Homeless Man ‘Lost’ in Jail for Year Is Finally Charged

A homeless man arrested in an automobile arson case in July, 1990, spent a year in jail without being assigned a lawyer, formally charged or given a trial.

“This is a nightmare,” Baltimore Circuit Judge Ellen M. Heller said when Martin Henn was finally arraigned Monday. “He was lost in the system.”

The judge said she would try to arrange Henn’s release into a halfway house later this week.

Officials said they could not explain why Henn, 54, was held so long without trial or formal charges.

Henn told Heller that he tried to tell social workers about his situation, but they said they could not help until he got a trial date.

“Somebody goofed and they were holding me illegally,” he said.

Henn was arrested July 16, 1990, on suspicion of setting fire to a car. He was scheduled to appear for a preliminary hearing a month later, but jailers failed to take him to court.

Henn’s plight was discovered by Alan Woods, a statistician and computer expert with the office of the state attorney.