Charges dropped; student to be transferred to hospital

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
July 9, 2005 Saturday Home Edition

Metro News: Pg. 3E

By Mae Gentry

Charges were dropped Friday against a Clark Atlanta University student who was missing for 10 days before police realized she had been in the city jail all along.

Municipal Court Judge Clinton Deveaux said he was dismissing a "breach of the peace" charge against Chasity Lewis, 22. A psychological assessment found she was not competent to answer the charges against her, the judge said.

Lewis, who did not appear in court Friday, was to be transferred from the jail to Grady Memorial Hospital for "stabilization" and later will go to a private facility, Deveaux said.

Lewis' mother, Theresa Lewis, said a social worker involved in the case told her Chasity had undergone an evaluation and that "they diagnosed her as psychotic."

Chasity was arrested June 26 after complaints that she was screaming as she walked down Hopkins Street in southwest Atlanta. When Theresa Lewis, of San Francisco, could not reach her daughter, she contacted Atlanta police and flew to town to search for her.

It was not until a jail worker recognized Chasity Lewis' photo in the news that police realized she had been booked into the city jail as "Jane Doe" because she had refused to give police her name.

Theresa Lewis, who took an overnight flight to be at the hearing, said she was disappointed that she was unable to see her daughter.

"I was hoping to at least touch her, hug her," she said.

She said she intended to file a complaint with Atlanta police over their handling of the missing person case. Lewis said she had placed repeated calls to police and jailers before her daughter was located.

Lewis said she doesn't know whether her daughter will return to CAU in the fall.

"Right now, my main thing is to get her health in order, get her stable," she said.