It’s like a little bit of the Bay State in the Corn Belt.Red Sox Nation citizenship got one Hawkeye out of jail for the day.
Taking a page from furlough-happy Massachusetts jurisprudence, an Iowa judge sprung a jailed man so he could watch his beloved Red Sox play the Kansas City Royals last night.
Randy Barker is half-way through two concurrent 10-day sentences for violation of a protective order, but prior to his conviction last week, his dad scored tickets to the Sox Midwest showdown, according to his court-appointed lawyer, Margaret King. She told the court Barker is a diehard Sox fan.
In a move King called “compassionate,” magistrate Benny Waggoner allowed Barker’s father and brother to pick him up from jail, drive him the four hours to Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City, then bring him back, she said.
“He’s going to be allowed to go with his daddy and brother. They’ll bring him back tonight,” she said. “It’s a small town. Everybody knows everybody, and everybody trusts everybody . . . Everybody had a lot of compassion for him.”
When reached, the Van Buren County Sheriff’s Office in Keosauqua, Iowa, said no one was available to comment on the arrest.
County Attorney Craig Miller said he objected to the decision, but not strenously “under the circumstances.”
“I opposed the motion, because he was serving a jail sentence,” Miller said. “I think the judge made the decision, trying to be fair to the defendant and to the family.”
Neither the police, the prosecutor, nor Barker’s lawyer would say what Barker did to violate the order. Waggoner could not be reached for comment.
So Barker watched Red Sox ace Josh Beckett take on Royals’ right-hander Luke Hochevar, as the Sox attempted to avoid a third loss.
King said she did not know why Barker loves the Red Sox, and added that no Boston B’s were in evidence at his trial. Barkers reached in Van Buren County told the Herald by phone they were Barker’s distant cousins, but no direct relatives could be reached.
Boston Herald
