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| Judge's Mistake Leads to Jail Time |
| By Associated Press |
| Published: 03/20/2003 |
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A Missouri judge signed the wrong paperwork and sent a burglary suspect to jail three months ago, but the man was never tried and never convicted. While rules bar lawyers from publicly discussing the case, court documents reported by the St. Louis Post-Dispatch provided some details. Circuit Judge Julian Bush said the suspect's lawyer evidently prepared a judgment document in anticipation of a guilty plea, but Michael Cook instead pleaded innocent. 'I carelessly did not look at the papers carefully enough and signed the sentence and judgment,' Bush said in a hearing transcript. 'And off went Mr. Cook. It's my fault.' Bush rescinded his five-year sentence for Cook, 46, of Belleville, Illinois, who has been in custody since he was charged nearly a year ago with second-degree burglary in two break-ins in 2001. He is unable to raise his $5,000 bail. His trial, originally set for December 16th, will be rescheduled. If Cook is found guilty, he will simply get credit on his sentence for time spent waiting for a trial. However, if he's found innocent, the error could have cost him extra months behind bars. Circuit Attorney Jennifer Joyce has called Bush a 'meticulous' judge known for 'great attention to detail.' |
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