DEA to college student: 'Sorry'

<blockquote>The Drug Enforcement Administration issued an apology Wednesday to a California student who was picked up during a drug raid and left in a holding cell for four days without food, water or access to a toilet.

DEA San Diego Acting Special Agent-In-Charge William R. Sherman said in a statement that he was troubled by the treatment of Daniel Chong and extended his "deepest apologies" to him.

The agency is investigating how its agents forgot about Chong.

Chong, 23, was never arrested, was not going to be charged with a crime and should have been released, said a law enforcement official who was briefed on the DEA case and spoke on the condition of anonymity.</blockquote>

So begins the AP story (thanks <a href="http://www.courierpostonline.com/article/20120502/NEWS05/205020342/DEA-a...|topnews|text|FRONTPAGE">Courier Post Online</a>) about a student who 'was supposed to be released' yet was held without food, water, attorney, or any other consideration for four days and who left on a stretcher within hours of death.

Besides the obvious questions of how he was "left" in a cell unattended for so long, at least one other question remains unasked: why was he arrested (or detained) in the first place? Was there probable cause, or was it an indiscriminate sweep of "the usual suspects" and perhaps they don't really care who they pick up? We hope this is not the case, for this would indicate unbridled arrogance and flagrant abuse of civil rights by these Federal agents.

<A href="http://www.courierpostonline.com/article/20120502/NEWS05/205020342/DEA-a...|topnews|text|FRONTPAGE">Story continues here...</a>