three to five days I would take 2-3 ounces of water to lessen the likelihood of a quick death. This resulted in a 1 and 1/2 lb weight loss per day, and by May 16, 2009, I had nearly passed out in the shower and required the use of a wheelchair, although I had been using a cane. I no longer could stand for more than a few seconds without passing out. I was moderately dehydrated, which causes weakness and fainting when standing. Obviously, this made my congenitally weak arms & shoulders, and weak leg, even weaker. I was physically unable to batter anyone, especially a strong male who was taller and 50 lbs heavier than I was, like Sgt. Salemi.
The wheelchair had most of the tread missing from the right wheel. Therefore, when I pushed it, if there was a divit in the floor or a slightly bumpy area on the floor, I couldn’t move it over this tiny obstacle as the right wheel would not catch the floor and would spin freely. The right wheel also had one of the three spacers missing from the hand rail on the wheel and this made the wheel a bit cockeyed and caused the long screw to constantly rattle and move into the wheel obstructing movement of the wheel if I used the hand rail instead of someone pushing me. The armrests were missing. The wheelchair was extra wide and meant for a very obese person – I am thin. This meant you have to spread your arms wider, this produces less torque, and the person in the chair has more difficulty moving it than an ordinary wheelchair.
My medical condition is that I have congenital weakness of the hands, arms, and shoulders due to the spinal cord injury resulting from a congenital defect in my spine. I kept the left foot rest folded up and put my weak right leg on the right foot rest. I used my fairly good left leg to propel the wheelchair backwards (it is hard to use a leg to move the wheelchair fast forwards – try it!) as my arms were a little too weak to get the wheelchair start moving from a stop and too weak to go very far. The officers are required NOT to push inmates in wheelchairs, but Officer Boutte, who does transport for female inmates, always pushed my wheelchair, because it was obvious I was too weak to push it very far. He was illegally not allowed to testify on my behalf.
Unit officers open cell doors for meal and time in the common room, a large hall with tables and chairs, and inmates can open the cell doors and leave their cells when the doors are unlocked part of the day.
I had great difficulty opening the cell door and maneuvering my wheelchair out of the cell. I had to do this backwards pushing with my left leg and then wedging my arms in the door jams so as to get more force to help my leg push the door open with the back of the wheelchair. At least half the time, a nurse or inmate would take pity and help me open the door. Only one officer actually helped me open the door. The others were sadistic. I often didn’t bother, because I wasn’t eating anyways, and more and more stayed in bed, too weak to do anything. My pulse was consistently rapid and I was consistently short of breath if I tried to stand up or move around. I suffered at least 4 asthma attackes in the few days before this incident due to exposure to inmates who were smoking or exposure to floor cleaning solutions. The medical staff didn’t care to protect me from this. This further weakened me. My attorney was illegally not allowed to present the paramedic reports about these asthma attacks to the jury.
Sgt. Anthony Salemi came to my cell on May 16, 2005, sent the female unit officer away, and cracked the door open to talk with me. I was next to the cell door as I had banged on it trying to get the unit officer to call a sergeant or lieutenant so I could make verbal complaints again, that they continually ignored. The department rules require that a male officer may NOT enter a female inmate’s cell without a witness, except in a life-threatening emergency. There was no life-threatening emergency.
Sgt. Anthony Salemi told me “I’m going to make a case so you don’t get out.” He then opened the door enough to lunge in and grab my neck with his left hand. Sgt. Hernandez and several officers later told me to “get that ***” in court because he “only attacks women”. The door shut behind him.
The force of his attack made the wheelchair propel backwards. He stumbled and slid down a bit, skinning his shins on the footrests, more so on the left as the left footrest was folded up and sticking out less. The wheelchair spun a little to the right. We were now in the middle of the cell nearer the bed. I curled up in a ball somewhat, leaning to my right side so I could wedge my left shoeless foot against his chest to try to pry him off. His harry arms were very strong, like tree trunks and my arms were too weak in my feeble attempts to pull his hand off of my neck. He got mad when I pushed his chest with my foot and let go. Then he rapidly grabbed my left arm with his left hand, while he yanked the wheelchair out from under me, simultaneously flipping me off the wheelchair against the hospital bed railing that was down.
I landed against the bed and on my right knee and hands. My right middle toe got caught in the right foot rest and became severely contused. It later swelled up like a grape, black and blue. I was stunned and terrified. I didn’t know what to expect next and feared for my life. The wheelchair had two posts on either side of the seat where the missing armrests insert. They were slightly higher than the seat and hard metal. As he pulled the wheelchair out from under me, they raked my thighs and caused huge contusions – testimony in court described “bruises on (L) – Upper posterior thigh (4” X 2”), (R) Inner upper thigh (6 ½ “ X 3 ½ “) (R) Third metatarsal toe.” Officer unit log notes describe a bruise on my right knee. No one carefully examined me, so they didn’t write down the bruises on my left arm in the shape of fingers. The doctor, days later, ordered multiple X-rays due to the extent of contusions to rule out fractures. He however did not examine me in any way other than to visualize a few bruises. He was not called to testify.
