By C1 Staff
OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. — The early release of a woman sentenced to 12 years for selling $31 work of marijuana was put into limbo Thursday after a “clerical error” by the state board.
The case of mother-of-four Patricia Spottedcrow drew national attention, and supporters used social media to push for her release, according to the SF Gate (http://www.sfgate.com/news/article/Okla-inmate-s-parole-withdrawn-then-suspended-3828458.php).
When her release was approved in April, she was transferred to a community correctional center in Oklahoma City to begin a work-release program.
But then she was moved to a minimum-security prison on Tuesday after the Parson and Parole Board withdrew its parole recommendation, according to the article. A few hours later, she was returned to the Oklahoma City center when the parole recommendation was changed to “suspended.”
According to Spottedcrow’s attorney Laura Deskin, Spottedcrow had a work-release job waiting at a restaurant and was to have started Monday, but now it’s unclear if the job is still available.
A moratorium was placed on early releases in order to investigate a possible violation of the state’s Open Meetings Act during the consideration of Spottedcrow’s case and 49 others, the article said.
A spokesperson for Gov. Marry Fallin, who initially approved the release, said the moratorium was called for “out of an abundance of caution.”
Deskin stated that Spottedcrow was placed in segregated detention when the decision was made to return her to the minimum security prison, as though Spottedcrow had caused trouble, the article said. But prison officials said that’s standard, since some inmates consider trying to escape.
“If you’re at a lower security level and plans are for you to be transferred back to higher security, its standard procedure to put them in temporary detention,” prison spokesman Jerry Massie said, adding that Spottedcrow is now back in the general inmate population and eligible for work-release.