In 2006, Demetrius Anderson walked out of a Connecticut state p*rison a free man.
And then, last week, getting ready for work at New Haven’s parks department, he was confronted by eight U.S. marshals who showed up at his apartment door. Of course, the 43-year-old was confused.
“They p*ushed me on my refrigerator, so now I’m c*uffed in a r*obe, and r*ansacked my place,” Anderson said to WNPR. “They were saying they needed to go and make sure no one is here.”
Apparently, a U.S. District C*ourt j*udge for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania (Anderson is originally from Philadelphia), signed a warrant because he failed to serve a 16-month federal s*entence, 13 years ago.
Anderson always thought his state s*entence was concurrent to his federal one, especially because when he got out of p*rison, there were no federal officials to transfer him to another facility.
So what had happened?
During an internal audit, reports CNN, federal marshals realized that Anderson never served p*rison time for his federal ch*arge on c*ounterfeiting money, and so they asked a j*udge to i*ssue a w*arrant for his i*ncarceration.
His lawyer, Michael Dolan, thinks that this mistake—nearly 13 years later—is the definition of “c*ruel and unusual p*unishment.”
“The department of c*orrections will do a w*arrant check, a detainer check,” Dolan told CNN’s Don Lemon. “We presume that that was done back in 2006.”
“I can’t speak to why they went back that far or why this wasn’t caught earlier,” he said.
Many c*riminal j*ustice a*dvocates, including Van Jones, of the Reform Alliance, have spoken out on behalf of Anderson.
"WHEN do you get to be free in #America [if a man who hasn't so much had an overdue library book in the 13 years since he's been released from prison could be remanded for a "clerical error", after serving his time]?!?!?
— Louis L. Reed, LADC, AADC, ICAADC (@LouislReed) March 29, 2019
- @VanJones68 with @donlemon #CNN about @TheRealMeech215 pic.twitter.com/Wk244GAqOQ
“You’re talking about somebody, who for 13 years, almost, has not had an overdue library book,” says an incredulous Jones to CNN’s Lemon. “This is someone who is gainfully employed, this is somebody who is part of a church community, this is somebody who is doing all the things we want him to do. Why would you go back then, to the back of the sock drawer, to find some clerical error to destroy this man’s life? It makes no sense at all.”
WNPR reports that Anderson was due in federal c*ourt in Pennsylvania April 4. But Dolan says the Bureau of P*risons may now credit Anderson for the 16-months under the Doctrine of Credit for Time at Liberty, which would have Anderson remain at liberty for the government’s error.
That, or they may have to appeal to President Donald Trump for a commutation.
“I’m at the mercy of the President right now to help fix this,” said Anderson, according to CNN.
“I still have faith in the j*udicial system that they could rectify it.”