Student in jail for drugs is raped

Gainesville Sun (FL) ^ | June 10. 2003 | Kathy Ciotola

[MrLeRoy]

An Alachua County college student in jail on marijuana charges was raped over the weekend by his cell mate, a man already being held on sexual battery charges, authorities said Monday.

The 19-year-old student was serving four weekends in jail on charges of delivering marijuana, said Alachua County Sheriff's Sgt. Jim Troiano. Last weekend was the first weekend of his sentence.

His cell mate held a ballpoint pen to the teenager's neck at about 9 p.m. Friday and then forced himself on him, Troiano said. A member of the victim's family reported the incident to authorities on Saturday.

Jail detention officers, who check the cells at least once an hour, heard nothing and nothing was reported to them Friday, Troiano said.

Randolph Jackson, 35, was charged with sexual battery. Jackson has been in jail since July on charges of sexual battery in a different case that is still pending.

The two were put in a cell together because they were both charged with felonies, Troiano said. Also, there was very little room in the jail last weekend, Troiano added. There were 918 inmates and the jail's capacity is 920.

"If there was space available, absolutely we would rather keep our weekenders in a pre-designated area," Troiano said. "But because we don't have much space available we have to do with circumstances on hand."

Inmates are assigned to cells based on their charges, their history and other factors, he said.

These two inmates were being held in a two-man cell in pod 1-B. Inmates who are awaiting trial or who don't yet have a jail classification are kept in this section, Troiano said.

Jail officials don't house inmates who are charged with misdemeanors, which are less serious crimes, with those who have felony charges, he said.

Troiano said this was the first sexual battery reported at the jail in the memory of jail officials.

Jackson never showed any signs of having sexual tendencies toward other inmates, Troiano added. He has since been moved to his own cell.

[Fraulein]

Why put a 19-year old non-violent 'criminal' in the same cell with a sex offender? Makes no sense!!! It also makes no sense that in this country it is perfectly legal to get stupified drunk and yet it's illegal to get high on a little weed. Go figure. In many ways a drunk person is also potentially more dangerous. BTW, my father was a hardcore alcoholic all of his life -- and he ultimately died from alcoholism. In other words, when you've seen all that I've seen, marijuana strikes you as being pretty harmless.

[SquirrelKing]

Just ran a search on his posts. [sarcasm] not needed here. Move along...

[Dane]

If the reporter has misstated the position of the authorities, then I would expect the Sheriff's Department to issue a correction. We'll see if one is forthcoming.

If I were Sheriff and the local paper distorted what I said, I'd be all over them, wouldn't you?

And the papers always print their retractions as a front page headline.(/sarcasm)

[jmc813]

Would you be willing to bet money that this story is inaccurate? If so, what kind of odds would you look for?

[Guillermo]

Whether they "care" or not is not relevant.

Sentencing someone to be raped is barbaric, cruel, and highly unusual, ie, unconstitutional.

You won't find much sympathy for rapists, murderes and child molesters, but the vast majority of prisoners are doing time for non-violent crimes. Does it make you feel good to know they are being raped? Does it make you feel good to know innocents are being raped to? If it does, you're some kind of sicko.

[Dane]

Would you be willing to bet money that this story is inaccurate? If so, what kind of odds would you look for?

None. This story was printed and posted to inflame a politcal viewpoint, IMO.

It could be months before this goes trial, if at all.

Nice try at the Libertarian "macho flash", though.

[AntiGuv]

It could be months before this goes trial, if at all.

You've been here since 1998; chances are you'll be here whenever this criminal charge is resolved. I see no reason to weasel out of an honest wager on that basis..

[Ken H]

And the papers always print their retractions as a front page headline.(/sarcasm)

I said nothing about the paper printing a retraction.

The point is that the Sheriff's Department should issue a correction if the story is in error.

[jmc813]

Nice try at the Libertarian "macho flash", though.

What exactly is a "Libertarian macho flash". I;ve honestly haven't heard the term.

BTW How did the root canal go?

[sit-rep]

That deserves a big FU buddy... Just because someones smokes a little weed, does not mean they are subject to faggots and their abuse.

IOW, I think you're an asshole...

[MrLeRoy]

I thought the term "demon weed" was a clear sign that I was being sarcastic. It seems I was wrong.

[bassmaner]

Society knows damn well what goes in those prisons and the truth is, most of society doesn't care.

When enough of "society" is rotting behind bars for breaking any number of the new laws being put on the books by cynical politicians every day, then maybe things will change.

There are 2 million+ people in jail in America today (25% of the prisoners in the entire world) -- how many more will it take until we wake the hell up? We're supposed to be the "land of the free", not the land of a latter-day Gulag Archipelago.

[Fraulein]

"Libertarian macho flash"

ROTFLMAO!

Now that is funny.

[bassmaner]

MrLeRoy had his tongue planted firmly in cheek, my friend. He's one of the good guys fighting the good fight to bring such abuses to everyone's attention.

[Dane]

You've been here since 1998; chances are you'll be here whenever this criminal charge is resolved. I see no reason to weasel out of an honest wager on that basis.

Weasle out of what? It all looks good and now, but soon will be forgotten.

There was a reason, IMO, why this article was written and posted. To provide a sympathetic politcal viewpoint(in this case the liberal/libertarian/anrchist pro-drug view).

BTW, why are you(AG) speaking for jmc813?

[jmc813]

I bet you'll never forget a sarcasm tag again.

:-)

[LittleJoe]

Serves him right for toking the demon weed

ROTFL!
We showed him!
We took a pot headed college kid and sent him off to the university of crime and mayhem to be raped.

I'm sure this will make him a better person...Just gotta love this war!

[robertpaulsen]

Man, I was really tempted to pile on. But I think he learned his lesson.

[PaxMacian]

"when it costs the government more money in law suits than it would to build safer prisons."

That shouldn't be too long frome now in Florida since in the last election through a state constitutional amendment the fools of this state gave pregnant pigs the right to a living space greater than that which a prisoner is allowed. I have been waiting for the lawsuit on behalf of prisoners ever since. They will have to build twice as many as we now have just to house those already imprisoned.

[meadsjn]

You pro-druggies

If you could read, you would clearly understand that I am not "pro-druggie".

By your response, a reasonable person could deduce that you are "pro-rape".