Here?s a warning for visitors to Baltimore County district court in Towson: Leave your cell phone at home, or you might end up in jail ? even for a traffic violation.
That?s what Bwana Bowmani said happened to him Nov. 21 when he showed up for court, cell phone in hand. Bowmani, facing charges of driving with a suspended license, was told to get rid of his cell phone because of a court policy instituted in June that bans them.
“They said I couldn?t have a cell phone in the building” he said, “but my car was parked pretty far from the courthouse. It was a bit of a walk,” he said.
When Bowmani returned, though, he soon found himself in a cell ? of the concrete variety.
“I told the bailiff I had to go to my car, so I asked if my case had been called,” he said.
“She asked to me to step outside. The next thing I knew, I was in handcuffs.”
Bowmani, a Baltimore resident, said he was shocked to learn that his case had been called while he was gone, and that a bench warrant had been issued for his arrest.
“I don?t have a criminal record; I?ve never been in trouble,” said the Morgan State graduate, who runs his own landscaping company. “So why was I put in jail?”
To make matters worse, Bowmani said he was slapped with a $3,500 bail ? high for a person with only a few traffic tickets, according to state court records.
“I?ve come to the realization that this whole thing is about money,” he said. “There is no good reason for any of this.”
Bowmani said his charge, driving with a suspended license as a result of unpaid speeding tickets, was cleared up before his run-in with court officials.
“Once I found out my license was suspended, I paid the tickets and it was reinstated,” he said.
District court officials declined to comment on the case ? saying only that court policy forbids cell phones on the premises, and that the public was adequately informed. Rita Buettner, spokeswoman for the State Judiciary system, said policies for cell phones in courthouses vary throughout the state. But Bowmani said his is not an isolated case.
“I was locked up next to the head pastor in a church who was in there for the same thing,” he said. “He had a suit on, dressed to a ?T.? It was completely ridiculous.”
