One woman's nightmare: Mistaken identity costs wife, mother two weeks in jail

http://www.sunherald.com ^ | 12/3/15 | ANITA LEE

[BBell]

Jail was the last place wife, mother and churchgoer Jacqueline Renell Charles expected to spend two weeks of her life.

The 50-year-old manager of tax preparation offices in the New Orleans area was on her way home from work late in the evening Nov. 18 when a law enforcement officer pulled her over for speeding. He told her the stop was taking a long time because when he checked her license, he found a warrant for her in Mississippi.

She couldn't imagine why. Her son is in school at Millsaps College, so she does go to Jackson occasionally for ball games, but she had never been charged with a crime. Anywhere. The officer went back to his paperwork.

"He came back to the car and said, 'I have to arrest you,'" Charles said. "Of course, I started crying."

She was told she could probably pay a fine and go home. But that's not the way her nightmare played out.

Instead, she spent a week in the St. Charles Parish jail, then was hauled off to Mississippi, where she spent another week in the Jackson County jail. All the while, she kept telling officers they had the wrong person. Nobody delved into her story.

"I was just scared and nervous," she said, "not understanding what was happening."

Shackled for transport

She had been allowed to call her husband, who called her pastor, the Rev. E. Craig Wilson of New Generation Fellowship in Kenner. They contacted two New Orleans attorneys, who were trying to help.

She was moved from a holding cell after one night in the Louisiana jail into a pod with 15 or so other women. The day before Thanksgiving, a female deputy arrived in a Jackson County patrol car to take her to Mississippi.

"She shackled me all up and put

[Fundamentally Fair]

If you just follow the law, you have nothing to worry about...

[Altariel]

Bwahaha! :)