Datara Davis waited three days in jail before a suburban judge accepted her no contest plea to red-light and seatbelt violations and a contempt charge for missing court hearings, Cleveland.com reports.
Shaker Heights, Ohio, Municipal Judge K.J. Montgomery said a busy court calendar prevented the case from being disposed of sooner after reviewing the court record.
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Apparently, Cuyahoga County's criminal-justice system has a history of being quick to jail people accused of nonviolent crimes.
According to Cleveland.com and the series "Impact 2016: Justice for All," Davis' story is one of many where people languished in jails, at taxpayer expense, because they could not afford bail.
In Davis' case, she spent about two years in prison on a conviction of drug trafficking. Because of this, she was unable to appear in Shaker Heights Municipal Court on April 14, 2014, to answer questions about running a red light and not wearing a seat belt. Therefore, when she was released from prison, she was taken to the Solon jail because of a warrant for her arrest for not appearing at her court hearing.
When Judge Montgomery finally accepted Davis' no contest plea, Davis was released and able to reunite with her young daughter.
Read more at Cleveland.com.
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