October 17
Dear Diary...
You showed up in my first care package, and since I'm not doing anything else, I might as well write in you. =)
Lemme tell you a bit about myself. I'm Casey, Casey Shepherd. I'm, 19, really tall...5 foot 11 to be exact (yay tall me!), weigh about 150 lbs, slender and toned from playing volleyball and softball, straight blonde hair, blue eyes, freckles, 38c, size 10 feet. In the winter I like to go snowboarding. If you haven't figured already, I'm a big tomboy.
All this trouble started about 4 months ago. I had just finished finals and it was the start of Summer Break. I had been efficient over the previous week, and had all my dorm furniture shipped home, so all I had to do was dump clothes and other things in the back of my car and get the hell outta there. My parents had bought me a new car midway through Senior year of high school as being accepted into University on a softball scholarship. Can I tell you how much I love my car? It's a Cherry Red Volkswagen Jetta, and my dad had splurged on the sport version, since in his words "I didn't have to pay for your school, so I had to spend your college savings somewhere!" Isn't Dad so cool?
Anyways, I was driving home. I didn't take the highway this time because my roommate had told me about this shortcut. She said it would take 3 hours off my travel time since I wouldn't have to sit in traffic getting out of the city. The shortcut was mostly this long, straight, country road. I double-checked with the GPS in my car and it checked out, so off I went!
Long story short, I go down this country road, get pulled over for speeding, and then arrested for resisting arrest!!!! I'll admit, I gave the cop a bit of attitude, mostly out of frustration at myself. But come on, a couple sarcastic comments and jokes about Sarah Palin is worthy of arrest?!??! It all happened so fast too! One minute, I'm sitting in my car. Next minute, I'm yanked out and cuffs are squeezing my wrists as I'm shoved up against the side of my car. I cussed like a sailor, which probably didn't help my case, as he kicked my feet apart and started his patdown search. It was a hot day, so I was wearing summer clothes. A pair of knee-length khaki cargo shorts and a white cotton t-shirt, a white bra and a pair of pink boyshorts. Shoes were a pair of black Converse Chuck Taylor sneakers and white ankle socks.
The cop gave me a quick, rough patdown search, I don't think he was worried about me having anything dangerous on me. "I don't like people who get snotty, you're under arrest for resisting arrest. And I'm still gonna ticket you for speeding." Resisting arrest!!! Holy shit!!!
A sudden jerk backward pulled me off my car and I led by a firm hand on my bicep, leading me to the back of the idling police car. The door was opened, and a shove down on the back of my head forced me to bend at the waist, lowering my head enough so I didn't bang it getting into the car. Another shove forced me into the car, and I settled in the cramped rear bench seat, my butt getting sore from the hard plastic. I twisted my hands in the cuffs, but a sharp pain forced me to wince and gasp as the steel bracelets of the tightly-locked cuffs bit into my skin. A slam of the door left me alone to my thoughts, only the police radio breaking the silence.
I sat there for about a half-hour, while Mr. Dick Cop did a slow, thorough search of my car, I'm a good girl so he didn't find anything. About 20 minutes in another cop car pulled up, coming through to check things out. I gave both officers a nervous stare as they glanced over at me, obviously enjoying a funny joke or story since they were both laughing pretty hard. I leaned back, resting on my cuffed arms as I sighed, just wanting to get this over with.
Officer Prick finally finished dicking around and came back, opening the door and climbing into the driver's seat. He let out a chuckle as he put the car in gear and got back on the road, saying over his shoulder at me. "You're in luck. You might be able to take care of this today, Judge Carter's heard about your little situation and decided to keep court in session a bit late." He turns over his shoulder and grins. "Bad news is he doesn't like city folks with attitude problems." I stayed quiet, a sinking feeling in my tummy foreshadowing what happened next.
20 minutes later we pull up to this building that is the jail, sheriff's office, and courthouse all in one. Prick pulls the car into a sally port and waits for both doors to close before I'm jerked out of the car and taken for processing. Nothing special here, fingerprints, mugshot, random paperwork. Since I was to be immediately arraigned, they didn't bother making me put on a jail uniform. They just replaced the officer's cuffs with ones the jail used, heavy hinged ones, and locked a pair of 3-foot legirons around my ankles. I was then led into the courtroom.
Judge Carter is EVIL!! He's this angry old guy with crazy white hair. I stood there, looking up at him glaring down at me, as he rants about what he feels is wrong with young people. While he ranted, a guy ran in, up the aisle, and stood next to me. He whispered in my ear that he was my Public Defender, and he'd worked out a quick deal that I'd plead guilty to Misdemeanor Resisting Arrest, in exchange for being sentenced to time served (which was really nothing). So basically, I'd plead guilty and walk out. Score!! I quickly agreed, and as soon as the arraignment was read my lawyer announced the deal, which the Prosecutor quickly agreed to.
Judge Carter glares down at me, and asks me if I plead guilty. I eagerly nod, answering "Yes, yes your Honor." He asks me a couple more questions, then had the plea agreement entered into the record. It was official...I'm outta here!!
Or so I thought. Judge Carter just keeps glaring down at me, then extends a scraggly finger and points, bitterly spitting down at me. "Young people like you have no respect. No respect for the law, no respect for elders, no respect at all." If I wasn't so nervous I'd probably be stifling giggles at the awesome Rodney Dangerfield impression. He paused, took a sip of water, and continued. "What both Counselors seem to have forgotten, is that I decide sentencing." He retracts his finger, then picks up his gavel. "Maximum sentence as allowed per state law. 6-months, North Haven Correctional." He bangs the gavel and stands up, looking down at me as I stand there, mouth wide open in shock, as the bailiffs come to escort me away. "Hopefully some time away will rid you of your attitude problem."
The next 4 hours was a complete blur. I was prepared for transport, a heavy waist chain slipped around my waist, my wrists locked to the chain, another chain running down from the small of my back to the center of the hobble chain on my legirons. I was locked inside a transport van, the type where prisoners sit in the back, basically locked in a cage, no windows or anything. I could only sit there and cry as I heard the van start up and felt it jump forward, heading off for parts unknown.
A while later, I had settled into a fitful nap, which I was suddenly jolted out of as the van came to a stop. The only ventilation in the back was a couple of air vents allowing the hot, muggy air to circulate. There was no light shining through the air vents, so I figured it was really early in the morning. I heard a muffled voice exchange, then felt the van jerk forward again, driving slowly on what sounded to be gravel. The van stopped, engine shut off, and I looked toward the rear doors as they were opened, revealing a couple guards. "Welcome to North Haven," they said. "Step out and onto the yellow line."