[tense music]
[siren blaring]
- Oh. You don't have a tag on your bike.
- It's not on your bike.
Do you have your license, registration card,
your proof of insurance?
- You don't have a driver's license with you?
- No, I don't.
I do have proof of registration, all that right here.
Just got it registered yesterday.
[tense music]
- That's a problem, man. This isn't the same title.
- [Deputy] This VIN number doesn't match this VIN number.
- Hold on. I got sold that from a dealership.
- Hey, Chris. Listen, man.
I'm over here dealing with the police
'cause the bike, the VIN don't match the title.
- On the title is 5-5-4. This is 5-6-3.
- All right, you're under arrest.
Arrest for motor vehicle and no DL endorsement.
- Hey, boss. They're detaining me right now.
Can they take my things home?
- They can take your backpack if you'd like,
but the dirt bike's getting towed.
Go ahead and have a seat, and watch your head.
[intense music]
[dramatic music]
It's gonna be on a Smith and Wesson M&P Shield.40 cal.
- So the guns have to go into safekeeping.
So whenever you get out,
you can go over to evidence division, give them your ID,
and then they'll give you your gun back, okay?
- This is mom. - [Deputy] Hello, ma'am.
So I pulled your son over, no tag on his motorcycle,
and he gave me an application for title
with a completely different VIN number.
We been asking three different people,
and everybody's telling us different stories.
And now we are in trouble
and we don't even know what to do now.
- [Deputy] Okay, so what's gonna happen--
- Well... - You're okay.
[tense music] [siren blaring]
- Traffic violations are a common occurrence.
It is probably the
largest amount of intakes on the day.
- [Deputy] I got one out if you wanna go ahead.
- And can be a criminal offense.
- Just step into this room right here.
Face the wall.
Just gonna pat you down real quick.
[tense music]
We're gonna head this way.
- Hell yeah, 'cause I was riding a bike.
That's why he pulled me over. Straight up.
The officers immediately just take off after a bike.
His lights went on, I pulled over,
turned my bike off.
Mad aggressive, for no reason.
- Put this cape on.
- It's not insured.
It's not even safe to be on the roadway.
He hits the brakes, no one would even know it behind him.
It's a motorcycle.
It slows down much faster than a regular car.
So people don't see it, no brake light indicating.
Next thing you know, they're in an accident
and someone's getting hurt.
- Look at that camera right there.
- Face that wall. I'm just gonna get off of you.
- That's real frustrating
'cause I just got it registered yesterday.
Paid $160.
They gave me the tag, and they said, "You're good to drive."
So I was driving.
But the VIN ain't match the title
'cause there was a miscommunication between the DMV
and whoever sold me the bike.
- No, I haven't even figured that out yet.
Still waiting on my paperwork
so I know how much everything really going be.
I don't even know how much the tow's gonna be.
I was down the street from my house.
My family could've walked my bike to my house.
He chose to get a tow.
Like, [blows raspberry] mad foolish.
That's mad money for no reason.
- Can I get the key to-- Yeah.
All right, hang out for a second.
We'll get you through, all right?
- Cool.
[tense music]
[siren blaring]
- Virginia Beach, anyone could come in the jail.
- He'll be right with you. Okay?
- Anyone could be accused of anything.
So you see a lot of different types of people.
- So like, I've literally been here for like three days.
- Get the (bleep) off me, man.
- This may be the worst day for someone.
So that's where their emotions are.
[arrestee banging and yelling]
- [Deputy] We're gonna go this way and pat you down.
- The repeat offenders, you can tell
that they know the process.
They know what they're gonna be in for.
So their emotions are usually pretty level.
- To the right. Have a seat.
- My name is Jake.
I have a robbery charge in West Virginia.
I robbed a bank.
I've been doing time for four years,
and I've been released on home confinement.
And I ran from home confinement, so I'm charged with escape.
I have a warrant out.
[tense music]
I robbed a Chase Bank.
And I only got away with 1,000,
'cause they just said they didn't have anything else.
So I decided that I needed one lump sum
and that was the last time I was gonna do anything.
So then three days later,
I robbed a bank again, and I got 14,000.
But they caught me down the road.
They had a GPS tracker in the band of money.
- I studied media arts.
Video production is what I went in for into college.
So that was gonna be my career.
You know, if I could've either worked music videos,
worked in the movies,
or worked in adult entertainment in some form.
But of course, the options were limited in Kentucky.
I wasn't able to get a good job,
and I had been struggling to the point of,
I was basically homeless for two weeks.
So at that point, I made the decision to do it.
It was money to live on, you know what I mean?
