The Brooklyn woman jailed for two months for refusing to say what happened to her missing autistic son on Tuesday was ordered released by a judge who ruled she was being punished for exercising her rights.
Jacqueline Pritchett, 50, must still show up in Family Court next week to be questioned once again about her son, Jacob Pritchett, a nonverbal 11-year-old missing since at least April.
His mother, who has mental health issues, let police and an Administration for Children’s Services caseworker into her Brownsville apartment on Oct. 1 when they were checking on a tip about Jacob’s well-being.
But there was no sign of Jacob — and Jacqueline Pritchett said she is a virgin who never had children, that she is Jesus Christ and that the toys in her home belonged to her, according to police sources and court documents.
Police believe harm has come to Jacob.
They have identified him as missing and asked for the public’s help in finding him, releasing to the media a police sketch of Jacob, a computer rendering of him and a photo of his mother.
Theodore Parisienne / New York Daily News; NYPD
Police released a computer-generated image of Jacob Pritchett (inset), who was reported missing from Jacqueline Pritchett’s residence at 614 Howard Ave. in Brooklyn on Oct. 3. (Theodore Parisienne / New York Daily News; NYPD)
After being taken to Brookdale Hospital for a psychiatric evaluation, the mother was jailed on a Family Court contempt warrant and has eight times refused to answer questions about Jacob, invoking her Fifth Amendment right to avoid saying anything that would incriminate her.
But on Tuesday Supreme Court Justice Margaret Martin said she agreed with the contention of Jacqueline Pritchett’s lawyers that Family Court Judge Dawn Orsatti unlawfully held Pritchett simply for her exercising her rights.
Pritchett, she said, was jailed based on her “good-faith assertion” that she has a right not to answer any questions.
“The petitioner is released,” Martin said. “She is to be released forthwith.”
Brian Holbrook, one of Jacqueline Pritchett’s lawyers, had no comment outside court.
A spokesman for the city Law Department, which had opposed Pritchett being released because it believes the Family Court contempt warrant was justified, said, “The city is evaluating next steps.”
