An Akron woman who accidentally was left in the back of a police van for two hours last week says she was only released when an officer heard her pounding on a door and screaming for help.
Stacy Carritz, 21, who was being kept in the Summit County Jail, appeared in Akron Municipal Court the morning of May 26. When she was transported back to the jail with two other prisoners, a 24-year veteran Akron police officer brought the other two prisoners back into the jail — and then forgot to return for Carritz. The officer drove to the police department and parked the vehicle in the parking deck before going inside.
Lt. Rick Edwards said the officer, who has not been identified, could face discipline for the “human error.” Edwards said it’s not the first time a prisoner was left in a police van, but he hopes it’s the last.
“We’re looking at our policies and procedures to prevent this sort of thing from happening again in the future,” he said.
In previous instances, officers have been disciplined with loss of vacation time or pay.
Contacted by phone, Carritz said she fell asleep in the van for about 20 minutes and then grew into a panic.
“I thought they were coming back for me,” she said. “I was crying, I was sobbing, I was trying to breathe.”
While early reports indicated Carritz was found sleeping in the van, Carritz and police said Thursday afternoon that she was found when a police officer heard her struggling to alert someone she was inside.
“They only found me because I was pounding on the door and screaming for help,” she said. “I was lying on the ground kicking the door over and over.”
Carritz was in jail on a charge of possessing drug paraphernalia after surviving a drug overdose. She pleaded guilty in court that morning and said she plans to enter drug treatment at a facility in St. Louis next week. She said she’s trying to overcome her addiction partly because she’s engaged in a custody battle with the father of her seven-month-old daughter. The child is currently with the father, she said.
Nick Glunt can be reached at 330-996-3565 or nglunt@thebeaconjournal.com. Follow him on Twitter @NickGluntABJ.