I am a 37 year old currently and recently out of work computer programmer born and raised in Lakeland. In the middle of July of this year I was working on a ladder on the side of my brothers home in Lakeland. I fell off the ladder causing me to seriously injure myself and in the process I broke three ribs. A neighbor heard the ladder fall, saw me limp to the front door with an "Object" in my hand. My brother met me at the door because he heard the ladder fall. The neighbor thought that there was some kind of dispute going on, because of the noise and the raised voices, and me hunched over. The neighbor called LPD without us knowing. My brother and I had no idea anyone was even paying attention to us. I do not blame the neighbor for this, they just thought something was going on. Since there was NO INCIDENT, I left to go get my girlfriend to take me to the hospital. When I got about 3 miles away, my brother called me and said that the police were swarming the neighborhood looking for me. I had no idea why...I turned myself in to the LPD early the next morning thinking that this was just a misunderstanding that I could explain, we'd have a good laugh, and I would go about my life....not the case. LPD arrested me for 3 counts of assault with a deadly weapon and 2 counts of aggravated battery.....without ANY explanation. I am serious, NO EXPLANATION and I was not allowed to discuss anything with them at all. The officers that showed up at the house the night before were not on duty and I was not allowed to contact them. I begged LPD to take me to the hospital and they had an ambulance pick me up, they handcuffed me to a gurney and with an accompanying officer, took me to the hospital. I was X-rayed and it was determined that I had 3 broken ribs. I was not allowed to talk to a doctor at all. I was x-rayed, given a prescription for some very heavy pain meds, which I desperately needed but was not allowed to have and was taken to Polk County Jail. My bond was set at 13,000.00 dollars and 10 percent was needed to get me out......I did not have it. My injuries were completely ignored by the jail staff, I was not even put in the infirmary. My social security number would not work in the payphone at the Annex so for 6 days I was not able to make a phone call. I was in so much pain the I could not make it to the door to receive any meals for 6 DAYS. Cell mates gave me cookies and cups of water. From my bunk I watched inmates having seizures and being completely ignored by jail staff. I saw people so screwed up on drugs or the abuse of them, that they should have been in a hospital...not Jail. My mother and father scraped up 1,300.00 to get me out on the 6th day. Just 3 days after I got out ALL CHARGES AGAINST ME WERE COMPLETELY DROPPED citing lack of evidence (YEAH! A LACK OF ANY EVIDENCE). I am out 1300.00, I have a mugshot on cyberstation that says ASSAULT WITH A DEADLY WEAPON and no mention of the charges being dropped. I can not get a job because of the stupid website and to add insult to injury, 17 days after the incident I was sent a ticket for 360.00 for handing the arresting officer a drivers license that, unknown to me, was suspended when I turned myself in. I am not including the actual dates or the officers names for obvious reasons, but feel free to post this story on your site. I cant get an attorney in Polk to touch this with a 10 foot pole.

Please let me know if you are ever going to organize any type of protest or assembly. I am more than willing to help. Please remove my name if you post this.

Regards,

[name redacted]