A BAD ERROR IN JUDGMENT

The traffic death of a legally blind man just released from County Jail, as
the Tribune reported earlier this week, showed a lack of compassion and a
serious error in judgment on the part of the Sheriff's Department.

It seems clear that Scott W. Bennett, 37, because of his special sight
condition, should have been and could have been given a ride to his
destination by somebody at the jail.

To release him at night and send him on his way on foot, in our view, was a
costly error in judgment and shows a lack of humanitarian instincts on the
part of the Sheriff's Department.

Bennett wound up walking down the middle of two southbound lanes of Highway
1 with his back to traffic when he was hit by a car about 6:20 p.m.,
according to the Highway Patrol. Two other cars struck him before his body
was moved to the shoulder of the highway.

A friend of Bennett said his vision was so poor that he never should have
been out on the street like that.

Sheriff Pat Hedges said jailers were aware of Bennett's vision problem, but
did not consider it serious enough to warrant special treatment upon his
release.

Hedges said his staff is trying to find money to provide rides home for
prisoners who would otherwise have to walk.

But that explanation is not good enough.

The department doesn't have the money to furnish transportation for every
prisoner released from jail. That is understandable.

But it could have found a way to help a blind man get to his destination
without having to walk in the dark.