‘ I was drinking with my baby momma and my sister’

‘ I was drinking with my baby momma and my sister’

Judge Thorne gets plenty of reasonable explanations

news@theeveningtimes.com

To a man in jail Judge Fred Thorne asked, “Do you have any family here?”

“No.”

“Jail, I need an evaluation on him. Have him back on camera Wednesday.”

The next man called up was told, “I know you by your first name and that is not a good thing. Go back and see the public defender.”

To the next man in jail, “You have a serious charge. How do you plead to domestic battery?”

“Not guilty.”

“Did you sign a waiver?”

“No, sir.”

“He refused to sign it,” said the jail clerk.

“If you don’t sign it your bond will be $50,000.”

“I’ll sign it.”

“You need to sign it and get a lawyer. You have many previous charges. Who is this victim?”

“My baby momma.”

“Be back Jan. 24th for your trial.”

A man in jail had a dope charge.

“You are charged with possession, carrying a weapon and not paying your fine. Go see the public defender.”

A man charged with public intoxication and obstruction of justice pled “guilty, your honor,” to both charges.

“Whose name did you give, your cousin or your brother?”

“My father.”

“Why would you do that? My father would have killed me if I had done that.”

“I had too much to drink. I was drinking with my baby momma and my sister.”

“$375 plus court costs and 30 days suspended on the PI and $105 plus court costs on the obstruction.”

Awoman in jail was asked, “How do you pled to driving on suspended?”

“No contest.”

“Failure to appear?”

“No contest.”

“What about this failure to satisfy?”

“I paid that.”

“What do you have to tell me?”

“I came to court that day. You had me sit on the second row and you never got to me.”

“I know you aren’t telling me the truth. I never leave until everyone here is taken care of. I’ll change your plead to not guilty and we will have a trial date on Jan. 24th.”

A man in jail had his sister stand up for him in court.

“Mid-South says they want to handle him and not go to John 3:16?”

“I want him to go to Jonesboro or Osceola,” said his sister.

“Where is his mother?”

“She is in the hospital.” “Jail, take him to Mid-South tomorrow and be back with him on Wednesday. I will decide what I will do then.” A woman charged with loitering pled no contest.

“You were at a motel and they told you to leave?”

“I have been working for a year, doing good. I just had surgery.”

“Up to last year you had 65 charges. You have done better. Let her out tomorrow at 8 a.m.”

A man charged with failure to stop, fleeing and driving on suspended pled guilty to all charges.

“These charges were in 2014. It only took two years but we got you. $75 plus court costs on the failure to stop. $350 plus court costs on the fleeing and $500 plus court costs and four days jail on the driving on suspended.”

Awoman in jail was asked, “Where do you live?”

“West Memphis.”

“You called the police and said the guy inside had hit you but then you asked the police to help fix your vehicle?”

“He did stuff to me and my car, he didn’t want me to leave.”

“Your mother said you sent her a text that didn’t make sense.”

“She never thinks a text makes sense.”

“Well here’s something that makes sense. Jail, have her evaluated and we will see you Wednesday at 1:30.”

Aman charged with driving on suspended and no tags pled guilty to both charges.

“Why were you in Crittenden County? At the track?”

“I came over here to help my half-brother.”

“$500 plus court costs and two days jail on the driving on suspended. $55 plus court costs on the tags.”

A woman with a failure to pay her fine pled guilty. Her mother was in the courtroom.

“$360 plus court costs and nine days on the failure to pay. Momma she is in big time trouble on these state charges. Have a seat and we will get to you.”

A young man in the court room was called up.

“Are you in school?”

“Yes sir.”

To his father, Judge Thorne said, “Why did you not advise him not to wear those holey pants? They have more holes than a golf course. We can do his charges today or you can come back on Friday with him dressed better and take your chances then.”

“We will be back on Friday,”

Judge Fred Thorne

said the father.

Aman charged with driving on suspended and no insurance pled no contest to both charges.

“My insurance was in the car when they towed it. They said it fit the description of a stolen car.”

“Do you have your driver’s license?”

“They good, yeah.”

“The license is in Illinois. Call Illinois to see if they are good.”

“I moved and I just came back here.”

The clerk came back and said the license was good.

“Let’s play a game. If you take Option Number 1, you pay $225 plus court costs today. Or you take Option Number 2, and I’ll give you two weeks to come back with proof that you had insurance, or Option Number 3, if you don’t prove you had insurance it will be $500 plus court costs and 10 days jail.”

“Well, I…”

“No, tell me today what you will take.”

“Number 1.”

By the Evening Times News Staff