I needed one large amount.
I wasn't planning on doing it again. You know what I mean?
- Yeah, for sure. Yeah.
Of course, with the escape,
I know it's gonna be extra time.
But home confinement, I mean, is a horrible situation.
Like, really. And you know, I chose to leave.
[tense music]
Being inside and locked up, it's terrible.
I needed to get out and live.
Let's go.
[tense music]
- The most common incarcerations at Hancock County Jail
are drug charges.
- [Deputy] Anything in your pockets might stick, poke, or--
- [Arrestee] No, I ain't got (bleep) in my pockets, man.
- Don't knock yourself out.
- When they first come in, we do a change of clothes
to locate any type of foreign objects, drugs, weapons,
that they shouldn't have in jail.
Go down. - Oh, the first one?
- What's your first name?
- You been in before?
- I've been arrested one time in my life,
and that was when my sister used my driver's license.
- But they didn't bring you in here?
- No, I've never been in here.
I've never been back here before in my life.
- I think I heard 'em say something
about some meth or something in the car.
I'm not really sure.
I go, "Okay." She come and picked me up.
Next thing I know, we're being pulled over.
That's the first time I've ever been in that car.
[tense music]
- You got anything in your pockets
that's gonna stick, poke, or prod my deputy?
- I'm gonna pat you down real quick.
- There shouldn't be?
- No. No, there isn't.
I mean, I know I didn't-- - Is there or not?
- No, there's not. - Okay.
'Cause I don't wanna be stuck by anything.
- No, sir.
- We're past the booking counter.
You get charged with anything that we find on you.
- Right, right.
- Which means we put you on a scanner,
and we find any kind of dope or anything,
any illegal substance in your stomach or anything like that,
we're gonna confiscate it
and it's gonna be an additional charge.
- Okay, okay.
- So if you tell us about it now--
- I don't have anything on me.
[arrestee yelling and banging]
- Come to the counter for me, please.
- Yes, sir.
[arrestee yelling and banging]
- I'm nervous.
- Okay. - Okay?
- Seizures and any other-- - Yeah.
- What else you got?
- [Deputy] Would you rather sit down right here?
- Yeah, that'd be great. I just don't know.
[tense music]
A lot of anxiety issues,
which is why I'm on anxiety medicine.
But I have seizures a lot.
[arrestee yelling and banging]
- Stress, right now.
[arrestee yelling and banging]
[tense music]
So you know, I won't be bonded out,
but I'll see a judge Monday
and I'll get booked and go into general population.
Take that shirt off and take your shoes off.
- I'm sorry?
- It's gonna be a little bit.
- I've been out for 50 days.
I was in Miami without any trouble for a long time.
I was dating somebody in Miami Beach
and, like, living out there.
And I came here trying to find work.
Apparently, somebody told on me,
where I was, and they came and got me.
I mean, you know, somebody snitched.
- [Jacob] It's either a friend or a parent.
- They probably felt like I was gonna do something
that may have been worse or, like, caused more problems
or something like that, you know what I mean?
But the thing about it is,
is you don't gotta tell on me like that.
'Cause I wasn't gonna do anything
that would cause myself any more problems.
I'm definitely gonna call my grandma and talk to her
because she was the one I was talking to the most.
And you know, who would tell on me.
But you know, I'll figure that out.
[tense music]
[people chattering]
- Hey, bud. Come on out.
I'm gonna have you step on up to the counter, please.
Now, your bond's gonna be $400.
- What?
- Hey, man, it could've been more.
- I can't speak for what others do, man.
To take $400 out of my pockets right now,
and God knows how much later.
I'm working two jobs, more than 40 hours a week
trying to pay this bike off.
Now I gotta pay the tow expense and all these fines.
- I work in a factory.
Whether it's folding boxes or putting things
and taking them off the line.
- Yeah. - All right.
You can go right into the phone.
So if you have the phone in there,
press one for English, press one for collect calls.
It'll ask for the PIN. You dial that whole PIN.
And then it should prompt you
to call the number you wanna call.
[tense music]
Ma, I lost 400 bucks. Can I get a ride?
Okay, good.
Okay, bye.
Called my moms
to see what's up, get a bond, and get out of here.
- Most definitely. I already know.
You know, that's a whole check.
That's like two weeks worth of work.
[tense music]
- Yeah, 'cause I'm 48 years old.
I don't get in trouble.
[arrestee yelling and banging]
I mean, I know I didn't do anything.
When we got to her house, she fixed me a glass of Sprite.
We got to the car.
Next thing I know, we're being pulled over.
possession of a controlled substance.
