For Cuyahoga County public defenders, the words “client” and “crazy” are often synonymous. That notion was reaffirmed recently when attorney George George — yes, that’s his real name, not an ‘80s rock band — was meeting with a mentally ill client accused of rape. The man began slicing his wrists with a jagged object.
Unfortunately, the meeting took place in a courthouse interview room, where the door is locked from outside. When George tried to call deputies on his cell phone, he realized he didn’t have the right number. So he banged frantically on the door window until he caught a passing deputy, who stormed in and disarmed the client of his weapon — a pencil whittled to a razor-sharp edge…
This article appears in Jan 16-22, 2008.