Zachary Steeg's Legal Defense Fund
Donation protected
This go fund me is sponsored by Andrew Ross as well as the friends of Zachary Steeg.
Two weeks ago, Zack was hit by a truck while walking on foot. He suffered a sprained ankle, cuts and bruises, as well as a torn ligament in his knee, which necessitated the use of crutches. The pain of a torn ligament is substantial, so he was prescribed medication to mitigate this while healing.
Two days later, on a drive home late at night, Zack got into a car accident. He skimmed a curb, ultimately losing control of the vehicle and colliding with a telephone pole. While he was fortunately unhurt, the wind was knocked out of him and (naturally) he was rattled by the incident. An officer arrived soon afterward and interrogated Zack, intent that he was under the influence.
Zack immediately agreed to a breathalyzer test and proceeded to blow a 0.0%. Next, the officer requested that he complete a field sobriety test. Zack explained the circumstances of his recent accident and resultant injuries that compromised his ability to walk (i.e., comply with the field sobriety test). The officer responded by shining a flashlight in his eyes and moving forward with the FST.
The officer then booked Zack for a DUI (with knowledge of Zack’s previous DUI issues), noting alleged failure to follow instructions. After arriving at a hospital, the officer asked Zack to yield to a blood test. Zack protested, as he had already told the officer about his prescribed medication from the accident. He was later presented with a warrant to lawfully enforce the retrieval of his blood to be used in court, presumably to justify this officer’s heavy-handed approach.
Due to the current circumstances of COVID-19, our friend has been reassigned to spend 14 days in isolated confinement--a brutal undertaking for any human being. He has an iPad that he can make calls from and a couple of books to read, but beyond that, he is in solitary confinement for 23 hours of each day.
Many of us, when faced with a string of unfortunate events, could wind up in dire straits ourselves given the nature of recent circumstantial changes and how they make us vulnerable to hardship, financial and otherwise.
Zack does not have any close, blood-related family to help him through this.
If you know Zack, you know his heart. He cares very deeply for his friends and family and is often more than willing to go out of his way to help people. Chosen family, friends, strangers-- Zack has always been more than willing to help someone in need.
Zack admits that he could have made some better choices given the circumstances, and we agree. But we all make mistakes and we’re all worthy of support, especially when the odds outweigh our ability to meet them head on. Zack may be feeling regretful and hesitant to accept and receive support given the circumstances, but right now is when he could really use our love the most.
The reality of this situation is that the consequences Zack is facing are pretty staggering. A potential 20 years in prison is absolutely unreasonable given what happened that night, so we’ve pivoted our efforts to fund a bond and are instead raising funds for his legal defense.
**Great news!** Zack now has representation!
Though Zack himself has paid all that he had towards his defense, and close friends have donated generously to his cause, we are still short the second half of the attorney’s retainer. Our goal is set at $5000, 100% of which will go to the lawyer. If we reach our goal, any excess funds will contribute to Zack’s basic living necessities as he readjusts after his release. If you know Zack, you know he’s a highly motivated person who commits to goals with focus and hard work. But even after he gets out of prison, the expense of ongoing legal entanglements will continue to be a burden, and any amount of support would make a huge impact.
As a close friend of Zack’s, I have no doubt--if the shoe were on the other foot--of how far he would go for me. Zack has expressed his gratitude for how this community has played such a significant role in his growth and development as a person. He’s come a long way in the years that I have known him, and I am proud of the progress he has made and how this community has changed his life.
I know that Zack has made his fair share of mistakes, and paid for them, and learned from them in kind. But in my heart of hearts, I don’t believe Zack deserves to go to prison because of this situation.
"The greatness of a community is most accurately measured by the compassionate actions of its members." – Coretta Scott King
Thank you for reading! Please consider contributing aid to Zack’s legal defense.
Two weeks ago, Zack was hit by a truck while walking on foot. He suffered a sprained ankle, cuts and bruises, as well as a torn ligament in his knee, which necessitated the use of crutches. The pain of a torn ligament is substantial, so he was prescribed medication to mitigate this while healing.
Two days later, on a drive home late at night, Zack got into a car accident. He skimmed a curb, ultimately losing control of the vehicle and colliding with a telephone pole. While he was fortunately unhurt, the wind was knocked out of him and (naturally) he was rattled by the incident. An officer arrived soon afterward and interrogated Zack, intent that he was under the influence.
Zack immediately agreed to a breathalyzer test and proceeded to blow a 0.0%. Next, the officer requested that he complete a field sobriety test. Zack explained the circumstances of his recent accident and resultant injuries that compromised his ability to walk (i.e., comply with the field sobriety test). The officer responded by shining a flashlight in his eyes and moving forward with the FST.
The officer then booked Zack for a DUI (with knowledge of Zack’s previous DUI issues), noting alleged failure to follow instructions. After arriving at a hospital, the officer asked Zack to yield to a blood test. Zack protested, as he had already told the officer about his prescribed medication from the accident. He was later presented with a warrant to lawfully enforce the retrieval of his blood to be used in court, presumably to justify this officer’s heavy-handed approach.
Due to the current circumstances of COVID-19, our friend has been reassigned to spend 14 days in isolated confinement--a brutal undertaking for any human being. He has an iPad that he can make calls from and a couple of books to read, but beyond that, he is in solitary confinement for 23 hours of each day.
Many of us, when faced with a string of unfortunate events, could wind up in dire straits ourselves given the nature of recent circumstantial changes and how they make us vulnerable to hardship, financial and otherwise.
Zack does not have any close, blood-related family to help him through this.
If you know Zack, you know his heart. He cares very deeply for his friends and family and is often more than willing to go out of his way to help people. Chosen family, friends, strangers-- Zack has always been more than willing to help someone in need.
Zack admits that he could have made some better choices given the circumstances, and we agree. But we all make mistakes and we’re all worthy of support, especially when the odds outweigh our ability to meet them head on. Zack may be feeling regretful and hesitant to accept and receive support given the circumstances, but right now is when he could really use our love the most.
The reality of this situation is that the consequences Zack is facing are pretty staggering. A potential 20 years in prison is absolutely unreasonable given what happened that night, so we’ve pivoted our efforts to fund a bond and are instead raising funds for his legal defense.
**Great news!** Zack now has representation!
Though Zack himself has paid all that he had towards his defense, and close friends have donated generously to his cause, we are still short the second half of the attorney’s retainer. Our goal is set at $5000, 100% of which will go to the lawyer. If we reach our goal, any excess funds will contribute to Zack’s basic living necessities as he readjusts after his release. If you know Zack, you know he’s a highly motivated person who commits to goals with focus and hard work. But even after he gets out of prison, the expense of ongoing legal entanglements will continue to be a burden, and any amount of support would make a huge impact.
As a close friend of Zack’s, I have no doubt--if the shoe were on the other foot--of how far he would go for me. Zack has expressed his gratitude for how this community has played such a significant role in his growth and development as a person. He’s come a long way in the years that I have known him, and I am proud of the progress he has made and how this community has changed his life.
I know that Zack has made his fair share of mistakes, and paid for them, and learned from them in kind. But in my heart of hearts, I don’t believe Zack deserves to go to prison because of this situation.
"The greatness of a community is most accurately measured by the compassionate actions of its members." – Coretta Scott King
Thank you for reading! Please consider contributing aid to Zack’s legal defense.
Organizer and beneficiary
Andrew Ross
Organizer
Corpus Christi, TX
Nicholas Hebert
Beneficiary