Three officials had their day in court last week. The trio is charged with doctoring court records to release a prisoner out of jail for a funeral, as a favor for a well-known city family.
Police Chief David Bowman and retired municipal Judge Joe Clark took the stand in their own defense last week, claiming they did nothing wrong. Sgt. Emma Jackson was also set to take the stand late last week to explain her involvement.
Everyone, from the jail warden to the clerk who allegedly falsified records, for the officials, always knew of their good intent to escort the prisoner to see his father for one last time, Clark and Bowman said last Wednesday.
"Was it your intent to bring him to court?" asked Clark’s lawyer, Mark Musella.
"No," Clark said.
"Has this been done before while you were judge?" Musella asked.
"No, not to a funeral," Clark responded.
Witnesses said that the release never should have been done, that the officials’ so-called good deed was bad from the start.
The paperwork, however, told a different story. It was illegal, according to at least one key witness.
The state Attorney General’s Office indicted Bowman, Jackson and Clark in 2004, on charges they all were involved in third degree tampering and fourth degree falsifying of public records.
All sides agree that the officials did it to release and escort prisoner Lloyd Fields, a friend of Bowman’s, to his father’s funeral on a Saturday in March 2003. Fields’ criminal record includes gun and drug possession charges, eluding police and violating probation, according to information from the Sheriff’s Department.
They were allegedly caught after someone noticed that the paperwork used to get Fields out of jail stated he was to appear in court on that Saturday, when it wasn’t in session.
Clark’s testimony contradicted that of his former employee, municipal clerk Debbian Barr, who said Clark coached her, step by step, to falsify documents for the prisoner’s release.
"I did exactly what he told me to do, if I didn’t do it, it would be insubordination," said Barr as she rolled her eyes at the questions, glancing over at Bowman and Clark supporters who made loud comments in the courtroom while she answered.
Barr said she received phone calls from all three officials, at times "upset," saying they needed her to find a way to make the release happen.
Jackson allegedly told Barr it was for a funeral but said she was having problems with getting the prisoner out herself. "She said, ‘You are the court, you have to so something about it,’" Barr said.
Barr claimed she told Jackson, Bowman and Clark that the release could not be justified and a warrant couldn’t be issued because the prisoner had no outstanding offenses or payments due in Englewood.
Clark claims Barr told him something completely different.
"She said he owed us money. The records showed he had a delay in payment so he was my prisoner in the Bergen County Jail," Clark told the jury.
In the end, the paperwork was issued and Fields was released.
Bowman’s testimony focused less on his involvement with the paperwork and more on what he did leading up to Fields getting out and what happened after.
He said he "never saw the paperwork at all" before the funeral and that he ordered Jackson and Clark to prepare the necessary papers for Fields release.
Bowman said the jail’s warden told him he could escort Fields to the funeral but never provided details about procedure.
The chief said he never knew what the protocol was, how the prisoner was supposed to be escorted, or that Fields had prior convictions. He only knew he had to get him back.
"I decided to stop by his house so he could change into street clothes," Bowman said.
Officer Shawn Bland told the jury that he hugged Fields hours after the funeral, at a re-past party at the city’s American Legion Post. Bland didn’t go to the funeral.
Bland said he saw that Fields wasn’t handcuffed and was drinking something, seated away from his escorts, Bowman and Jackson.
Bowman said Bland lied.
"He [Bland] also said he was going to go to the funeral," Bowman said.
Deputy Attorney General Robert Czepiel, Jr., who is presenting the state’s case against the officials, said that although the testimony from witnesses and officials varied, indicating the possibility of conspiracy and misconduct, the jury is getting the point.
"This was a false document created to get a guy out of jail. Yes, I think they’re getting it," he said.
If convicted, Bowman, Jackson and Clark could face five years in prison.
The trial was scheduled to continue early this week with a possible verdict by Monday.
