Tamika Pledger, who was arrested and charged with involuntary manslaughter in an accident in which a teen was killed in January, is appealing her case.
Pledger has filed a petition for a writ of mandamus in the Kansas Court of Appeals.
Pledger, who was running for Unified Government commissioner at the time of the accident, sent a 10-page statement to the media yesterday (Sunday) that outlines her experiences with the criminal justice system and proposes some changes.
She stated that she believes there were contributing negligent parties that included two vehicles and a group of adults and youth who were in the street blocking traffic over a hill. People were fighting in the street, she stated, and no charges were filed against people who blocked the street and then left the scene of the accident.
She also stated that there were tire marks left by a vehicle obstructing traffic that were not cited in the police report and arrest affidavit. Pledger is challenging the affidavit for the arrest warrant, stating that it was not signed by a judge.
Pledger also stated that death threats were made to her and her family, and that it resulted in the loss of home and work.
Pledger proposed some changes to the system, including a prosecutor’s checklist before charges can be filed; a defendant’s handbook outlining rights; “Pledger’s Care Law” allowing parents to have healthy contact visits with their children; separation of the city and county jails, to separate petty criminals from hard-core criminals; rules of the district court concerning violations handed to the defendant; and more clarity on what tribunals can do between the notice of appeal and the filing of the appeal.