A Goose Creek resident facing multiple charges, including dissemination of child pornography, addressed the Goose Creek Council during a Jan. 10 public meeting to ask for his phone back, as it was reportedly being used to gather evidence by local police.
Edward Oquendo, 76, exceeded his allotted two-minute time limit as a public speaker by about six minutes in recounting the events that led to the confiscation of his mobile device.
The Hamlets inhabitant mentioned how he was arrested by the Goose Creek Police Department on Nov. 8 while he was on his way to work based on accusations made by his "troubled" daughter, he stated.
The authorities proceeded to search and "ransack" his dwelling, according to Oquendo. The investigation yielded two Polaroid photos, it was noted, one of which was 47-years-old.
The suspect reported that he had been fired from his job of 43 years and communicated his lack of success in retrieving his phone, which contains personal medical records and/or information.
"My phone is still in possession of the Goose Creek Police Department. Now it only takes 20 minutes to download everything on the phone, which is what I was told by the police department," continued the self-described cancer survivor and kidney transplant recipient.
Mayor Gregory Habib encouraged the citizen not to share his legal affairs in a public setting and later added: "I do not know evidentiary laws. I do not know what the legality is behind what we hold, where and why. But we can ask that question and see."
Habib further reminded the speaker that neither he nor the City Council are equipped to respond to the man's questions.
The Goose Creek Gazette has contacted multiple law enforcement members of the Goose Creek Police Department to receive an update on Oquendo's status following the charges that were levied against him two months ago.
In an email to this paper, Police Chief LJ Roscoe responded: "His phone is being held due to his charges. We are working with his attorney to get the contacts off the phone for him. However, there is evidence on the phone that prohibits us from returning the phone."
