I have been a guest of OC on several short stays at the "Farm", on the west yard as a pretrial…read moreinmate, but all before 2010, since that was my last vacation. I wanted to detail the last time I was a resident there. I was picked up on a bench warrant that the court clerk neglected to recall the month before right as I headed to rehab at the VA Long Beach at Xmas time. A month later, the day after I transition to aftercare in Costa Mesa, I get picked up in Orange as I am checking my mail at Mary's Kitchen, I'm scooped up, and it's 3 days until court, which is my bday. I figured out what was happening when OPD went to pick up the warrant abstract at their HQ b4 taking me to the county jail. The cops also knew it was a screwup, and let me call my probation officer while getting their paperwork and I had her call my house so they wouldn't think I absconded and throw out my stuff. Thanks, Juanita Zambrano, you looked out for me!
Monday, go to Central court and court tells me there was a mistake, and I go "Yeah , I know", just like I have for the last 3 days to by bunkie, the west yard guests, and the cops. I get taken back to the farm, the deputy that surfed all the time, name escapes me, had me roll it up, walked me to dress out, cashier, and brought me back to ride into the main with a work crew doing PM Kitchens, all before the sun went down on Jan 25th. The bus driver, a deputy, pulled up on Grand in Santa Ana a block from the bus and train station, let me off, gave me my property, and went on to the Main jail.
The normal procedure was you got processed for release late in the evening, and if you could get a ride to come out, they would let you go or you had to wait for the night kitchen crew to head to work at 2-3 am on a bus and you got released at the Main jail.
I got back to Costa Mesa in time to get supper at my sober living at 6 pm, which is the mandatory attendance activity for that place, so I didn't have to account for being out overnight. The point is this:
1. It took 3 days to get to court, which was the only way to straighten out this screwup, but the cops either felt I rated special treatment due to a govt mistake, it was my bday or both, I didn't ask and they didn't say. I did what you do in custody, which is do what you are told by the deputies, if you have a question you open your mouth and ask respectfully. I can't speak to the present configuration at the Farm, but as a mental health court program and combat vet program participant, putting those prisoners at the Farm has got to be better than the Main or at Theo Lacey.