Texas man held for 83 days for missing jury duty

This is NOT the great country I grew up in.

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hyscience.com

May 9, 2009
In an incredibly sad case of injustice, Douglas Maupin, a masonry contractor, served 83 days on a warrant for failure to appear for jury duty. During those days of legal purgatory, he said he lost his rental home, all his personal possessions, his car and his beloved dog Daisy, and was unable to hire a lawyer, post bail or even get a clear explanation of what type of charge he was being held on. He's now homeless, with no job, and a vehicle repossession:
"He should not have spent that much time. This is unacceptable," said 416th District Judge Chris Oldner, who returned to the courthouse late Friday specifically to handle the case of Maupin, who was expected to be released soon. "I don't know why the process failed to notify us." It seems to me that a few good Samaritans in his area should step forward and help him out. And someone has to know what happened to Daisy and his personal possessions.

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/dn/localnews/columnists/problemsolver/stories/050909dnentjuryduty.3b78bf5.html