A night in New Orleans jail turns into month of misery for 2 Ohio men

[kskiska]

What began as Paul and Robie's Excellent Adventure has turned into Journey to the Twilight Zone.

Paul Kunkel and Robie Waganfeald, of Toledo, Ohio, chums since childhood, were returning from a seven-week summer vacation Aug. 26, when they stopped in New Orleans for a night of revelry in the French Quarter.

A few too many drinks, a stumble and fall on Bourbon Street and the appearance of a dispute that the men say was overblown resulted in misdemeanor disorderly conduct charges against them and an overnight stay at the Orleans Parish Prison.

In normal times, Kunkel, 44, and Waganfeald, 39, would have paid fines totaling about $300 each the following morning -- a Saturday -- fetched their car from the French Quarter parking garage, retrieved their luggage from the Super 8 motel on nearby Interstate 10 and headed home.

But there was nothing normal about that weekend in New Orleans.

more…
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/05268/576801.stm

[gumby]

1. Katrina continues to peel away the fantasy

that this country lives in. This Best Country In The World, this compassionate-conservative, this right-to-life country is having their eyes pried open.

The fantasy world that the majority live in is drastically different for many, many, many others.

[madderthanhell]

3. Why was Bush keeping these guys in jail?

:shrug:

[gumby]

5. Who said anything about Bush?

These two got busted on a misdemeanor and got caught in the hurricane breakdown of civil society. But, this society isn't civil to many people in this country everyday.

reading comprehension? :shrug:

[Mutley]

9. THIS is the sort of thing you will be banned for...

NOT what you said in that other post.

[Suich]

2. This story is both terrible and ridiculous.

It's hard to believe they're still being held almost 4 weeks later. I wonder how many other stories there are like this.

[Historic NY]

4. One would think they would have wanted to have less people...

by getting rid of those prisoners who could make bail or had petty misdemeanor charges. That would be common sense....but then again, nothing makes sense anymore.

[gumby]

6. At the point that the jail was flooded in chest-deep water,

I'm sure there wasn't any "paperwork" to determine anything.

It's going to be hard to process the people in that jail (and others) for a long time. Sucks, don't it?

[spuddonna]

7. I wonder if they lost all the arrest records...

I was reading in another thread that deeds and insurance info in many businesses was destroyed, and was wondering if they simply lost all the prisoner records... :shrug:

[sandnsea]

8. Flat releasing them before the hurricane

Now that would have been common sense. I do not get people's obsession with "law and order" to the point of holding jaywalkers in the face of a hurricane. I read an article about the flooding yesterday and when the prisoners started getting nervous, their solution was to bring in more MUNITIONS. No, not food and water so everyone would calm down, just more firepower. I don't understand the paranoia that one thief might not get punished.