HOROSCOPE

‘I got a situation going on in my head’

Judge Thorne questions mental state of man charged with creating a disturbance

news@theeveningtimes.com

On a rainy Monday morning at West Memphis District Court there were few people in jail and few in the courtroom.

Judge Fred Thorne asked the first man with felony charges of possession of drug paraphernalia, “How old are you?”

“22.”

“Do you have a job?”

“I work at Hino.”

“Weren’t you also carrying a weapon?”

“He was,” said the court attorney.

“Go talk to the public defender.”

The next man that came forward was charged with possession of drug paraphernalia and also had misdeamors was asked, “Were you in the car with the other man?”

“Yes.”

“Where do you live?”

“Ferguson.”

“Where is that?”

“Ferguson street, West Memphis.”

“Where do you work?”

“No where.”

“Who is taking care of you?”

“My momma.”

The next man up was a juvenile.

“You have lots of drug charges. See the public defender.”

Another man in jail had felony theft of property charges.

“Are you the one that took a rental car and never took it back?”

“Yes, he is,” said the court attorney.

“Where do you live?”

“Osceola.”

“Do you have means to hire an attorney?”

“No, sir.”

“Do you work?”“I had a job until now.”

“How much do you make a week?”

“I’m probably fired by now.”

“How much did you make a week?”

“$500 to $600 a week.”

“See the public defender.” A man charged with possession of schedule one or two drugs was asked where he lived.

“West Memphis.”

“Do you have an income?”

“No. I just moved to back to Florida.”

“Then why are you here?” “I just finished rehab but I got in trouble when I came back here.”

A man charged with possession of meth was also asked where he lived.

“Marion.”

“Do you work?”

“Yes.”

“How long?”

“A month.”

“How much do you make a hour? $14?”

“No, I hired on with a temp service. I make $9 an hour.”

“See the public defender.” A man in jail was charged with tampering with physical evidence was asked where he lived.

“West Memphis.”

“What is your income?”

“I am a student without much income.”

“Where are you a student?”

“Seattle, Washington.”

“How do you make classes?”“I was here for a funeral.”

“Well I’ll set your bail at one million dollars and when you show me proof that you are a student in Seattle I may lower it to ten thousand dollars. How long have you been back in Crittenden County?”

“Two weeks.”

“See the public defender.” A man in jail whose name was called out didn’t come forward.

“He is too drunk to come to court,” said the jailer.

“You picked him up last night at 11:00 and he’s still to drunk to make his THORNE

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appearance?”

“That’s right your honor.”

“We’ll make it for Wednesday unless he bonds out.”

A woman in jail for possession and who was also on probation was told, “Talk to the public defender. You are looking at a year in jail.”

A man in jail was charged with driving on suspended “How do you plead?”

“No contest.”

“This is your fourth driving on suspended. What do you want to tell me?”

“I’ve been working with West Memphis on getting my license but I am going to have to clear up a ticket out of Missouri.”

“$500 plus court costs and three days jail.”

To the next man, Judge Thorne said, “You are charged with stealing five bandanas. What do you have to tell me?”

“I was with my girl and my little cousin. I didn’t steal them but I confessed to it so my girl or cousin wouldn’t get in trouble.”

“$250 plus court costs and five days jail.”

The next man was asked, “Weren’t you in my court last week?”

“Yes, I was.”

“How do you plead to possession?”

“No contest.”

“Criminal trespass?”

“No contest.”

“You were in a vacant house smoking dope.”

“I wasn’t smoking in there.”

“I’ll change your plea to not guilty and you can come to your trial on April 16th.”

The next man had a loitering charge and pled no contest.

“You were causing a disturbance in Walgreens.

You said someone in the parking lot tried to shoot you.”

“I got a situation going on in my head.”

“Jail, I want an evaluation by Mid-South. I’ll see you on Wednesday.”

“The West Memphis police are going to murder me tonight.”

“Jail, make sure the West Memphis police don’t get in his cell.”

A young man in the courtroom

was asked if he got

his driving permit.

“No.”

“Then go pay your fine.

Have you been to driver’s school yet?”

“No. The date for it hasn’t come up yet.”

The next man that came forward was also young.

He started stretching and threw up his arms.

“If you need to stretch, I can put you in jail for two days. How old are you?”

“16.”

“How do you plead to no proof of insurance?”

“No contest.”

His father was with him, “Father do you want him to do four hours community service and go to driver’s school or pay $70 and go to driver’s school?”

“Community service,” said his father.A woman in the courtroom was charged with careless driving and no proof of insurance.

She pled guilty to both charges.“I had to go to pick up my son and I saw the police off the service road.

I passed my place to turn and I turned around and was going the wrong way on the service road.”

“$235 plus court costs on the insurance and I’ll dismiss the careless driving.”

Another young man was asked his age.

“18.”

He also was stretching while standing in front of the judge.

“Do you think this is a joke? Did you hear what I told the other person? How do you plead to theft at Walmart?”

“Guilty.”

“And to obstruction of justice?”

“Guilty.”

“Whose name did you give?”

“Daddy.”

His mother was with him in the courtroom.

“Your honor, he is mentally challenged. He is on medicine and he has not been taking his meds.”

“You stole a cell phone?”

“He probably did. I had taken his phone away from him,” said his mother.

“He can do 80 days jail or 80 hours community service.”

“He can do the community service.”

“I’ll give him 30 days to get it done or he can go to jail.”

By the Evening Times News Staff