I have post-traumatic-stress disorder because I was previously attacked by men. This attack by Sgt. Salemi put me into a flashback and was crying and screaming hysterical to “stay away from me”, as well as cowering after this attack. I let no one touch me or view my injuries for several shifts and simply cowered in the bed and was silent.
Sgt. Salemi falsified his records and said from a dead stop in the middle of the cell, I “surprised him” while he was looking at me, accelerated the wheelchair and rammed it into him, skinning his shins and making him fall. He said the cell door stayed open on its own but no one saw him fall out of the door or in any way (the cell doors have heavy hydraulic door closing mechanisms that make them close automatically so this is a lie).
He said he was too surprised to protect himself! He said he then got up and I kicked him while sitting in the wheelchair in the chest with my RIGHT leg (sofus quotes him in her report) so hard that he was pushed against the “closed” door. He does not explain how the door remained open on its own and then mysteriously closed so he could be kicked against it. In his testimony at trial, Sgt. Salemi stated that I raised both legs and kicked him in the chest, while the wheelchair was rolling backwards with such force he was thrown against the door several feet away!
In his incident report and Inv. Sofus’ investigative report they state that I was at the cell door stating “I’m coming out” and as he opened the door, while facing forward, rammed Salemi and kicked him, but somehow, none of the inmates eating dinner in the hall, the officer or others saw me, except nurse Ogali, who stated that Salemi’s body was blocking the door way with him standing in the threshold and the door against his shoulder, and she only saw me move my wheelchair towards the door and did not see me ram or kick him, but did see him bend down after entering the cell and removing the wheelchair. She said she couldn’t see everything because the cell door window starts 4 feet up off the floor and she was sitting in the nurse’s station 15 feet away kitty corner to the cell.
Inv. Sofus came to my cell on the next day, like a bull in a China shop in a very butch manner. She asked bruskly if I would answer her questions. She was very confrontational in her demeanor, and obviously not willing to listen to facts. I was laying in bed and so traumatized that I said leave me alone, I won’t talk to anyone without an attorney.
Inv. Sofus failed in her duty to preserve the “weapon”, the broken wheelchair, that would have exonerated me. Judge Kazmierski through judicial misconduct failed to dismiss the case due to this fact, which is required by previous United States Supreme Court decisions holding that when the State destroys or fails to preserve a weapon in a crime the case must be dismissed.
She failed to ask anyone about my medical conditions and didn’t mention them at all in her grand jury testimony or her report. Judge Kazmierski illegally prevented my attorney from essentially asking any questions to point out all the discrepencies and negligent investigation to the jury. Therefore, he was illegally prohibited by the court from impeaching Sgt. Salemi, the only witness against me (who presented only perjured statements), by using the testimony and reports of Inv. Sofus.
Sgt. Salemi also committed perjury in stating that all wheelchairs in the jail are in perfect working condition. Another officer at sentencing (illegally not allowed to testify at trial) stated “its a jail!” and that “the cell doors close automatically.” He also testified that most of the wheelchairs are in poor condition and broken. Inv. Sofus would have noted this if she wasn’t so negligent, careless, arrogant, and incompetent. She failed to write in her report important details and observations. She appears to do a selective investigation, only including details credible or not, verified or not, that support the allegation. She carefully hides or avoids writing down any exculpatory evidence that proves the person innocent. A real Gestapo type!
A few days later, a nurse documented my extensive contusions. Inv. Sofus failed to follow-up to see if I was injured. She and all the jail staff refused to take photos of these injuries, but took photos of Sgt. Salemi’s shin which revealed several inch long abrasions running up them. If he was rammed, he would have had one linear horizontal mark or bruise on his lower leg near his ankle on the left and one short mark on his right shin corresponding to the wheelchair folded up footrest. There would be no long linear abrasions running up his shins, which are consistent with my story that he stumbled and slid down against the foot rests, not with his story.
As Sgt. Salemi was the ONLY witness with testimony against me and his testimony was not believable as not compatible with the photos/injuries of his shins or my injuries, as well as his testimony was contradictory in itself and with the statements of others, the State actually presented not one shred of credible evidence against me.
