US student abandoned in cell gets $4m

OrbitalDawn

OrbitalDawn

Ulysses Everett McGill
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http://www.news24.com/World/News/US-student-abandoned-in-cell-gets-4m-20130731

San Diego — A 25-year old college student reached a $4.1m settlement with the US government after he was abandoned in a windowless cell for more than four days without food or water, his attorneys said on Tuesday.

Daniel Chong said he drank his own urine to stay alive, hallucinated that agents were trying to poison him with gases through the vents, and tried to carve a farewell message to his mother in his arm.

It remained unclear how the situation occurred, and no one has been disciplined, said Eugene Iredale, an attorney for Chong, The Justice Department's inspector general is investigating.

"It sounded like it was an accident — a really, really bad, horrible accident," Chong said.

Chong was taken into custody during a drug raid and placed in the cell in April 2012 by a police officer authorised to perform Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) work. The officer told Chong he would not be charged and said, "'Hang tight, we'll come get you in a minute'," Iredale said.

Justice Department spokesperson Allison Price confirmed the settlement was reached for $4.1m but declined to answer other questions. The DEA didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.

Covered in faeces

Chong said he planned to save and buy his parents a house.

Chong was a 23-year-old engineering student when he was at a friend's house where the DEA found 18 000 ecstasy pills, other drugs and weapons. Iredale acknowledged Chong was there to consume marijuana.

Chong and eight other people were taken into custody, but authorities decided against pursuing charges against him after questioning.

Chong said he began to hallucinate on the third day in the cell. He urinated on a metal bench so he could have something to drink. He stacked a blanket, his pants and shoes on a bench and tried to reach an overhead fire sprinkler, trying with his cuffed hands to set it off.

Chong said he accepted the possibility of death. He bit into his eyeglasses to break them and used a shard of glass to try to carve "Sorry Mom" onto his arm so he could leave something for her. He only managed to finish an "S".

Chong said he slid a shoelace under the door and screamed to get attention before five or six people found him covered in his faeces in the cell.

Rare public apology

"All I wanted was my sanity," Chong said. "I wasn't making any sense."

Chong was hospitalised for five days for dehydration, kidney failure, cramps and a perforated oesophagus. He lost 6.8kg.

The DEA issued a rare public apology at the time.

The DEA introduced national detention standards as a result of the ordeal involving Daniel Chong, including daily inspections and a requirement for cameras in cells, said Julia Yoo, one of his lawyers.

US Senator Charles Grassley, the Judiciary Committee's ranking Republican, on Tuesday renewed his call for the DEA to explain the incident.

"How did this incident happen? Has there been any disciplinary action against the responsible employees? And has the agency taken major steps to prevent an incident like this from happening again?" he said.
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Well i think i would take 4 days of hell for 4 bar :D. Bam retired in 4 days. Sounds awesome, horrible incident and the people who left him there should be charged with attempted murder or some thing like that. 4 days is a long time without food or water. Must be horrific.

Yea abzo go 3 days without food or water boet, i bet you won't be thinking o i will sleep for 3 of those days
 
He's milking it but good for him.

Uh killa, in my army days i've gone longer than 3 days, boet.
 
You know fair enough. That kind of thing is horrible man, and just pure negligence. That is borderline attempted murder by starvation, in a solitary cell.
 
abzo said:
He's milking it but good for him.

Uh killa, in my army days i've gone longer than 3 days, boet.
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What year were you in the army? Interesting, you don't sound old enough to have been in the army. How old are you if you don't mind my asking?

Surely in the army you are trained for that firstly, it is easy for us to say four days isn't long because we see the settlement. After the 3rd day moving into the forth with no army training and knowledge that 4 bar is coming his way. It must have been hell.
 
I will try to get as much money as I can. Sleeping? ? ? No way. Abzo was in the South African army when he was 'young'? Who the F is going to believe that?
 
intel8080 said:
I will try to get as much money as I can. Sleeping? ? ? No way. Abzo was in the South African army when he was 'young'? Who the F is going to believe that?
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I dunno, i can't say he is talking rubbish but i would imagine he can give us exact details to prove his claim :D.
 
intel8080 said:
I will try to get as much money as I can. Sleeping? ? ? No way. Abzo was in the South African army when he was 'young'? Who the F is going to believe that?
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I do. abzo's the real deal, specialised in gorilla warfare and over a hundred confirmed sniper kills.
 
Who said it was the SA army? :confused: Thought everyone here knew that I'm originally from a war-torn African country. You're all in the army when your home is a warzone.
 
abzo said:
Who said it was the SA army? :confused: Thought everyone here knew that I'm originally from a war-torn African country. You're all in the army when your home is a warzone.
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Graaf Reinet is not a war torn country.
 
abzo said:
Who said it was the SA army? :confused: Thought everyone here knew that I'm originally from a war-torn African country. You're all in the army when your home is a warzone.
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Phew, that was a quick recovery.
 
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