With each new arrest, man's debt to the county and probation services grew
By Brinley Hineman
Daily News Journal
MURFRESSBORO, Tenn. (AP) - For the last decade, Marques Martin has been in and out of jail.
His crime? Not being able to afford costly fees while on probation with PCC, a contracted service Rutherford County used until a 2015 federal lawsuit accused the county of extortion, prompting a $14.3 million settlement for approximately 29,000 victims.
After the lawsuit was filed, a federal judge ordered the county to release people who were incarcerated for the inability to pay high probation fees.
Martin doesn't shy away from his role in the arrests. He told USA TODAY Network - Tennessee that he'd often hide from authorities and stay on the run for months to avoid going back to jail for failure to pay probation costs.
With each new arrest, his debt to the county and probation services grew - money he didn't have. So he avoided authorities until they caught up to him.
"How I am supposed to get that money? I've been in jail," he said, reflecting back on the frustration he felt at PCC immediately demanding money once he posted bond.
The "revolving door" of incarceration put a strain on his family, he said, and eventually he and his wife divorced, and she left the state with their children.
"I can't explain the feelings as a man I had because my kids are older and all they know is their father wasn't there because he was in and out of jail," Martin wrote in a federal lawsuit he filed in October.
The lawsuit was dismissed by a judge for Martin's failure to pay court fees.
Martin said his children witnessed his arrests when law enforcement would come to his home looking for him. He'd overhear their prayers at night before bed, when they'd ask God to help their dad get his life together.
He tried to tell his family that he was getting his life straight, but they didn't believe him, pointing to all his arrests.
When the news of extortion came out, Martin said he wasn't shocked. In court, he'd asked judges and attorneys about the legality of his arrests, but he said he was always ignored.
While incarcerated at the Rutherford County Adult Detention Center, he'd create petitions and pass them around, gaining signatures from others who were caught in a debtor's prison.
Now a free man, Martin can't help but look over his shoulder.
His last arrest for violation of probation - failure to pay fees - was in 2018, he said. Since then, it's been smooth sailing.
He's off probation now and works at a restaurant. Because he doesn't have a license, he walks to work for each shift.
Martin has had no run-ins with the law and he's beginning to piece his life back together. Now 39, he said he's experiencing adulthood for the first time now that he's holding down a stable job.
His home, located in downtown Murfreesboro, is charming. But he keeps the curtains drawn shut and even has blankets tacked to the windows to keep peering eyes away.
He said he still peeks through the cracks out of fear. The sound of the jail doors slamming shut still plagues his mind.
Family photos adorn the walls of his living room, and his mother's Oakland High School Hall of Fame plaque sits in plain view.
But his ties to his home have been destroyed due to his arrests, he said. His plan is to leave soon, feeling that he has no place left for him here. He thinks Florida might be a nice place to start over.
"I want to be free," he said. "I don't even know what it feels like to be free."
Published: Tue, Jan 14, 2020
