Mercer County Prosecutor's Office/APA man who is unable to use his arms because of a spinal condition actually spent four months in jail for possession of a handgun, despite the fact he wouldn’t have been able to operate it.
The charges against Marcus Hubbard were finally dismissed last week, after prosecutors finally realised there was a lack of evidence against him.
According to authorities, Hubbard was in a car with three other men when it ran a red light in Trenton, New Jersey last summer. A stolen handgun was found by police in a seatback pocket and all four men were charged for possession of the weapon after none of them took responsibility for owning the gun.
GettyFollowing a car accident in 2007, Hubbard lost movement in his arms. He is also believed to suffer from ALS (Lou Gehrig’s disease), a degenerative condition leading to loss of muscle control. He wore a back brace during his bail hearing in December and had difficulty standing, yet was still charged.
His lawyer called the original charge of gun possession shocking.
Caroline Turner, the defence attorney for Hubbard, said:
It’s about time! Really, it took this long to dismiss a case against a guy who can’t use his arms? It’s beyond belief. It’s the tip of the iceberg but shows you what’s wrong with this system. There’s no such thing as a presumption of innocence.
The U.S. justice system, ladies and gentlemen!
