The State - News from June 15, 1988

A former attorney and Orange County jail inmate contends he was moved to a medical observation cell in a “ruse to get me in solitary” after he was quoted by The Times in an article about prisoners’ demands for spicy Mexican-style jail meals. Thomas F. Maniscalco, who drafted the inmates’ petition for the food--a request the Sheriff’s Department rejected--was also charged with a series of jail disciplinary violations. The charges, termed by his attorney, Joanne Harrold, as “out and out harassment,” allegedly include possession of contraband--too many pairs of socks. Maniscalco said he was told that he was being moved so doctors could monitor his diet before he undergoes tests for a gall bladder problem. “It’s a matter of them keeping me incommunicado,” he contended.