Story Archive

And He Solemnly Swore

Jeffrey Dodson, 51, spent 72 days in jail waiting for his trial at the Cuyahoga County (Ohio) Common Pleas Court. He was allowed to wear the street clothes he had on when he was arrested, but wasn’t allowed to wear a belt. He was ordered to stand before the judge and raise his hand to be sworn in. He was handcuffed, so he couldn’t raise one hand without the other — and with that, his pants fell down; he had lost a lot of weight in 72 days. Judge Brendan Sheehan was unperturbed: he simply ordered Dodson’s public defender to hold up his client’s pants. (RC/Cleveland Plain Dealer) ...And never has a public defender defended the public so well.