The conviction was due to extreme prosecutorial and judicial misconduct that mislead the jury, mis-stated the facts to the jury in closing and ignored the evidence. See my appeal: http://www.scribd.com/doc/16301520/Appeal-of-Wrongful-Conviction-Battery-Shelton-Illinois-2009
What kind of an investigator is so negligent to not even identify the medical condition of a person on a medical unit when investigating a crime that requires physical force and strength to accomplish, and who fails to preserve the alleged weapon (the broken wheelchair), as well as fails to note the discrepencies in the story by Sgt. Salemi that contradict the notes of the officers in the unit logs about the broken wheelchair as well as other officer’s testimony (only allowed after trial at sentencing hearing) that the cell doors cannot stay open on their own??
Case 2:
Maisha Hamilton Bennett, Ph.d, a psychologist was wrongfully incarcerated after a wrongful conviction at the Cook County Jail in July and August 2009 on fraudulent charges brought by the corrupt IL Attorney General Lisa Madigan. See: http://drlindashelton.wordpress.com/2009/08/31/mental-health-care-denied-poor-in-illinois/ and http://drlindashelton.wordpress.com/free-dr-maisha-hamilton-bennett/
She was being transferred and called me to come pick up five bags of legal documents so they would not be thrown out. I had gone to visit her in mid-July and after my visit, as I was waiting for some papers Dr. Hamilton Bennett wan’t me to take home that she had arranged to have the social worker give to me, Sgt. Alex Cruz assaulted me by yelling at me that I had to leave or I would be arrested because former inmates cannot visit during the year after release (It has been more than one year since my release – this “rule” also is not posted anywhere and inmates when released are not informed about this “rule” – I’m not even sure this rule is legal). I left because I didn’t feel like arguing and being wrongfully arrested that day.
On or about August 26th, Jail Social Worker Richardson called me and told me to come pick up Dr. Hamilton Bennett’s papers. Due to the fact I have several suits againt the Sheriff and his corrupt staff, I called the Jail’s Executive office on or about August 27th and asked the Jail ExecutiveDirector’s Assistant if I could have an escort so I would not be harassed. She refused to connect me with any higher officer and said I wouldn’t be harassed or falsely arrested. I called the Jail’s legal office and they said they couldn’t do anything as they don’t arrange escorts. I called Sheriff’s Dart’s Office at the Daley Center and his Executive Assistant also said they do not arrange escorts into the jail, no one would harass me, and that there was not problem with me picking up documents for an inmate being transferrred out.
I came on Friday August 28 and picked up three bags of documents and said I would come back for the rest.
I returned on Monday, August 31, 2009 to pick up the rest of the documents. At the entrance, I was held up unusually long while Sgt. Arthur at the gate called Sgt. Cruz. I was then let in. I told them that I had the OK from the executive and Sheriff’s office and they promised me no one would bother me. They refused to call the executive office of the jail or the Sheriff’s office.
Officer Levy was at the desk in the visitor area. She is one of the guards I am suing for holding me down and kicking me with their boots. See: http://www.scribd.com/doc/19434501/Shelton-1983-Against-Cook-County-Sheriff-Illegal-Administration-Psychotropic-Drugs-and-Battery-2009
I told Deputy Levy that why I was there and that Dr. Hamilton Bennett told me to ask for Kim Laster who was in charge of property in the Annex of Division 3. She had arranged with her to transfer the last two bags of documents to me. Deputy Levy instead called a female Lt. Prescott who came out to talk to me. Lt. Prescott was immediately hostile, verbally aggressive, and wouldn’t listen. She went out and came back and said I had to leave that I couldn’t pick up any property. Social Worker Vaughn said Ms. Richardson wasn’t there and nobody can ever pick up property – a lie. I told them I had already picked up three bags and had the OK from their superiors, as well as that I was not an inmate there during the last year.
Lt. Prescott called the guardhouse and they sent over a tall obese African-American officer Delgado, who was very polite, and female African-American officer Gonzalez. They tried to push me to the gate. I let go of my walker and sat on the ground and told them I had permission to pick up property, the property was available, I was to talk to Ofc. Laster, Ms. Richardson had called me to come there, and that I had already picked up three bags and was there for the last two. I told them they were illegaly harassing me, disobeying their superiors, and committing a federal felony as I am a federal witness against many officers at the jail , have federal suits against them, so this could be construed as an illegal penalty on the exercise of my and Dr. Hamilton Bennetts civil rights, as well as a felony civil rights violation including harssing a federal witness.
Ofc. Delgado, said if we went to the front gate, they were in a different department and they would call the executive office and solve the problem so I walked there with them using my walker. I however was getting a bit overheated from their assault on me and had been suffering from a viral infection for several days.
