‘Maybe your mother hit enough jackpots to pay your fine’
‘Maybe your mother hit enough jackpots to pay your fine’
Judge Thorne reprimands man booted from Southland for disorderly conduct
By the Times News Staff
news@theeveningtimes.com
“Good news! It’s Friday!
Bad news, maybe a couple of you are going to jail,” said Judge Fred Thorne.
“Who has been supporting you?” asked Judge Thorne of a man in jail on a felony charge.
“I get jobs under the table.”
“How old are you?”
“28. My mom supports me.”
“How old do you need to be before your mom gets some relief? It’s just like spring time, tulips popping up.”
A man in jail for DWI and refusal to submit to a test pled guilty.
“What did you have to drink?”
“A beer.”
“It must have been a 32 ounce.”
“It was.”
“Go talk to the DWI lady before I sentence you.”
Another man in jail was charged with public intoxication and pled guilty.
“You drink all the time don’t you?”
“No, occasionally.”
“You registered .287 that is almost four times the legal limit.
“I just had a beer.”
“How many beers did you have?”
“Just one.”
“You also got into it with your stepson?”
“Yes.”
“$350 plus court costs. If he had told me the truth, I would have given him a lower fine.”
A man in jail pled guilty to failure to pay his fines.
“I gave you three months suspended. I tell you what, I’ll knock your sentence down from 90 days to 30 days jail.”
A man in jail was charged with public intoxication, disorderly conduct and loitering. He pled guilty to all charges.
“Why were you cussing out the people at Southland?”
“They put me out for nothing.”
“They have the right to put you out for nothing.”
“I was just sitting on my car waiting on my mother.”
“Maybe your mother hit enough jackpots to pay your fine. $500 plus court costs on the disorderly. I’ll dismiss the public intoxication and the loitering.”
A woman in jail was charged with failure to stop and failure to appear. She pled guilty.
“It wasn’t me.”
“$35 plus court costs on the failure to stop and $105 plus costs on the failure to appear. Maybe your alter ego can pay the fines for you.”
A woman in jail pled guilty to possession of marijuana.
“How old are you?”
“42.”
“Do you have children?”
“The are all grown.”
“How do you support yourself?”
“I draw disability.”
“You have had a problem since 2003.”
“I haven’t been in trouble for years now.”
“You just haven’t been caught. What can I do to help you? Or can you still be helped?”
“I can be helped.”
“Where do you live?”
“The Courtyards.”
“One year suspended.
$500 plus court costs sus-
Judge Fred Thorne pended. Probation for six months with the Justice Network. Random drug testing. Mr. Brown, cut your fee for her by 40 percent. Review in one month on March 18. If you skip out I will put you in jail for one year.”
A man in jail was charged with theft. He pled no contest.
“You stole a 55-inch TV?
I’d like to have seen you running with that on your back.”
“He had a receipt for another TV when he was caught taking one out,” said the public defender.
“I had the receipt.”
“We will change your plea to not guilty and have a trial, or $500 plus court costs and 10 days jail. Do you want option A or option B?” “Give me a minute.”
The courtroom erupted in laughter.
“You can have a minute to think about it,” said Judge Thorne.
The defendant said, “I’ll take option B.”
A woman in jail was charged with driving on suspended, failure to appear and no insurance. She pled guilty.
“Why didn’t you come to court?”
“It skipped my mind. I was busy moving.”
“$500 plus costs on the driving on suspended. $350 plus court costs on the failure to appear and $500 plus court costs on the no insurance. Maybe this fine won’t slip your mind.”
A man in jail charged with disorderly conduct pled guilty.
“Give him a trial date.”
“Hey! I said guilty.”
“Oh sorry. Were you trying to hit on some woman?”
“”I was drunk.”
“Who is this woman?”
“The lady I’m living with.”
“You can’t talk to her like this. $350 plus court costs and 10 days jail. Maybe she can have all your stuff out by then.”
A woman in the courtroom was charged with failure to stop and expired driver’s license.
She pled guilty to both charges. “How old are you?” “30.” “You have a terrible driving
record.”
The lady looked confused. “I have a copy of all your past offenses. Where do you work?”
“A vet’s office.”
“$45 plus court costs on the failure to stop. Pay court costs on the expired driver’s license. Do you want to go to driver’s school to keep it off your record?”
“No, sir.”
“Okay.”
A man in court was charged with no headlight, no insurance and fleeing.
He pled not guilty to all charges.
“Let me see your insurance now,” said Judge Thorne.
“I don’t have it.”
“No, you don’t. You are just buying time.”
The next man in court was charged with driving on suspended and no tags. He pled guilty.
“Why do you keep driving? This is your 5th driving on suspended.”
“I’m trying to get my license
back.”
“$600 plus court costs and 90 days jail suspended. You will be on probation.”
A man in the courtroom was charged with speeding and no child restraint. He pled not guilty.
“Give him the soonest trial date you can. Sir, you better hire a good attorney because you are one of the people who just doesn’t care about the system. I’ll see you on March 15.”
The next man that came up was asked by Judge Thorne, “Don’t you live in Earle?”
“Yes.”
“You have four tickets.
How do you plead to loud music?”
“Guilty.”
“Possession of drugs?”
“Not guilty.”
“Possession of marijuana?”
“Not guilty.”
“And no proof of insurance?”
“Not guilty.”
“Give him a trial date.”
A woman in the courtroom pled not guilty to driving on suspended, fictitious tags and no tags.
“Who bonded you out?”
“Swift.”
“You are in the top five in West Memphis who doesn’t care about the system. Call (West Memphis Police Chief) Donald Oakes and tell him if she gets arrested again her bond will be $150,000. I don’t think Swift can handle that one.
Be back here for trial on March 7th.”
Share