Man Left Handcuffed in Kane County Courthouse Conference Room Overnight
32 year old Husan Smith was waiting in a conference room at Kane County Courthouse before he was to be taken to jail for failing a drug test, which constituted a probation violation. Someone at the courthouse accidentally left him in the conference room overnight while he was still handcuffed. He was there 18 hours before someone found him the next morning.
The conference room doesn't have any cameras and is used for meetings with attorneys and their clients. It is unclear why he was put in the conference room instead of the holding cell, but one possible explanation is that the guard thought he was being picked up to be taken to jail in a very short time, and then forgot about him.
Smith says that during his ordeal he began to panic that he would die of starvation or dehydration. He attempted to set off a fire alarm to no avail. He was not found until the next morning when a guard came in for work and heard his cries. The police department and the judge have both apologized to him.
Contact a Chicago Criminal Defense Lawyer at Acosta, Batovski & Schmiege if you are facing criminal charges.