European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - August 18, 1991, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 4 the stars and stripes sunday August 18, 1991 by the new York times Baltimore a what appears to be an extraordinary breakdown in the american criminal Justice system has left almost 100 prisoners languishing in the Baltimore City jail for up to a year with no fixed trial dates and state investigators said they Are seeking evidence of other prisoners rights being violated. The investigators place the blame for the breakdown on a failure by the City a jailers prosecutors Public defenders and judges to maintain prisoner records adequately and to review the records periodically. They said this failure has been aggravated by a Lack of operating funds a shortage of Public defenders and a steadily increasing prisoner Load in the Baltimore Legal system. City officials contend that the Money shortage was the main cause of the breakdown. There is no evidence that prisoners were deliberately denied trial dates the investigators reported. In most Legal jurisdictions including Baltimore Legal procedures require that a trial Date for a prisoner be set within a few Days of arrest. And if there Are no postponements because of Legal mane vering the trial is supposed to take place within about three months for minor offences and within about four or five months for major offences. State investigators and Legal rights specialists said that Baltimore officials typically follow that procedure. However the record containing the trial Date is sometimes lost postponements May not be recorded or paperwork for postponements is misplaced. As for periodic complaints from prisoners about being held too Long the investigators said the Baltimore corrections officers like jailers everywhere May have become jaded about such complaints. But had the jailers had a better system of keeping and checking records., the investigators contend some of the complaints would have proved valid. The state took Over the jails management last month after the City said it could no longer afford to run the 2,800-bed Complex. For most of the past decade the City has been under a Federal court order to improve conditions and operations at its jail. Early this month investigators began looking into the City a operation of the jail and quickly found that almost 100 of its prisoners had been held for weeks and months without fixed trial dates. Among them was a homeless Man facing an arson charge who had been held for 396 Days with no explanation. The Man Martin Henn was set free on wednesday. A a in be been through hell a he said. Lived to Tell the tale second it. Mark Riccardi had a run in with a grizzly and was Lucky to survive. The Soldier mauled by a Mother Bear recuperate from his injuries at a Fairbanks Alaska Hospital thursday. Showing photos of his wounds Riccardi said he stumbled on the Bear and its cub during training at fort Greely and escaped by playing  buried amid doubts he committed suicide Arlington a. Apr a writer who died mysteriously while pursuing what he said was a major Story on government corruption was eulogized As a Man with a a passion for a  fice Homce Wriler Joseph Daniel Casolaro 44, was buried Friday amid his family a lingering doubts that he actually committed suicide. At the funeral Casolaro a longtime Friend John Elvin remembered Long Midnight conversations with Casolaro. He was a always diving in or discovering or sharing some  his body with both wrists slashed was found last weekend in the Bathtub of a hotel room in Martins Burg w.va., where friends said he had gone to talk to a source about a Story he said would a Bury the Justice  he was writing a Book and pressuring his agent to find a publisher who would pay an Advance but a relative said Casolaro a Money problems were not that great. A i went through his Bills a said his brother Anthony Casolaro. A the owed $2,000 and he had $2,700 in the Bank. He was never very concerned about  the brother said Casolaro had taken a second mortgage on his Home to finance research on the Book but there was Stilt equity in the House that could be drawn upon. Autopsy results were consistent with suicide but foul play was Stilt being considered said West Virginia medical authorities. There was no evidence of a struggle. Drug test results Are  patient gets wrong heart in Oregon Portland Ore. Up a transplant patient who was Given the wrong heart was a a upset by the mistake but still confident in his doctors As Hospital officials scurried Friday to find a compatible Organ a spokeswoman said. The patient who was not identified was listed in critical but stable condition. The oregonian newspaper reported Friday that the heart came from the St. Alphonsus regional medical Center in Boise Idaho. Ironically he was actually doing better than the average patient who undergoes a transplant and receives the right heart said Marcia Williams a spokeswoman for the Oregon health sciences University. A lie s pretty groggy and sleepy still a a she said. A the is upset but has every Confidence in the  doctors at the Hospital admitted that on wednesday they transplanted the w Rong kind of heart into the Man giving him a heart with Type a blood when his is Type o. Doctors said they Are Uncertain How the Man will fare with an incompatible heart but they placed him at the top of the hospitals transplant list and began looking for a compatible Organ. A we Are hoping beyond All Hopes that we can find a heart for him a Williams said. The patient identified Only As a Portland area Man under the age of 65, needed a new heart because he was suffering from cardiomyopathy Williams said. A it basically Means he had a weak heart muscle a she said. Hospital officials were investigating How the mistake was made but they accepted responsibility a in this Case they done to know what happened a Williams said a regardless of what happened the physicians have final responsibility for the care of their patients and they accept  ohs officials did not think the Hospital that supplied the heart made the mistake the spokeswoman said. Williams said that because of time constraints donated hearts Are tested for blood and tissue Type at the supplying Hospital. The Organ is then picked up by an ohs team which rushes it Back to Portland. There is too Little time for further tests so they Are done after the operation she said. The botched transplant occurred wednesday morning and a went Well a according to doctors. The University a tissue Laboratory called later that morning and informed them of the  police officials found guilty of bribery London by. A a Federal court jury found five of six Eastern Kentucky Law enforcement officers including four sheriffs guilty Friday of taking bribes to protect drug dealings. The jury deliberated about 20 hours Over three Days before returning the verdict one year to the Day after the six were arrested and charged. They were charged with accepting bribes from undercover Fri agents posing As drug dealers tapes of transactions were presented at the trial. The 42-count indictment also charged them with conspiracy to distribute drugs. Breathitt county sheriff Dean Spencer was acquitted of All charges. Each of the other five lawmen was convicted of conspiracy to commit extortion which carries a penalty of up to 20 years in prison and a $250,000 Fine. Moreover former Lee county sheriff Johnny Mann Wolfe county sheriff Lester Drake and suspended Beattyville police chief Omer Noe were All convicted of at least one count of conspiracy to distribute cocaine which carries penalties of 10 years to life in prison and up to $4 million in fines. Mann was convicted on is of 19 counts while Drake was convicted on 13 of the 17 charges he faced. Noe was convicted on seven of 13 counts. Owsley county sheriff Billy Mcintosh was convicted on eight of the 14 charges against him and Wolfe county Deputy sheriff Wilson Stone was convicted on two of nine counts. . District judge Eugene Siler or. Scheduled sentencing for oct. 17. Spencer thrust both fists into the air As his acquittal was read. A i thank the lord a Spencer said standing with his wife Gloria in front of the court building afterwards. The defendants sat impassively As the announcement was made. Drake with tears Welling in his eyes was the Only Lawman other than Spencer to show any reaction. Noe and Mann contended that they believed they were dealing with members of the mafia and were coerced into taking part for fear of their lives and those of their families. Mcintosh and Spencer claimed they were conducting their own investigations of the alleged drug dealers. Drake said Only that he was in financial trouble and was entrapped through the offer of thousands of dollars. Stone testified that he got involved to help Drake one of his oldest friends but did not take any Money. However hours of secret Fri tapes played during the monthlong trial showed the lawmen jovially accepting bribes witnessing drug drops and offering to provide information and even drugs for Sale