Post by KC on Jan 5, 2007 22:12:43 GMT -5
PHILADELPHIA (AP) - A young woman who was arrested and jailed for three weeks on drug charges for what turned out to be flour-filled condoms has settled a lawsuit against the city for US$180,000, according to a media report.
Janet Lee was a first-year student at Bryn Mawr College in 2003 when she tried to take three condoms filled with flour - used as a toy by students at the women's college to squeeze when they were stressed about exams - in her carry-on bag on a flight to Los Angeles. Airport screeners found the condoms, and authorities said initial tests showed they contained drugs.
The trial had been scheduled to begin Thursday.
Lee, now a 21-year-old senior, told The Philadelphia Inquirer on Wednesday that she did not know that drug dealers often carry drugs in condoms, and that she had just packed them because she thought they were funny and wanted to show friends at home.
"I was naive, really stupid," Lee said.
Police at the time said field tests showed opium and cocaine, and Lee was held for 21 days on drug trafficking charges until later tests showed that she was telling the truth.
"Under the circumstances, something went terribly wrong," Lee's lawyer, Jeffrey Ibrahim, told the newspaper. "We're trying to ensure that nothing like that ever happens again."
Lynne Sitarski, a lawyer for the city, said the city is not admitting wrongdoing or liability.
cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/WeirdNews/2007/01/03/3155087-ap.html
Janet Lee was a first-year student at Bryn Mawr College in 2003 when she tried to take three condoms filled with flour - used as a toy by students at the women's college to squeeze when they were stressed about exams - in her carry-on bag on a flight to Los Angeles. Airport screeners found the condoms, and authorities said initial tests showed they contained drugs.
The trial had been scheduled to begin Thursday.
Lee, now a 21-year-old senior, told The Philadelphia Inquirer on Wednesday that she did not know that drug dealers often carry drugs in condoms, and that she had just packed them because she thought they were funny and wanted to show friends at home.
"I was naive, really stupid," Lee said.
Police at the time said field tests showed opium and cocaine, and Lee was held for 21 days on drug trafficking charges until later tests showed that she was telling the truth.
"Under the circumstances, something went terribly wrong," Lee's lawyer, Jeffrey Ibrahim, told the newspaper. "We're trying to ensure that nothing like that ever happens again."
Lynne Sitarski, a lawyer for the city, said the city is not admitting wrongdoing or liability.
cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/WeirdNews/2007/01/03/3155087-ap.html