At the front gate guard house, Sgt. Arthur refused to call the executive office or solve the problem and insisted that I leave saying that Lt. Prescott had informed him that I could not pick up any property. I told him he was wrong and all the crimes he was committing. Sgt. Arthur then had the deputies handcuff me and said they were arresting me for “vagrancy”. He called the Sheriff’s police and Inv. Sofus, Sgt. Robert J. Fitzgerald and Correctional Officer Sgt. James P. Aurenz responded.
Before they arrived I began to feel poorly from being overheated and this triggered my fainting and heart arrythmia. The deputies wouldn’t let me take off my suit jacket and lie down on the bench. So, just as I felt I was going to pass out, I lay down on the floor. When Inv. Sofus and her buddies arrive I tried to abort passing out by using the bathroom and putting cold water on myself. Sgt. Aurenz was kind enough to let me do this. Then when I came back to the bench and lied down, now without handcuffs, I briefly lost consciousness. I may have had brief episodes of irregular breathing. I don’t think I was responsive. An ambulance was called.
When the ambulance arrived I was coming out of the confusion after waking up. In the ambulance I told them I wanted to sign a release and go get the property I was there to get. I was still very short of breath and had difficulty standing so I crawled toward the guard house.
Then I became more alert and recognized Inv. Sofus as the person who had suborned perjury and collaberated with the misconduct of Sgt. Salemi. I went into a brief flashback reliving in a dream like state the assault on me by Sgt. Salemi. Then I tried to get into the guard house to go get the two bags.
At this point Inv. Sofus arrested me for “disorderly conduct.”
It is illegal to harass a federal witness.
It is illegal to deny me entrance to the jail without cause.
It is illegal to deny Dr. Hamilton Bennett the right to have someone pick up her property when she is being transferred.
It is illegal for an officer to commit a crime and arrest someone without probable cause in order to cover-up for their misconduct.
An arrest must have a good faith probable cause. There was none.
After being arrested Sgt. Aurenz let me explain to him what happened. His response was that they have no authority because the “chain of command” prevents it to call the executive office or Ofc. Laster or Social Worker Richardson to check out the story.
The law says that theydo have a DUTY to investigate exculpatory evidence brought to them after an arrest, they do have a DUTY to drop charges when they discover the arrest was without probable cause, and they do have a DUTY to protect a federal witness against assault.
This is a grotesque civil rights violaton and may rise to the level of a felony civil rights violation under federal law.
The due process clause of the constitution secures the individual from arbitrary exercise of the powers of the government and prevents governmental power from being used for purposes of oppression.
Was this arrest arbitrary? – YES
Was this arrest used for purposes of oppressions? – YES
Was this a scheme to deny civil rights? – YES
Does this shock the conscience? – YES
Its time for Inv. Sofus, Sgt. Salemi, and the other puppets of corruption who are arrogant, power-grabbing, incompetent, violate law with impunity, and commit perjury with impunity to be arrested, lose their jobs, and brought before the federal court.
Please write the following persons and urge them to act quickly to stop this totalitarian police state called Cook County:
Asst. U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald, Office of U.S. Attorney, 219 S. Dearborn, 5th Floor, Chicago IL, 60604
Special Agent Robert Grant, Chicago FBI, 2111 W. Roosevelt Road, Chicago IL, 60608
Anita Alvarez, Cook County States Attorney, 50 West Washington, Rm 500, Chicago IL, 60602
President Barrack Obama, The White House, 1600 Pennsylvania Ae. NW, Washington DC, 20500
Senator Richard Durbin
Senator Mark Kirk
Your representative
The press in your community and nationally.
If you’re in Chicago, come to my trials ( I have been arrested 5 times illegally in 2009 for the above type nonsense without probable cause). Watch my blog: http://drlindashelton.wordpress.com/ for court dates. If possible donate to my legal fund. I am now indigent, as a result of fighting for our Constitutional rights and catastrophic medical problems. Donations can be sent to:
Shelton Legal Fund,
C/O Albukerk & Associates,
Albukerk & Associates
1450 W. Randolph
Chicago IL 60607
773 847-2600
PLEASE, MOST IMPORTANTLY, HELP RAISE GRASS ROOTS AWARENESS OF THE ATROCIOUS VIOLATION OF CIVIL RIGHTS IN COOK COUNTY AND ILLINOIS THAT I HAVE DOCUMENTED ON THIS AND MY OTHER WEB SITES THAT YOU CAN ACCESS THROUGH LINKS ON THIS WEB SITE. COPY MY WRITINGS AND POST THEM ANYWAY YOU WANT. THANK YOU FOR YOUR ASSISTANCE!!
