On Monday night we told you about Sherisa Reneau, he 30-year-old mother of 6 who was remanded to prison because police caught her handling one of those 100 educational tablets stolen from a city high school.
Well, tonight, she is back home with her family - after some attorneys saw he plight. Cherisse Halsall has the story:
Mother of 6 - Sherisa Reneau stepped out of the court van with a confident air this morning - hoping that she would get bail after she had been remanded for 3 weeks only three days ago.
News of her misfortune had come to attorney Norman Rodriguez who took up the case pro bono:
Norman Rodriguez - Attorney "I saw the news and I just saw a woman being charged with what you consider a serious crime and being denied bail based on the submission made by the prosecution. When I saw her plight, I decided immediately that I will go and see her on Tuesday, and I will assist her. Later on that night attorney Michelle Choc contacted me and showed me the news item and said she would also do the bail application pro-bono, we decided to go up there Tuesday afternoon and I advised the young lady that I will go back and see her on Wednesday to have the petition signed."
And that led to today in court - where she was lucky to get bail at the lower court:
Norman Rodriguez "I rushed down to the court and we attempted to try to work that out, there was another petition before the court but it's a magistrate's court matter, it will be heard at the magistrate court level, so the magistrate could consider bail and that is what she did. There is no intention from the prosecution, it is a serious offence based on the penalty but it is a small offence and considering that the young lady is saying that she did not know that it was a stolen tablet she was buying, she did inform the person that I'm not buying this stolen item and I'm hoping that this is not a stolen item and the person assured her it wasn't, so she bought it. She has 10 children and of course anybody could use a reasonable tablet, any technological item in these times."
We note that her attorney says she had 10 kids, but on Monday she told the court that she has 6.
Reneau was granted bail of $800 by Senior Magistrate, Aretha Ford. On Monday, Magistrate Stephanie Gillett denied bail who said at the arraignment that she felt a lesson needed to be sent to persons who purchase items off the street without being given a receipt.
