Why were you acting crazy at the dog track?

Why were you acting crazy at the dog track?

For some questions, there simply are no good answers

news@theeveningtimes.com

“I cleared out the cases we had in jail on Wednesday and today we have 10 felonies and 13 misdemeanors,” said Judge Fred Thorne of West Memphis Municipal Court. A man with felony charges of residential burglary and possession of a firearm was asked?

“How old are you?”

“19.”

“How do you support yourself?”

“I don’t.”

“What do yo mean?

Someone has to support you!”

“I live with my momma. I just got out.”

“Out of prison?”

“No. jail. I was found not guilty of burglary.”

“Now you are right back in for burglary. See the public defender.”

A man charged with DWI IIII was asked, “Were you in Marion court yesterday?”

“No.”

“You had children in the car?” “Yes.”

“Do you have a job?

“Yes. I am employed.” “Do all your kids live with you?”

“I have five kids. Only four live with me.”

“See the public defender.”

A man in jail told the judge he was a rapper.

“Were you in that video I saw where the guy says, “I beat my last charge and I’ll beat my next one.?”

“No, that wasn’t me!”

A man in jail wanted to change his plea on false imprisonment and domestic battery to no contest.

“My girl friend has been up here to see me and she dropped the charges against me.”

“She can’t drop the charges. Only the prosecutor has the ability to do that. I want her here on Monday. I want to see what she has to say!”

A man in jail was asked, “Why did you leave the 8th Street Mission?”

“They was reading Proverbs and a man drew back at me.”

“If you don’t continue at the mission do you know what you get?”

“I got a year, boss.”

Another man in jail plead no contest to no driver’s license and no contest to failure to appear.

“I didn’t know I had a driver’s license charge. Can I get on a payment plan?”

“No. You can’t get a new payment plan when you already owe me for one.

$65 plus court costs on the driver’s license. $400 plus court costs on the failure to appear.”

A man who owed $1,080 and had walked off was told, “You can do 27 days jail time or pay it all. You walked off August 9th, and I had given you four days house arrest. Then on Tuesday I gave you 10 days house arrest.”

A man charged with public intoxication and resisting arrest pled guilty to both charges.

“Why were you acting crazy at the dog track?”

“The officer got a little tense with me” “I don’t know of any gambling institution that doesn’t want you to stay and loose every dime you have in your pocket. They had to your wife to come and get you.”

“I had my car there.”

“The report says you were walking through the cars and trying the doors on every car. You must have been pretty drunk to not be able to find your car. $500 plus court costs and 10 days on the public intoxication and I’ll dismiss the resisting arrest.”

A woman in jail pled guilty to theft and no contest to her failure to appear. “Why didn’t you come to your trial?”

“I got my court dates mixed up.”

“How did you get put in jail this time?”

“I was at Walmart. I knew I screwed up.”

“$350 plus court costs and 10 days on your theft.

$$350 plus court costs and five days on your failure to appear. That is a total of 15 days.”

The next woman also had a theft at Walmart and pled guilty.

“I know I was wrong.”

“Where do you live?”

“I lived in Forrest City. I moved three months ago.”

“This Walmart is second or third highest theft of any Walmart. Forrest City is the biggest place people live and steal. $500 plus court costs and 15 days jail.”

A woman in the courtroom was charged with driving on suspended license, no child restraint and no insurance. She plead not guilty to all charges.

“Everyone in here knows that she is buying time by pleading not guilty.”

A woman came forward in the courtroom when her name was called.

“How old are you?”

“19.”

“Who is with you?”

“My mother.”

“How do you plead to disorderly conduct?”

“Not guilty.” “Get a trial date.”

The next woman who came forward was asked?

“How old are you?”

“18.”

“How do you plead to disorderly conduct?”

“Not guilty.”

“What did you mother tell you to plead? She told you to plead no contest. Who has taken care of you these 18 years? The one day she tells you what to do you just let everyone know you really don’t care what she says!”

The next young woman who came forward pled no contest to her charge of disorderly conduct.

“Did you all get house suspension?”

“Yes. 10 days.”

“Who is with you?”

“I’m her aunt.”

“Why isn’t her mother here?”

“She had to work.”

“I want you all back here on November 21st. I want your mother with you.

What were they fighting about?”

“Something in the past.”

“You have 24 hours community service. At least you were smart enough to plead no contest. Have your community service done by December 1st.

Every hour you don’t do, you will have one day of jail time.”

The next woman was asked, “Were you in the fight too? How do you plead?”

“No contest.”

“Did you get the 10 day in house suspension too?”

“Yes.”

“Mother, what did you do about this?”

“I disapprove of it. I took her phone away for a month.”

“What kind of grades do you make?”

“B’s.”

“What are you going to do with your life?”

“I’m going to be a C& A.”

“You know C& A’s do bed pans?”

“My mother is a C& A.”

“Good. You are following in her footprints. How were you involved in the fight?”

“I was being jumped.”

“What was the fight about?”

“My friend got into it. It was about some stuff on Facebook.”

“24 hours community service for you too. Be back November 21st for the trial to testify. If y’all lied at trial you aren’t going to like what I am going to do. Mother, are you going to keep that phone away from her?”

“Yes, I am!”

Judge Fred Thorne

By the Evening Times News Staff