Sheriff Deputies Assault Dr. Shelton – Interfere with Service IL Supreme Court Documents
I was going to the Daley Center to serve IL SUPREME COURT process, copies of motions for supervisory orders to Judge Maddux, Judge Evans, Dorothy Brown, etc., regarding their RICO violations. When I entered through security, AFTER I had successfully passed through security, a deputy, Angela Dobson badge 11196, grabbed my walker and wouldn’t let me proceed upstairs. I clearly stated loudly so everyone could hear me “stop assaulting me”. Legally this is an assault and battery, because unwanted touching of even an extension of a person (in this case my walker which I use due to a partial right hemiparesis, spinal cord injury, and loss of balance) is battery. The deputy stated I had to wait for an escort. The Sheriff staff had been harassing me for more than three (3) months every time I came in the Daley Center saying I had to be “escorted” but refusing to provide any written order for such or reason for doing so.
In retaliation for my whistle blowing, in that I have turned over evidence of criminal acts by Sheriff staff, the Sheriff courtroom services have been illegally stating that I have to be “escorted” around the Daley Center, when I go there for any reason. This is felony harassment of a federal witness, as I have turned over evidence of criminal conduct of Sheriff Dart, Sheriff Sheahan, and Sheriff staff to the FBI. It is also official misconduct, felony violation of civil rights under color of law, felony conspiracy to violate rights under color of law, felony retaliation against a witness, felony interference with the exercise of constitutional rights, felony theft of honest services, excessive force, assault and battery, maybe violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act, and maybe even felony sedicious conspiracy against the United States.
I stated there was no order for an escort. I demanded written proof of an order and of course they didn’t produce any. They have never produced any. I clearly stated to all the deputies surrounding me that they were committing a federal felony crime – harassment of a federal witness against Sheriff staff, official misconduct, violation of civil rights under color of law, conspiracy to violate civil rights, etc., and were committing the Illinois crimes of interference with service of process and assault and battery. I told them all they would be sued and have to explain their criminal acts to a federal judge. I repeatedly told this to every officer who followed me or harassed me since this harassment began months ago.
I told them they were causing a disturbance, being disorderly, and interfering with my legitimate business in the building. A deputy said I had to leave the building because I was causing a disturbance. I told them no I don’t have to leave the building and they had no authority to assault me, harass me, make a scene, and then order me to leave the building. This is entrapment, defamation, and assault and battery. They then grabbed me. I thought they were forcibly going to throw me out of the building – which they have done before.
I did verbally continually protest. They simply grabbed my walker away from me and grabbed me, handcuffed me, and I continually said I would not condone their criminal acts of assault and battery, etc. As they were grabbing me and handcuffing me, they said that I was under arrest. They took me down to the lock-up. I refused to sign any documents except for the bond slip and refused to answer any of their questions. I continually told them I would kick their ass legally in federal court with suits for their misconduct.
Many deputies and members of the public, including lawyers, witnessed the assault on me on the first floor between the West side security entrance and the elevators. Ed Carik, “security for the Daley Center” working for “NB Real Estate” came up to me as I was being assaulted and said that I had to do whatever the deputies told me including leave the building. I said “who are you” and he stated the above. I told him I don’t have to follow illegal orders of the deputies and submit to assault.
In the lock-up the deputies put me in a cell and searched me and assisted me in using the facilities because I was dizzy and had trouble getting up from sitting. I have had increasing difficulty with dizziness lately due to neurological disorder and after this incident have changed my medications and I’m doing a little better. I was becoming overheated (I’m also having a lot of trouble lately with hot flashes – I had to stop hormonal therapy for this because of the danger of it inducing the hemiplegic migraines I suffer from which can lead to stroke) even though there was a fan outside the cell and they were quite rude in not giving me water to drink except for a tiny cup of water. The fountain in the cell sink didn’t work well. Deputy Soto 11086 was there as she is the lock-up officer and had seen me go down there before and called an ambulance in the past. She had poured cold water on me at my request in the past when I got overheated and was passing out. Other deputies whose names I don’t know were there .
Sgt. Griffin, badge number 1048, came to the door of the cell. A deputy was sitting between me and Griffin. Griffin, astout fat black woman was being nasty as usual. She always has a smile with a smerk. She has a sadistic streak in her personality and will exagerate and make up false statements whenever possible. I told her the arrest was unlawful, they were committing crimes as I detailed to her the same as what I said above, and that she would have a lot of explaining to do in federal court. I said I would “kick her ass in federal court” and she would be held accountable by the court. She immediately said, “now I got you on assault” and I immediately responded “no I didn’t assault you, I’m telling you the truth that you will be in trouble in federal court because I will legally kick your ass.”
