Opinion ID: 1925629
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 6

Heading: Respondent's alleged visit to the jail.

Text: Respondent claimed in her voucher that on February 15, 2002, the day after Whitley's arraignment, she visited him at the District of Columbia Jail and conferred with him there. Respondent testified that on this visit, she was accompanied by her investigator, Jocelyn Brown. Respondent ostensibly recalled the visit in some detail, and described conversations that took place ( e.g., a bantering exchange with a jail guard regarding her pregnancy). Whitley testified, however, that neither Respondent nor Jocelyn Brown [7] visited him at the jail at all. Moreover, the Board found: All visitors to the D.C. Jail, including attorneys and investigators, are required to sign a visitors' register when they enter the jail. Moreover, attorneys wishing to visit clients at the jail are required to submit an Inmate Request Form to jail authorities to request a visit with an inmate. A review of the D.C. Jail's visitor records and Inmate Request Forms reflects no record or verification that either Respondent or her investigator, Jocelyn Brown, was present at the D.C. Jail on February 15, 2002. Additionally, attorney visits are logged into a book on the floor in which the legal visit takes place. Respondent offered the testimony of Howard Exum, a former prison guard who had previously been employed at the jail. Exum testified that on February 15 he worked overtime at the facility and that, on that date, he saw and spoke with Respondent and with Ms. Brown. Exum s evidence was contradicted by Department of Corrections records which apparently showed that he was not at the facility at the time Respondent claimed to have visited Whitley and that he was not paid overtime for the hours in question. There were also some significant inconsistencies between Respondent's testimony and Exum's. The Hearing Committee was unimpressed by Exum's memory and demeanor and did not credit his testimony. The Committee found that Bar Counsel had established by clear and convincing evidence that Respondent did not meet with Whitley at the jail on February 15, 2002. The Board adopted that finding.