Woman forgotten in cell over weekend

A woman who was in the U.S. illegally was locked in an Arkansas courthouse and forgotten for four days, which she spent without food, water or toilet facilities.

She had pleaded not guilty last week to charges of selling pirated CDs. A judge in Arkansas ordered her held because of her immigration status.

The bailiff put her in an isolated holding cell, where she waited for transportation to jail.

Because of heavy snow, few staff members were in the courthouse to hear her cries and her pounding later that day or the next, or through the weekend.

Her daughter told a newspaper that the cell had two benches, a metal table and a light that couldn't be switched off. She slept using a shoe to cushion her head.

The judge says he might install a video camera in the holding cell and an exterior light that indicates when someone is inside.