In the lock-up it was rather warm and they were using a fan. They handcuffed me in front and put me in the back of a squad car in the basement to transport me to the Maywood Sheriff’s lock-up for processing. The squad car must have been sitting outside during this very hot day as the back seat was like an oven. With the plastic shield between the front and back and only a little screen opening between them, I was getting very little air conditioning. I don’t sweat much because of congenital nerve injuries. This causes a life-threatening condition where I easily get heat exhaustion and then heat stroke. I also have a serious fainting problem where I go into cardiac arrest for up to 60 seconds and a problem with flashbacks (post-traumatic-stress disorder) when I feel I am suffocating (I was previously attacked, tied down, and suffocated). This made me overheat along with having a hot flash. I became very anxious and panicked thinking I was suffocating, pleading and crying that I could not tolerate this and could pass out and go into cardiac arrest (which has happened in the past). I removed as many clothes as possible in a panic because Iwas so hot and feeling like I was suffocating.
I unsuccessfully tried my best to meditate through this and remain calm, trying to think about the advice given to me by a psychiatrist during treatment for PTSD. During a flashback, a person is in an altered state of consiousness, like a dream, reliving the life-threatening and terrorizing incident that induced the PTSD. I started going into flashbacks where I though I was suffocating and ripped off my clothes. I was so extremely panicked and anxious that I got out of the handcuffs. I screamed that I couldn’t breath and was short of breath. I screamed repeatedly – “help me, help me, I can’t tolerate this, I have medical problems, I can’t breathe”. Then during periods of being a little lucid I cried and screamed to please poor cold water on me, that I felt like I couldn’t breathe. The deputies in the car, a man and woman, were verbally very abusive and didn’t help at all, but did not drive off and instead went and got a supervisor.
Heat stroke is a life-threatening condition where you can’t control your temperature and it starts going up, you stop sweating and you die. It is preceded by heat exhaustion. People who take certain medications that interfere with sweating or who have spinal cord injuries like I do cannot sweat well and go into heat stroke more easily. The person starts feeling nauseated, uncomfortable, like they are smothering, and is very uncomfortable in indescribable ways. Imagine feeling you are sealed in a hot coffin with no air and you are dying. The ER report from Northwestern shows that AFTER cold water was poured on me, AFTER I was transported to the ER by ambulance, AFTER I was in the air-conditioned ER for three hours, my temperature was 100.9 (fever) – obviously it was likely much higher prior to this point in time. This was absolute medical neglect to not admit me and give me lots of cool fluids to drink, even involuntarily if necessary as there was a danger this was heat stroke or the deadly neuroleptic malignant syndrome. This is absolute proof I was suffering early heat stroke and this was very dangerous. Unfortunately the ER docs were jerks, injected me with psychotropic drugs assuming I was crazy, didn’t treat anything, and released me even with a fever – the drugs making me even more anxious, dizzy, and confused. I am suing Northwestern for medical battery and for willful indifference to medical needs in aiding and abetting the abuse by the Sheriff.
Besides heat stroke, which can have serious complications including death, and requires admission – usually to the ICU - for at least observation, Haldol® has a serious complication called neuroleptic malignant syndrome, which is a hypermetabolic state that kills 30 % of its victims. The symptoms are fever after injection, high pulse, respiratory rate and blood pressure, confusion, agitation, increased white cell count, muscle rigidity. I had all these symptoms except muscle rigidity. The drugs didn’t sedate me but caused increased agitation.
Deputy Soto came out and let me dangle my legs out of the car and poured several glasses of cold water over me which got me back into reality and I clung on to her and cried and asked her to protect me because I didn’t want to pass out, while they applied a belly chain, stating that a belly chain made the feeling worse as I couldn’t push my hands out in front to prop my shoulders up, and told her I had flashbacks. Then they took me back into the lock-up cell, allowed me to get dressed and poured more water on me. Finally they took me to Northwestern by ambulance telling them FALSELY that I was crazy, attacked an officer and a paramedic, was spitting on everyone, and was arrested because I refused to be escorted in the Daley Center and had a history of serious mental illness. The only mental illness I ever suffered from was PTSD induced by attacks on me and mild depression. Their statements were grossly defamatory.
(People in respiratory distress “tripod” in that they feel compelled to put their hands in front against something so that they can push their shoulders up, elevating the top of the lungs, which increases lung volume and makes them feel less short of breath. Asthmatics have to do this during an asthma attack – they have to lean forward and push shoulders up or they feel like they are smothering)
In the ambulance, I was in and out of flashbacks, really freaking out by this time due to feelings of suffocation, overheating, and feeling like I was dying, while being forced to sit back while fully restrained. I went completely out not knowing where I was and in kind of a shock like state several times, several times I remember seeing (in a dream like state) a former attacker, Sgt. Anthony Salemi, attack me and choke me (I realized these were flashbacks after I came out of it). I apparently was violently struggling to sit up and get out of the handcuffs (probably to lean forward and tripod) like a FOX chewing his leg off to get out of the trap as a last resort to save life. I’m surprised my hands were not more damaged – just a lot of bruising and a scrapes.
