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Jacob Blake is no longer handcuffed to his hospital bed now that his July arrest warrant has been vacated, lawyer says

Aug 29, 2020, 05:30 IST
Insider
Jacob Blake lies on the street after he got shot by police in Kenosha, Wisconsin, in this screen grab obtained from a social media video filmed on August 23, 2020.Incident Response/Reuters
  • Jacob Blake was shot seven times by a Kenosha police officer and paralyzed from the waist down.
  • "He can't go anywhere," but the 29-year-old Black man was handcuffed to his hospital bed and deputies were standing guard in his room, his father told the Chicago-Sun Times.
  • After an incident in May, Blake was charged with felony sexual assault as well as disorderly conduct and criminal trespassing, both misdemeanors, court records show. That's why the warrant had been issued.
  • Defense attorney Patrick Cafferty told the Chicago Sun-Times that a $500 bail payment had vacated the warrant. The cuffs have been removed and the deputies are gone too, he said.
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When Kenosha police officer Rusten Sheskey fired seven shots at Jacob Blake on Sunday, bullets caused "eight holes" in the 29-year-old Black man's body and left him paralyzed from the waist down, his family said.

Still, Blake's father, Jacob Blake, Sr., told the Chicago Sun-Times on Thursday that his son was handcuffed to his hospital bed.

"I hate it," he told the news outlet. "He can't go anywhere. Why do you have him cuffed to the bed?"

As of Friday afternoon, though, the younger Jacob Blake is no longer in cuffs, several news outlets, including Patch reported, and sheriff's deputies who were standing guard have left his room.

Patrick Cafferty, an attorney representing the Blake family, said a $500 bail was posted for his July arrest warrant, according to the Chicago Sun-Times.

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"The warrant is vacated, the cuffs are removed, and the deputies have left the hospital," Cafferty told Patch.

Ben Crump, another attorney on Blake's legal team, echoed the sentiment in a statement to Insider.

"Fortunately, a man who is paralyzed and fighting for his life after being shot seven times in the back, will no longer have to deal with the pain of having his ankles and wrist shackled and the traumatic stress of being under armed guard," he said.

Blake was charged with a third-degree felony sexual assault, according to Wisconsin court records. Two misdemeanor charges for disorderly conduct and criminal trespassing also stemmed from the alleged incident on May 3. The case was filed on July 6 and a warrant was issued the next day.

Even though the warrant has been resolved, the charges still stand, Crump said.

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"Obviously, it's going to be easier on him and his medical personnel and family now that it's been addressed," Cafferty told the Chicago Sun-Times. "We'll be able to focus on the merits of the criminal case."

This issue caught the attention of former Democratic presidential hopeful Andrew Yang, who wrote on Twitter that Blake's feet were restrained.

Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers also addressed the topic at a news conference on Thursday, the Chicago Sun-Times said.

"I can't imagine why that's happening, and I would hope that we would be able to find a ... better way to have him get better and recover," Evers said.

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