http://www.meadvilletribune.com/local/local_story_217014019.html

Woman calls Meadville area racist in online video

Published August 05, 2009 01:39 am

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WQZO4lfXBTE"]YouTube - The Meadville Pa Police[/ame]

An Erie woman facing drug charges in Crawford County Court has been interviewed on an Erie public-access TV channel, claiming that she’s a victim of racism in the Meadville area — and now her statements are available for viewing worldwide on YouTube.

In the more-than-9-minute video, Constance Johnson, 29, of Erie, claims she was wrongfully arrested by Meadville police two months ago, has seen racism inside the Crawford County jail and was defamed in The Meadville Tribune. Johnson is free on bail, awaiting trial.

“I would not call them allegations,” Johnson said Tuesday of her statements. “Everything I said was true.”

The video can be seen on YouTube, a popular Internet video-sharing site, at [nomedia]www.youtube.com/watch?v=WQZO4lfXBTE&feature=channel_page[/nomedia]. It was first published there July 29. As of Tuesday evenings it had received 505 viewings, according to tabulations on that site.

Johnson was arrested June 2 by Meadville police at the home of John Mark Donahue, 54, of 217 Kearney St., Meadville. Donahue was also arrested at that time.

Johnson has been ordered held for trial in Crawford County Court of Common Pleas on three counts of possession of a controlled substance with intent to deliver, two counts of possession of a controlled substance and one count of possession of drug paraphernalia. She faces a maximum of 23 years in prison and $180,000 in fines if convicted on all counts. She is out on $60,000 bond.

Police allege they found drug paraphernalia and various small packages of marijuana and cocaine, and 166 marijuana plants ranging in size from 2 to 20 inches tall in the home.

Charge of racism

On the video, Johnson claims she was wrongfully arrested. “They just make their own laws up,” she said in the video.

Johnson claims she’s run afoul of the law in Meadville because she’s African-American and the man she has been seeing is Caucasian.

David Stefanucci, chief of Meadville Police, declined comment on the matter.

“Due to Meadville City Police Department having criminal charges against her and her uncle I will make no comment to jeopardize the case we have,” Stefanucci said.

Johnson claims while she was lodged in the Crawford County jail in Saegertown after her recent arrest, she became ill, but for “five days straight they did nothing.” Another female inmate “had a stroke and it took them three days to take her to the hospital,” Johnson says.

Johnson alleges a swastika — a symbol of Germany’s Nazi Party in the 20th century — was drawn on a sheet she received at the jail. She said the sheet was kept by the jail staff after Johnson reported it.

Warden Tim Lewis of the Crawford County jail has declined to comment on the matter. Lewis said he was aware of the video, but hadn’t seen it.