At the Northwestern Memorial Hospital ER I wouldn’t let anyone do anything, was screaming to “get off of me and don’t touch me” per the ER report. They injected me with Haldol® and Ativan® (psychotropic drugs used to sedate people and as a chemical strait jacket) which made me go into mild respiratory distress and become more agitated and dis-inhibited. Haldol® is contraindicated in people with laryngospasm like me – I have a severe asthma condition due to an accident where I was overcome by gasoline fumes. (I have adverse and paradoxical reactions to these drugs previously documented by them in a previous episode of medical battery and violation of mental health laws, when I didn’t need sedation, was wrongfully defamed by police, and which has resulted in a pending suit against Northwestern Memorial Hospital. Northwestern has this in their computer under my name.) I started acting in self-defense by stating I would “tear up the hospital” and began pushing on the bed rails trying to break them and tearing up the sheets and anything on the bed despite being handcuffed. I was “moving all around the bed” in a very agitated and panicked irrational state due to the affects of the illegally injected drugs which dis-inhibit a person and due to the flashbacks of being attacked and choked.
I refused to let them put an oxygen mask on me or treat me with a nebulized medication as I was in my mind fighting off being choked and suffocated. Every time they came at me with a mask if felt like Sgt. Salemi was choking me. I cried and kept pleading with them to let my hands loose enough so that I could lean forward and tripod. I was terrorized badly. They refused and just changed the cuffs to full medical restraints tightly tied to the bed. They refused to instruct the officers to release my hands except for handcuffing one to a railing, as is normally done with prisoners in ERs. They violated the mental health laws in being so aggressive with me instead of backing off and asking what the problem was and what I needed, or listening to my pleas that I had to put my hands in front of me and tripod, or simply as the law required put me into a secure seclusion room prior to trying restraints or drugs to calm me down. They did nothing except forcibly tightly tie me down, attack me with injections of psychotropic drugs, and draw blood, and then released me 3 hours later back to the Sheriff’s custody. Medical personal are not legally allowed to give forced injections of drugs or tie a person down unless they are an IMMEDIATE danger to their own life or to other’s lives. Delusions, uncooperativeness, screaming, arguing, are not legal reasons to do this. Medical personnel, by law, are required to try secluding a person in a safe room, to allow the person to call family members and a lawyer, to give a person fluids and food as needed, to allow a person to use a bathroom as needed, and obtain consent from a person before giving them drugs, unless they are an IMMEDIATE, REAL, and APPARENT danger to themselves or others. I clearly did not meet these criteria, and if they had given me cool water, allowed me to tripod, and simply backed-off and listened to me, instead of ignoring my concerns and treating me like an excapee form a mental hospital with disgust, disdain, and arrogance.
It is grotesque and unethical for ER personnel to only listen to officers who have no more than a high school education and a few months of training, concerning a patient’s medical history, behavior, and symptoms, while ignoring the patient. Officers are very biased against prisoners, especially prisoners who have been unlawfully arrested and are federal witnesses agaisnt the criminal conduct of their colleagues.
The deputies then transported me by squad car to the Maywood Sheriff’s lock-up for processing and eventual release. There I was processed and released and I took a taxi to the Grant Park garage. This was crazy as I was suffering complications of Haldol® and Ativan® including agitation, akathisia (a sense of having to keep moving – can’t sit or lay down except for short times). It was dangerous for me to drive as by then I was very dizzy having not taken my medications (felt like sea sick with intense vertigo) and was a bit confused and unable to think real clearly due to the illegally given drugs. I got home and the home health aide who helps me take care of my Dad, and Dad noticed my odd behavior of walking around and not able to sit long, flopping down onto the floor dizzy on and off, unable to think clearly, agitated and panicked. Eventually I remembered that Benadryl® was an antidote to the Haldol® complications and the aide went to the store and got some. I had to take it for several days to control the complications, and it made me drowsy. The aide and Dad had to keep asking me not to go anywhere or drive because it was dangerous. It was very negligent of Northwestern to inject me with such drugs and then release me so that I could drive alone. People given powerful sedatives should not be left alone for the next day or so.
I called the next day to the lock-up and told Soto or another lady who answered that my IL Supreme Court documents had not been returned to me. She said she would look for them. I later received a call that they were found.
A friend later called Lt. Prescott 512 and complained that I was being followed around the building illegally and that my IL Supreme Court documents had not been returned to me. Lt. Prescott said they would no longer follow me and I should return and pick up my documents. A few days later I went and got the documents from her and then served them on the judges and Dorothy Brown. Lt. Prescott confirmed they were no longer going to follow me around or prohibit me from entering the building. She confirmed that there were no written orders to follow me around the building.
