A woman’s treatment in a Louisville jail had one judge questioning whether she “was in the Twilight Zone” on Friday.
According to a video obtained by WDRB, Judge Amber Wolf stopped court proceedings to call the city’s corrections department when a woman appeared in her courtroom pantsless.
The defendant was appearing in court for sentencing for failing to complete a diversion program relating to a 2014 shoplifting charge. According to her attorney, she had been denied a change of clothes and feminine hygiene products during her 72 hour stay in jail.
“Excuse me? This is outrageous. Is this for real?” Wolf can be heard saying during courtroom proceedings.
“Is there something to cover her up with? Anything?”
Wolf then called Metro Corrections Director Mark Bolton while court was in session and asked why the woman had been denied a change of clothes. Later, the woman was provided with a jumpsuit for the remainder of the hearing.
"Dressed like she was," Metro Corrections Deputy Director Dwayne Clark said, accoeding to WDRB. "She should have been changed into a jumpsuit. I gotta look into why she wasn't."
"This is pretty standard that when individuals are arrested, they remain in the clothing that they’ve been arrested in," Durham told WDRB. "Especially for the first 72 hours."
Wolf also reduced the woman’s sentence from the recommended 75 days to a $100 fine and time served.
According to WDRB, jail officials claimed that the woman was wearing athletic shorts that were hidden by a long T-shirt, though it's unclear on the video if the defendant is wearing shorts.
“I want to extend my deepest apologies to you for the way you’ve been treated while you’ve been in our jail. This is not normal," Wolf said.
The defendant also told the judge that other women in the jail had been treated similarly.
Alex Hider is a writer for the E.W. Scripps National Desk. Follow him on Twitter @alexhider.