- Oh my God. 3 point what?
- [Deputy] 3.16 grams of methamphetamine.
- (bleep).
- And it is a felony.
[sighs]
Felony? I've never even had misdemeanor.
Like, you know what I mean?
And now I've gonna have a felony
for something I didn't even know was in there.
So now I'm mad. Huh.
I ain't scared no more. I'm mad.
- Someone comes in, they get scanned.
And especially, you're paying close attention
when somebody comes in for any presumptive
of you know, methamphetamine or any kind of drugs
that they might've swallowed.
- And left hand, fingerprints.
Once I get done with this,
we'll see about getting you a blanket or something,
and you can go ahead and take a little nap.
- Thank you, yeah.
- No.
- On the x-ray, there's a blotch of unidentified substance.
Appears to be on her stomach right here.
We have to assume she might've swallowed
a bag of dope of some form.
If it pops in her stomach, then of course, now she can OD.
- They said that when they did a scan,
they found something in my stomach.
I haven't ingested anything.
- Securing the water.
Basically, go in the plumbing.
You can shut down the toilet so they cannot flush anything.
They also cannot come into contact
with any kind of water to keep pushing it back down.
I want them to be able to spit it up, not flush it.
It'll still be in the toilet when I'm looking for it.
There's a camera in 132. We're watching her.
If the bag were to burst in her stomach, we'll know.
We can get her medical attention as soon as possible.
[suspenseful music]
[tense music]
[arrestee banging]
You could've told me it was gonna move, bitch.
[tense music]
- [Deputy] All right, look up at the camera for me.
Just keep looking till you see a flash.
- Yeah, I called family,
and I still don't know exactly who said something
about where I was, but I called family
and I tried to call my girlfriend.
And I'll try to find out who, you know, said something.
I did my time.
So like, I know the process and I've been through it.
But yeah, man, I mean, this one hits different
because it's just more serious now
and I'm gonna have to do more time.
[tense music]
- Go to your right.
All the way to the windowed doors.
- Take a right there.
Not like that. - Oh, I don't know!
- Come on. I don't know how they do it in Georgia,
but that's not how we do it in Virginia.
- I'm from the federal.
- My name Meshawn.
I'm 28 years old and
I was down here on vacation, caught a charge on vacation.
[tense music]
- I mean, I ain't gonna really too much go into details
about it 'cause you know, you know, but.
But that's why I'm here right now.
[tense music]
- [Deputy] What's up?
- Save all that for your attorney, though.
'Cause that would be your evidence
whenever you actually go through to court, though.
- Because there was deficient evidence
to say that you possibly were the person to do that crime.
- All right.
[tense music]
- [Arrestee] She a piece of (bleep). (bleep) her.
That's why I was beating her ass, (bleep) her.
(bleep) bitch.
- Yeah, man.
- [Deputy] Come on in and face the back wall for me.
- Right now I don't feel, like, regret for it
because I needed to experience that.
I needed to get out and live.
I would much rather be out
with girls on Miami Beach, for sure.
Like, that's 100%, like, for sure.
- [Deputy] All right, go on out and make a right.
[tense music]
- I'm just gonna do my time and move on.
And I gotta, for real, I gotta trust the process.
I've heard that so many times, but I really gotta do that.
- [Producer] Good luck. - Yeah, thank you.
- All right, go ahead and grab a bed right there.
[tense music]
- Nah. They're gonna be upset, I think.
I mean, I did eight years in prison
for possession of firearm.
I did a lot of time.
- Yes, totally.
Like, sometimes people just act and then think.
That was me.
So now, by me going through what I've been through,
I think before I act now.
I just wanna go home, man.
I wanna hold my son. I wanna just be a father.
- Yes, sir.
- Go ahead and take a seat for me.
[tense music]
- We're going to re-scan her
to see if there's any drugs inside of her.
Anything's changed, if anything's moved around.
Both hands on the rails.
Face looking the door.
[machine beeping] [tense music]
- Okay.
- Matthew, go into the office. Thank you.
- The body scan came up negative.
I'm doing a comparison from the last time she was scanned.
I'm thinking it's just gonna be a gas bubble
'cause it's no longer there.
But she will continue to stay up in booking
until medical checks her out,
just to be on the safe side.
[tense music]
- Put your hands up on the wall.
- [Arrestee] Stop squeezing my wrists!
- [Deputy] Relax.
- No, no. No, no, no, no, no, no.
No, no, no. I can't do it.
No, no, no.
[tense music]
- They don't give me no bond 'cause my background.
Man, that (bleep) old. That (bleep) 13 years ago, man.
