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A suspect found himself unable to comply with house arrest requirements because the electronic monitoring system required an ankle bracelet—and he doesn’t have ankles. Nevertheless, authorities contend that the man’s disability did not contribute to any delays in his legal proceedings.
Steven Min, who is facing charges related to multiple trespassing incidents, was reportedly delayed in being placed under house arrest. According to his attorney, this was “due to a physical inability to wear a mandatory electronic ankle monitor,” as initially reported by the Las Vegas Review-Journal.
Min, who relies on prosthetic legs, had his legs and left hand amputated following a sepsis infection, allegedly contracted during a previous stint in city jail, according to the Review-Journal. As a result, an electronic monitoring bracelet was fitted on his wrist instead.
In a recent courtroom appearance in Clark County, Nevada, Min’s defense attorney, Joseph Reiff, criticized this decision, describing it as “appalling.”
“He’s only got one limb, judge,” Reiff stated, as reported by the Las Vegas Review-Journal. “They’re going to make sure that he doesn’t have any. This is made for a person’s ankle, and everyone knows a person’s legs are two or three times stronger.”
Reiff reportedly argued that his client also suffers from end-stage renal and kidney diseases, which could complicate his incarceration, and pointed out that Min requires more dialysis care than the jail can provide. Metropolitan Police Attorney Michael Dickerson stated, per the outlet, that Min was not denied dialysis care and disputed that “anything was delayed” for Min.
Reiff did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Oxygen.
In court, according to the Journal-Review, Reiff shared a March 3 email, reportedly from the Metropolitan Police Department, which addressed Min’s case.
“Our program uses an ankle monitor for its GPS tracking,” the email read, according to the Review-Journal. “This is the only authorized and available equipment for Electronic Monitoring and GPS tracking. Unfortunately, Mr. Min does not have the capability for our Officers to apply our device.”
Dickerson denied that Min’s disability is relevant to house arrest, according to the Review-Journal, instead pointing to Min having at least one active warrant.
“There’s nothing inhumane about monitoring Mr. Min by putting the bracelet on his arm,” Dickerson said, per the outlet. “People wear bracelets and watches every day. This is no different.”
According to Reiff, on March 11, Min was released from jail, per the Review-Journal, but quickly taken into custody again.
As a Metropolitan Police spokesperson reportedly told the outlet, “A compliance check revealed he was in violation of the conditions of his electronic monitoring program.”
A spokesperson from the Metropolitan Police Department did not immediately reply to a request for comment from Oxygen.