John Haring, the quadriplegic who was sentenced to 90 days in jail for illegally growing the marijuana he said he used for his own pain, turned himself in to the Pinellas County jail early Wednesday morning.
But the 46-year-old Clearwater man likely won't stay there. Haring, who was profiled in the St. Petersburg Times on April 22, hopes the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office will release him Thursday and let him serve the rest of his sentence at home.
Sgt. Tom Nestor said Haring's medical condition and non-violent offense will likely qualify him for alternative sentencing. That would allow Haring to do his time at home while wearing an electronic ankle monitor. He'll also have to pay the county $7 a day during his sentence, as opposed to the county paying the cost of housing him for 90 days.
"It's a program that allows us to alleviate overcrowding in the jail," Nestor said. "It's also a way for us to save the taxpayers money."
Though the jail has a medical facility, defense attorney John Trevena said his client has special medical needs that it cannot meet, including the special bed Haring needs to prevent bedsores.
"Clearly they did not have the capacity to care for him," Trevena said.
Haring was 24 when a 1989 accident in Ohio left the trucker with a severe spinal injury and limited use of his arms and hands. He said he learned to treat his physical and mental ailments with marijuana he grew himself, which he said was less harmful than the powerful prescription narcotics he used after the accident.
But Florida doesn't allow medicinal marijuana. Haring was charged with growing it in his home in 2007 and 2009. The Pinellas-Pasco State Attorney's Office determined that Haring's medical condition is legitimate, so after his 2009 arrest it offered this deal: 90 days in jail and three years of drug offender probation.
But that also means three years of drug testing. Haring must go back to using prescription painkillers, otherwise he could face up to five years in prison if he tests positive for any illegal drugs.
NewsHawk: Ganjarden: 420 MAGAZINE
Source: St. Petersburg Times
Author: Jamal Thalji
Copyright: 2010 St. Petersburg Times
But the 46-year-old Clearwater man likely won't stay there. Haring, who was profiled in the St. Petersburg Times on April 22, hopes the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office will release him Thursday and let him serve the rest of his sentence at home.
Sgt. Tom Nestor said Haring's medical condition and non-violent offense will likely qualify him for alternative sentencing. That would allow Haring to do his time at home while wearing an electronic ankle monitor. He'll also have to pay the county $7 a day during his sentence, as opposed to the county paying the cost of housing him for 90 days.
"It's a program that allows us to alleviate overcrowding in the jail," Nestor said. "It's also a way for us to save the taxpayers money."
Though the jail has a medical facility, defense attorney John Trevena said his client has special medical needs that it cannot meet, including the special bed Haring needs to prevent bedsores.
"Clearly they did not have the capacity to care for him," Trevena said.
Haring was 24 when a 1989 accident in Ohio left the trucker with a severe spinal injury and limited use of his arms and hands. He said he learned to treat his physical and mental ailments with marijuana he grew himself, which he said was less harmful than the powerful prescription narcotics he used after the accident.
But Florida doesn't allow medicinal marijuana. Haring was charged with growing it in his home in 2007 and 2009. The Pinellas-Pasco State Attorney's Office determined that Haring's medical condition is legitimate, so after his 2009 arrest it offered this deal: 90 days in jail and three years of drug offender probation.
But that also means three years of drug testing. Haring must go back to using prescription painkillers, otherwise he could face up to five years in prison if he tests positive for any illegal drugs.
NewsHawk: Ganjarden: 420 MAGAZINE
Source: St. Petersburg Times
Author: Jamal Thalji
Copyright: 2010 St. Petersburg Times