You can't jail me on background, man.
Some old thing, right?
(bleep) ain't cool, man.
- Due to his history, it was determined that he's a no bond.
So he's gonna have to wait till Wednesday
to go see the judge and talk to them
to try and get released.
- I don't even know, sir. Man, I ain't gonna lie.
I done lost faith.
I been on the street two years, doing good.
- [Arrestee] Help me!
- I ain't wanna be sitting here. I don't wanna sit here.
This (bleep) miserable, man.
I don't wanna be in here.
And I don't feel like it's right.
I don't like that, I don't like that.
- You can come up here, boss.
- It is unfortunate, I'm not gonna lie.
- That's wild, man.
- It's definitely unfortunate, but the good news is
you'll be able to talk to the judge on Wednesday.
They definitely have a lot more power in that regard.
[tense music]
You're just gonna look up here
between to these two cameras, all right?
Just keep looking at it until I tell you to look away.
- Everybody used to always talk down to me
when I was coming up, going,
"Oh, you gonna be the one going to jail.
You gonna go to jail, go to jail."
I thought I was gonna be a comedian or something
'cause I'm real funny.
I thought I was gonna be a comedian.
In the neighborhood, I stand up, make everybody laugh.
I felt like I ain't proved them wrong.
I feel like I proved myself wrong
because I gave them what they always wanted.
- You got all 10 fingers?
- Yes, sir.
- Everything works? Nothing's broke?
- Nuh-uh. - All right.
- All right, you can come with me.
- [Meshawn] All right.
- Give me your left hand.
- Girlfriend?
No, no, no.
I have no more of them. [laughs]
They cause problems.
- All right, we're gonna go get you in.
- All right. Thank you, officers.
- You're gonna make a right and take a seat in that room.
[tense music]
All the way down there for me.
- I'm just anxious to get home to my mom and family,
take care of my son, and start my new journey.
- [Deputy] You can come on this way.
[tense music]
- She's paying that right now.
- [Deputy] Okay.
All right, cool.
- Yeah.
Hell yeah.
- "Damn, I told you you should've stayed home."
Probably should've, but like,
it is what it is at this point.
[pensive music]
- [Julyanny] I like riding.
I'm gonna keep riding, regardless.
'Cause it's really like therapy, you know?
A long day of work, you might be tired.
You hop on the bike, you're gonna ride.
You ain't gonna feel tired.
- All right, sir, you are free to go.
[tense music]
- Nothing else on you, right?
- No, sir. No, no, no. - All right.
- Step through the door.
Take a right and have a seat on the bench.
[people chattering] [tense music]
- I'll tell you a little bit about myself. I'm Brian.
I'm almost 50 years old. I know I don't look it. [laughs]
I was brought in tonight on petit larceny.
In the building where I live,
people leave trash in the hallway.
I grabbed some and took it out to the trash.
The other tenant claimed that the trash there
was a impact drill and a very expensive solar battery.
I'm gay.
I've never held an impact drill before. [laughs]
The building where I live, I was subpoenaed to provide
expert testimony against the folks that own it.
This is now the second attempt
to criminalize me and undermine
or prevent my truthful and expert testimony.
In our building, we have a valet trash service
that will take trash that's left in the hallways.
But sometimes people leave things that aren't bags of trash
and they don't take them and it builds up.
I picked up some trash and took it out
and threw it in the trash.
And the other tenant, who's employed by the folks
that own the building,
have trumped this up into a 50 year old with no record
engaging in petit larceny.
The officers showed up at my home.
They didn't find anything in my place.
They haven't recovered anything.
But then I said, "You know what?
Let's go look in the trash, where I put the stuff."
And the stuff was right there.
- And this is the first time I've ever been arrested.
How I manage anxiety and PTSD
is I try to stay present.
I've been around the world a few times,
and I know I can handle whatever comes.
- Uh-oh.
[tense music]
- [Arrestee] No, no, you-- No.
- [Deputy] Hey, hey.
Come over here.
- Oh, uh.
It just escalated.
I don't have anything to compare it to.
This is my first time.
- Come on.
We're gonna go down, get your prints
and your picture, all right?
And you can just stand right on that footprint for me.
- Okay.
- [Brian] Since February of last year.
- I lost my father to COVID in 2021.
The grief of that and the changes that it caused
had me ready for a new start.
And where I live is literally
a beautiful place to do that.
I walk 100 steps and I'm on the beach with my boxer, Saba.
- Turn your head.
Look at the numbers on the door right there.
- [Brian] He's at my house. He's worried about me.