I have now been charged with resisting arrest, trespass to state supported land, disorderly conduct, and Assault. Anyone who wishes to help me and support me can donate funds to pay for legal fees at: Shelton legal fund, Albukerk & Associates, 3025 W 26th St. 2nd Floor, Chicago, IL 60625 or can e-mail me for dates and time of court hearings and trial at: picepil@aol.com. The FBI is being informed and I will file a civil rights suit for unlawful arrest, malicious prosecution, assault and battery, emotional distress, etc. I will also file a suit against Northwestern Memorial Hospital for medical battery, aiding will indifference to medical need, violation of civil rights (1983 civil rights action), violation of mental health laws (per se negligence), etc. Next Court hearing is at 555 W. Harrison, courtroom 304, at 1:30 pm on September 21, 2009. This is a pre-trial status hearing.
Sheriff Dart’s Felony Crimes
Sheriff Dart’s Cook County Sheriff Courtroom Deputies have been instructed to harass pro se litigants who make complaints against judges, including making unlawful arrests; instructed to refuse to enforce the law when these litigants try to make complaints; instructed to actively aid and abet criminal conduct of officials such as Judge William Maddux and Court Clerk Dorothy Brown’s staff. See the following links – which is the tip of the iceberg. More to follow.
Judges who get annoyed with legitimate complaints by pro se litigants (who are also FBI informants in several cases against corrupt judges) complain to the Sheriff staff, purposely to harass these witnesses against them. The Sheriff staff has investigated these complaints and have found them unfounded. Yet Sheriff Dart’s staff, particularly by and through the extremely corrupt criminal Assistant Chief Sheriff Nolan, who is director of courtroom security at the Daley Center, and Sheriff Dart’s counsel, Peter Kramer, have instructed the Sheriff staff to harass the following federal witnesses against the Sheriff and corrupt judges – Sheila Mannix, Karen Mehringer, Jarie Szczypta, Linda Shelton, Robert More, April Tyler, Lynn Drabik, and Mary Richards, among other persons.
The Sheriff staff specifically harasses these people and attempts to interfere with their First Amendment Right to Redress of Grievances by, without judicial order and without written notification to these persons, ordering his staff to “escort them around the Daley Center”, staying within a few feet most of the time and always in eye contact, arrest them if they go behind the courtrooms to the judges secretary or law clerk, even if they have legitimate business as pro se counsel to reschedule hearings, file routine motions, or deliver courtesy copies, not to give the names of ANY employees in the Daley Center including the law clerks, not to enforce the laws (such as the statute that requires prompt delivery of orders on indigency petitions to pro se indigent litigants), stand near them with more than the usual one deputy in a courtroom during all hearings which publicly defames them as dangerous individuals, and to impede these persons access to the Daley Center at all times if a deputy is not immediately available by such acts as rescanning already scanned items at the security entrance, grabbing and holding onto Shelton’s walker to impede her movement, taking a longer and slower time to search their belongings at security entrances.
This amounts to using Sheriff staff without authority of law for criminal purposes – felony theft of honest services. It is a felony civil rights violation as is any purposeful act that interferes with a person’s First Amendment right to redress of grievances, or so chills their ability to exercise their constitutional rights. It is felony harassment of a federal witness. It is official misconduct. It is the tortuous act of interference with the exercise of one’s constitutional rights.
The FBI has been so informed. I strongly recommend that any deputies who are forced by orders of their superiors to obey such illegal orders, thus are committing felony acts, go ASAP to the FBI at 2111 W Roosevelt Rd. and ask for a duty agent. They should tell the DA, that they feel uncomfortable escorting these persons around the Daley Center without legal basis, but fear if they complain, they will lose their jobs. All of these deputies may be subpoenaed in civil rights suits and criminal cases againt the criminals in the Sheriff’s Office, Clerk’s Office, and the judge’s offices that are committing these crimes.
The Sheriff staff that have committed these criminal acts include: Assistant Chief William J. Nolan badge 202, Deputy H. Abruscato badge 11338, Deputy Fashingbauer badge 11327, Deputy Wanda Soto badge 11086, Deputy Jevtic badge 11168, Deputy Thomas badge 11044, Deputy Cunningham, Deputy Evans badge 1036, Deputy Reynolds badge 11346, Deputy Kong badge 11337, Deputy Escabar badge 10649, Deputy Dattulo badge 11286, Deputy Cano badge 11322, Lt. Prescott badge 512, Lt. Foster badge 526, Sgt. Boyd, Sgt. Johnson badge 105, and Sgt. Jennifer Griffith badge 1048.
Please contact Dr. Shelton and the FBI if you are also a victim of this RICO conspiracy. Send information via comments on this post.
