Corrections officer Deborah Barron didn't normally
transport prisoners to court, but she missed the hand-off of a prisoner
heading for a court appearance. Barron decided to take him there
herself from a prison in Jessup, Md., to Baltimore. The jail van she
drove didn't have a cage for prisoners, so she put Marcus Anderson, 22,
who is 6'3" and 220 pounds, in the front seat next to her. Barron, who
has 19 years of experience, didn't have handcuffs, either, so
Anderson's hands were free. Anderson, who was serving a three-year
sentence on a drug conviction, was heading for his trial on weapons
charges. When Barron stopped for a red light, Anderson opened the door
and "leaped out" of the van. Barron couldn't call for help: the van
didn't have a radio, and she didn't have a cell phone. "There was
nothing for me to do but proceed," she told the judge. "I had a green
light. Vehicles were blowing their horns." Judge Charles Bernstein
buried his head in his hands, asking her, "Did you give him bus tokens,
too?" Bernstein ordered that the trial continue anyway, and Anderson
was convicted in absentia. He faces up to eight more years in prison,
plus escape charges. (Baltimore Sun) ...With time off for exposing the
Prison Guard Moron of the Year.

Surely there's a song or two here!