- [Deputy] You can look forward.
- Yes, it is.
Can I have a copy of that?
- Just have a seat right here on the bench.
He'll be ready for you in just a second, all right?
I keep putting my hands together like I'm still cuffed.
Ma'am, ma'am, ma'am. - All the time.
- I didn't mean that. - Why? Why?
Why? Okay. Don't give me a complex.
I already got one.
And to be called sir on camera.
- No, no, no. - I'm good. I'm good.
- I was looking at him, but I'm sorry.
No, no, no. - It's fine.
- You clearly have, you're clearly a woman.
- It's fine. I'm not gonna cry.
And you're sober too, aren't you?
[Brian laughing]
It's one thing if you're drunk, but you're sober
and you're calling me sir.
- I'm painfully sober right now. - Oh my God.
- [Brian] I also never forget anything.
So this is always gonna be with me.
Always be special.
- As long as it's in the positive.
- I'm trying to stay positive.
- I know you guys are just doing your job.
- Just don't pay attention to him.
[tense music]
- Go straight out the door.
Take a left.
All the way in there.
See there.
All the way in the back. Just face the back for me.
[laughs] [elevator beeping]
My anxiety real bad.
Real, real bad.
I'm real excited.
I gotta calm down a little bit. I'm too anxious.
- Never have a bond.
- Alrighty, come on out. We're gonna make a right.
Slow down just a little bit.
- Oh, Lord. Terrible.
Sleeping around other men.
Like, it's the smell.
Everybody don't take care of theyself
how you take care of theyself.
So that's kind of hard.
I wanna, you know, I wanna just go back home, get my son.
I wanna make sure I'm there
so I can least take care of my responsibilities.
- [Deputy] You can come on this way.
[tense music]
[arrestee banging]
- [Clerk] Hancock County Jail booking.
- [Judge] Hey, Judge Warren.
- Yes, sir.
- I got Jessica, controlled substance.
Illegal felony possession. - [Judge] Yep.
25,000.
- All right, Ms. Pennington.
The judge set you for 25,000 for you to go home.
Do you wanna call somebody?
- Okay, there's a phone on the left.
It's gonna be 1-1, area code, and then the number.
[tense music]
Jessica.
She didn't answer.
- [Officer] All right.
[tense music]
- This is Kate's log.
- 132 in booking. 132.
Jessica has been cleared from medical to go to population.
- You said 102? - 102.
- The judge set her bond, I think, 25,000,
and so far, she has no family that can bond her out.
You can come around.
- That's gonna be your laundry bag.
[tense music]
- Unless you can bond out. - Okay.
- It's hard for people to get in contact with loved ones.
We're gonna bring her into population.
And at that point, she'll be able to use the phone.
You can try it now 'cause sometimes it'll work.
[inmates chattering]
[tense music]
- Unfortunately, we gotta put these back on.
But 30 minutes or less from now, you should be out the door.
- He's got a unsecured bond.
So he's process only.
He's gotta wait for his fingerprints to clear.
Make sure he's him,
and that he doesn't have any other warrants.
And then we'll release him.
- Guess I'm going home after a certain period,
but I'm worried about getting home.
It's cold outside and I don't have a ride home.
I don't have cash.
- [Brian] I have nothing with me.
- About 20 miles.
- It is.
- I have no one to call.
All my family are in other states.
But I'm hoping that these folks have a way
that I can get home.
The bus is only like 2.50 so maybe I can,
someone will be kind.
[tense music]
- Right.
- Okay.
Is there any way that someone can help me
get back to the oceanfront?
I didn't leave with any cash or anything.
- And the bus is like 2.50.
- No?
- [Producer] You guys offer rides home here?
- No, we don't do that.
There's always Uber service or Lyft.
[tense music]
- Thank you, guys.
Y'all have a good night.
[Meshawn singing indistinctly]
[door banging] [Meshawn laughing]
- Woo!
I might do the ratchet dance, you know what I mean?
I don't know.
Judge granted me a bond,
and also stated that I can leave the state
and go back to Savannah, Georgia
and take care of my child.
I'm real excited. Never have a bond.
Always went to prison.
Every time, I'm in prison.
- All right.
- 2,500. 10% of that was 250.
[pensive music]
- I'm gonna get my son, and I wanna hold him.
I just wanna just do the right thing by him,
and get this behind me, and have a clean slate,
and move forward.
You can always change.
It's all on you.
It just give me more energy to strive to do better in life.
So I look at it as, you know, as a blessing.
Playing a trick on me.
- [Producer] All right, man. Good luck.
- [Meshawn] All right.
[tense music]