Student in jail for drugs is raped

Gainesville Sun (FL) ^ | June 10. 2003 | Kathy Ciotola

[MrLeRoy]

An Alachua County college student in jail on marijuana charges was raped over the weekend by his cell mate, a man already being held on sexual battery charges, authorities said Monday.

The 19-year-old student was serving four weekends in jail on charges of delivering marijuana, said Alachua County Sheriff's Sgt. Jim Troiano. Last weekend was the first weekend of his sentence.

His cell mate held a ballpoint pen to the teenager's neck at about 9 p.m. Friday and then forced himself on him, Troiano said. A member of the victim's family reported the incident to authorities on Saturday.

Jail detention officers, who check the cells at least once an hour, heard nothing and nothing was reported to them Friday, Troiano said.

Randolph Jackson, 35, was charged with sexual battery. Jackson has been in jail since July on charges of sexual battery in a different case that is still pending.

The two were put in a cell together because they were both charged with felonies, Troiano said. Also, there was very little room in the jail last weekend, Troiano added. There were 918 inmates and the jail's capacity is 920.

"If there was space available, absolutely we would rather keep our weekenders in a pre-designated area," Troiano said. "But because we don't have much space available we have to do with circumstances on hand."

Inmates are assigned to cells based on their charges, their history and other factors, he said.

These two inmates were being held in a two-man cell in pod 1-B. Inmates who are awaiting trial or who don't yet have a jail classification are kept in this section, Troiano said.

Jail officials don't house inmates who are charged with misdemeanors, which are less serious crimes, with those who have felony charges, he said.

Troiano said this was the first sexual battery reported at the jail in the memory of jail officials.

Jackson never showed any signs of having sexual tendencies toward other inmates, Troiano added. He has since been moved to his own cell.

[SpaceBar]

Serves him right for toking the demon weed.

I seriously hope that if you are ever incarcerated for a minor offense, that you are analy raped.

[smokinleroy]

He was jailed for DEALING, not INGESTING.

[thoughtomator]

You are one sick individual if you think that there is any justice in this person being jailed and raped. God forbid you should ever be in a position of power over a vulnerable individual.

I agree about the Saudi Arabia thing. This sort of incident is analogous to a Saudi woman being publicly stoned to death for driving, a situation which only the demented or deranged could advocate.

[Age of Reason]

And there's no space available because Uncle Sam throws people in the slam for injesting certain plants and plant substances. History will look upon this time in American history not much differently than we currently view Saudi Arabia.

A good observation.

[jjm2111]

Howya doin Race? Well, I hope.

Rape shouldn't be punishment for marijuana abuse. Period.

[thoughtomator]

It's hard to pick up on the sarcasm a lot of times in these threads, you missed it here. LeRoy is mocking the standard WoD fanatic's line here, he is not a proponent of it.

[TBall]

"Society sentenced him to jail, they didn't sentence him to be raped." May well be a death sentence if the victim gets AIDS or even if he is not able to deal with such humiliation.

[Roscoe]

"Lack of room at the county jail left a gainesville student to share a cell with an inmate serving time for sexual battery charges."

[Mr. Mojo]

He was jailed for DEALING, not INGESTING.

Read it again --- he was in jail for delivering. ...He could have been delivering for the dealer, and the delivery could've been a very small amount. Or, he could've just been giving - no selling - a small amount to a friend.

[Coroner]

People who smoke marijuana are'nt out knocking off 7-11's, they're sitting at home eating potato chips!!!

[MrLeRoy]

Serves him right for toking the demon weed.

I seriously hope that if you are ever incarcerated for a minor offense, that you are analy raped.

I thought the term "demon weed" was a clear sign that I was being sarcastic. It seems I was wrong.

[jjm2111]

That was sarcasm on Mr. LeRoy's part.

[xrp]

So cigarette vendors and alcohol vendors should be thrown into jail and anally raped, by your logic.

[fml]

Society doesn't sentence anyone to rape. Deal drugs and you don't get to always choose the company you keep.

[jjm2111]

Beat me to it.

[SpaceBar]

Then my apologies. Prison rape is no joke.

[MrLeRoy]

He was jailed for DEALING

No, he was jailed for "delivering."

[Destructor]

Don't do the crime, if you can't do the time!

[Age of Reason]

How much do you think the law suite will be for?

A lot, I hope.

That's about the only way this barbarity will stop: when it costs the government more money in law suits than it would to build safer prisons.

[Freedom2specul8]

I agree with you...people who break the law know they are risking a chance of getting caught and going to jail. But I don't think a student smoking a joint is worth this. Why can't the state prevent this kind of thing from happening? It's worse than it is on the streets. You'd think a society that wants people to obey the law would be able to enforce the laws inside jails. (/naiveness off)