Reginald “Neli” Latson, is a 20 year-old autistic young man, who on the morning of May 24, 2010, sat in the grass outside the local library with a hoodie on waiting for the library to open. What happened next landed then 18 year-old Reginald “Neli” Latson in jail for one year awaiting a trial without bond. During that jail time, Neli spent eight straight months isolation.
That morning the school crossing guard across the street made a claim that is debatable by 911 calls that three kids came up to her and said there was a black man sitting underneath a tree and that he may have a gun. Unbeknownst to Neli, he was now the target of a full-on manhunt by Stafford County’s sheriff department. When Neli was confronted by a sheriff deputy, he complied to a search and no gun was found. That should’ve been the end of the story, but the officer started to verbally harass Neli and Neli became afraid. He calmly tried to walk away when the officer choked him from behind and tried to place him under arrest. When Neli went to trial, he was convicted of four felonies of assaulting a police officer. The jury gave Neli 10 ½ years in prison. However, the judge gave Neli another year in the penitentiary. During that time, Neli was placed on a mental health unit where he spent most of his time in isolation.
My son Neli is innocent and went through a significant trauma. The injustice that Neli has endured has left him scarred for life. On February 13th Neli was released from prison and sent to a residential program court ordered by the judge not to be released until the age of 22. Neli made a very good transition into his new environment. After 30 days of Neli doing a great job, the commonwealth attorney personally called up his probation officer for a report. The report was a good one, yet further restrictions were placed on Neli. I am not allowed to leave campus with my son and he is not allowed to come home on overnight visits. So our family continues to suffer at the hands of a wicked and unjust judicial system. Please sign this petition so Neli can receive justice and end his suffering.
March 29th, 2012 - 5:02 am
i hope your family gets justice soon
April 14th, 2012 - 2:29 pm
My son has aspergers. He is 23 years old and has struggled all his (and Our) lives! Without our knowledge, he began obsessing over weapons, purchased several very dangerous ones and hid them. He has no friends but on the violent computer games, he was very popular. One l6 year old boy kicked him off his favorite game and so he decided to drive from Massachusetts to Wisconsin to ????? He did so, and when the boy wasn’t home, decided to pull out a gun to his mother. She screamed, he ran. He had several weapons in the car.
He has been sentenced to 17 years in a federal prison……..we have tried everything — I am crying just typing this as you can imagine!! (mothers). I guess I just need a little TLC.
April 14th, 2012 - 2:30 pm
Thank you for listening…..at least YOU understand how we feel!
Thanks and sincerely,
Dottie
July 30th, 2012 - 2:12 pm
You and your son Neil are still in my prayers. It’s good to hear he made a good transition. This system is so crooked… God Bless!
August 16th, 2012 - 11:41 am
[...] On May 24, 2010, 24-year-old Reginald Cornelius Latson was arrested. The facts of his arrest are still under dispute. Two things we know to be true are that he was sitting outside of a Stafford County library, waiting for it to be open and he has Asperger’s Syndrome. A full article on this story can be found on the Washington Post. For the most up to date info, visit A Voice for Neli. [...]
August 16th, 2012 - 1:19 pm
[...] A Voice For Neli Update Posted on August 16, 2012 by admin Reginald “Neli” Latson, is a 20 year-old autistic young man, who on the morning of May 24, 2010, sat in the grass outside the local library with a hoodie on waiting for the library to open. What happened next landed then 18 year-old Reginald “Neli” Latson in jail for one year awaiting a trial without bond. During that jail time, Neli spent eight straight months isolation. - A Voice For Neli [...]
September 6th, 2012 - 9:08 am
I really feel very sorry for you. Hope things get better soon. I will always pray for you. Don’t worry. There are still some people who are worse than us. Think of them and you will feel better.
October 6th, 2012 - 8:33 am
This story has really touched my heart. I feel really sorry for you. I hope and pray you get better soon. Don’t lose hope. God is always there to save us. I understand it is very difficult to cope with such behavioral problems. I pray god for the betterment of such people.
October 21st, 2012 - 7:34 am
I feel really sorry for you. Hope everything will be fine very soon. Also do remember that there are peoples who are worst then us. I pray for you for getting things better. Keep faith in God.
November 6th, 2012 - 6:36 pm
Ohh, That is very sad. My sympathies are with you. I hope you will get justice soon. God Bless.
February 5th, 2013 - 9:04 pm
OMG! This could very well be my son. How horrible! My heart goes out to you and your son.
February 24th, 2013 - 4:31 pm
Its really very sad. your story has touched anyone heart. I hope everything will be fine and I pray for you for you will get justice and things better in your life. I understand it is very difficult to survive with such situtations. But dont worry God everywhere. God Bless.
March 5th, 2013 - 6:20 am
Its really very sad.My heart goes out to you and your son. I hope and pray you get better soon. Don’t lose hope. God is always there to save us. I understand it is very difficult to cope with such behavioral problems. I pray god for the betterment of such people.
March 24th, 2013 - 2:05 pm
This is very sad. I hope there is someone who will bring justice to such people. There are many people who take undue advantage of their post. I pray God to bring justice to you.
April 8th, 2013 - 1:54 pm
This is very sad. I can understand your anger and pain. I hope God is hearing all our prayers to help you an hep you soon. God bless you.
April 23rd, 2013 - 12:49 pm
After reading yours story i felt very sad, I hope God will help you will bring justice to you. May God Bless you My child.
May 8th, 2013 - 5:19 am
This is a heart rendering article. I feel really sad for you and your son. I pray to God that he should punish the wrong doers.