...From "News of the Weird":

Universal Health Care (for Prisoners): A judge in Wilmington, N.C., had to officially "release" accused murderer Shirley Spaulding in May, as a ploy, to get the state to start picking up her medical bills. Brunswick County was running out of money because it has paid nearly $400,000 to treat her respiratory illness while she awaits her death-penalty trial.

(Fortunately, she was too sick to depart custody.)

[Raleigh News and Observer-AP, 5-19-04]

...Gotta LOVE it, eh???

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