Lyons man arrested for AUO refuses food, water
Posted by admin on 26 Nov 2008 | Tagged as: divorce, equal custody advocates, fatherhood, protests, parades and rallies |
http://fltimes.com/articles/2008/11/25/news/doc492c2258b585d003486248.txt
Lyons man arrested for AUO refuses food, water
By JIM MILLER
Tuesday, November 25, 2008 10:42 AM CST
LYONS — A village man who ended up on a feeding tube while jailed in 2006 has again been refusing food and water after his arrest last week for third-degree aggravated unlicensed operation.
John Murtari remained in the Wayne County Jail yesterday, where he was remanded in lieu of bail after state police arrested him Nov. 17.
In 2006, he was put on a feeding tube after refusing food and most water for 10 days while jailed for failure to pay $60,000 in back child support.
A self-described parents’ rights activist, Murtari considers the family court system unfair and has had several brushes with the law in recent years.
His driver’s license was revoked because of his failure to pay child support, prompting his decision to protest his most recent arrest by refusing nutrition, said Terri Stoddard, a longtime friend who often speaks on Murtari’s behalf when he is incarcerated.
Stoddard said she talked with Murtari Friday.
“He already sounded really weak,” she said.
Murtari was later taken to the hospital, where he agreed to eat and drink because he was no longer in jail, Stoddard said. But he has again refused nutrition since being returned to his cell, she said.
Wayne County Sheriff Richard Pisciotti said federal privacy laws prevent him from discussing Murtari’s medical condition, including whether he’s eating or drinking anything.
“I’m aware of a situation,” Pisciotti said.
Pisciotti did deny Stoddard’s claim that a warden threatened to move Murtari to another jail unless he cooperated.
Speaking generally, the sheriff said, the jail can seek a court order to provide nutrition if necessary to safeguard an inmate’s health.
Stoddard said Murtari’s next court date is Dec. 17 and that he could face two weeks in jail for not paying the ticket.
“He could pay the ticket in a second,” she said. “But he said if he does that, that’s admitting he’s guilty.”
In 2006, Murtari lost 27 pounds while jailed in Syracuse. He spent nearly four months on a feeding tube.
“Some people think he’s kind of crazy, but he’s not,” Stoddard said. “He was interviewed by two different psychiatrists the last time he did this, and he’s completely mentally healthy.”
