BLOG POST #4

2-14-12
WHERE'S MY CODEFENDANT?

I was an inmate of Clarinda correctional facility. In early January 2009, I was informed that I would be transferred to Iowa State Penitentiary. I expressed concerns to CCF Howard, Jenkins, and Payne that I had an enemy offender Myers, who is my co-defendant, housed at ISP wanting to kill me. I even noted fears from offender Myers and his associates or accomplices housed in ISP. I went as far to flood my cell at CCF bringing water out into the dayroom and joining cells, in hopes that I would end up in lock up rather than coming to ISP near my enemy.
In late January, the classification committee met with me. This committee consisted of CCF Howard, Jenkins, Payne, and Pirtle. I contested that I would rather stay at CCF. Payne noted that Howard had been in contact with Clinical Care Unit. "That CCU deals with situations like mine all the time." I reiterated my fears at the meeting, but the committee assured me that I would be safe. The committee simply ignored my request to stay at CCF by placing emphasis on the fact I needed to get mental health treatment.
In early February, I soon arrived in ISP's CCU. I then told Gehle, Kuper, Roller, Shierbrock, and Tadman that I had an enemy at ISP who is on my alert list. The classification committee met with me and this consisted of Kuper, Roller, and Tadman. They each informed me that they knew of an inmate who was housed in CCU threatening to kill me because I was convicted of murdering his best friend. I assumed that was speaking about offender Myers. Later on, I unfortunately discovered this offender was an associate of offender Myers. I then informed the committee that offender Myers had threatened to kill me because Myers believed that I had snitched on him. I went into detail of how offender Myers was going to kill me because all I got was blank stares and I felt that the committee was not listening to me.
After the committee knew of the other offender making threats to kill me, the committee turned right around and placed me on the very same pod as that offender. This offender would constantly harass and intimidate me in retaliation for my conviction on a regular basis. That one day, Ms. Roller overheard these threats to kill me. Ms. Roller then arranged for me to be moved to another pod.