‘ You should know you can’t drink while you are on meds’

‘ You should know you can’t drink while you are on meds’

No, Tiger Woods wasn’t in Judge Thorne’s courtroom

news@theeveningtimes.com A man stood up in the courtroom of West Memphis District Court where Judge Fred Thorne presides. He was the father of a man who had appeared in court the week before.

“Put a warrant on him and no bond. Your son did not go to rehab. He is charged with failure to comply with the terms of his suspended sentence, said the Judge.

A lawyer asked, “Can we call someone?”

“Do you think this is a drivein?”

A couple came forward.

“Ma’am you filed an order of domestic battery on him and now you are going to have his baby? You said you didn’t want anything to do with him, but it looks like you did have something to do with him.”

“Yes.”

To the man, Judge Thorne asked, “Do you work?”

“Yes.”

“How long?”

“A year and three months.”

“The report says she had facial lacerations and other injuries. $300 plus court costs and three months suspended. You will be on probation for three months. If you get in any more trouble you will go to jail for three months. When is the baby due?”

“August 29th.”

“Be back here for a review August 23rd. I don’t want to deliver that baby in my courtroom. Are you going to be able to behave?”

“Yes, sir.”

A man in jail on felony charges of commercial burglary and criminal mischief was asked, “Do you have the means to hire an attorney?”

“No, sir.”

“Where do you live?”

“Wynne.”

“Do you have a job?”

“No, sir.”

“Then how do you support yourself?”

“Scrapping.”

“What?”

“Scrapping metal.”

“Illegal copper?”

“No, sir.”

“See the public defender.”

Another man with felony charges of theft of property and breaking and entering was also asked if he worked. “Yes.”

“Do you have the means to hire an attorney?”

“My girlfriend was supposed to be here to see about it.”

“Go talk to the public defender.”

A man in jail was charged with driving while intoxicated and pled guilty. He pled no contest to refusal to take the test at the jail, guilty to expired tags and no contest to leaving a vehicle unattended while it was running.

“You need to be screened by the DWI lady.”

After he talked to the DWI lady, the man was back in front of Judge Thorne.

“What do you want to tell me about your DWI?”

“I had a drink at home with my siblings and then we went to Beale Street and I had a drink with them there.”

“When you got stopped, did you get out of your car?”

“I was on the highway heading back to Blytheville. I pulled my car over to the side of the road to talk on my phone and I think my car came out of park and started rolling backwards.”

“You didn’t put your car in park.”

“I did, I think it popped out of park.”

“$400 plus court costs. Go to level 1 drug and alcohol school. I’ll dismiss the refusal. What about the expired tags?” “I didn’t know they were expired.”

“$45 plus court costs on the tags.”

A man in the courtroom charged with violation of Arkansas Hot Check Law pled no contest.

“Did you pay the check off?” “I haven’t had a chance to pay it.”

“Two weeks to pay it . Be back in my court in two weeks with proof you have paid it.”

A man in jail was charged with public intoxication.

“How do you plead?”

“Well your honor….”

“How do you plead? Guilty, not guilty or no contest?”

“No contest.”

“Why did you drink so much?”

“I was hearing voices in my head. I was off my meds.”

“Someone told you your girlfriend was cheating on you. They had to call the police because you were fighting with the staff. How much did you have to drink?”

“Six half-pints.”

“Of what?”

“Vodka.”

“I guarantee you were hearing voices.”

“Yes, sir.”

“You should know you can’t drink while you are on meds. Jail, let him out at noon if someone will come pick him up.”

“I’ll stick to menthol,” said the man in jail.

A man in jail was charged with theft and pled guilty.

“You stole a Goody’s powder packet? Why would you steal three Goody’s powder packets and go to jail for a year?” “I don’t know.”

“How old are you?”

“61.”

“At your age, you should be on the porch with your feet up. 10 days jail.”

A young man in jail was called up.

“Why did you pay on your fine in Marion but not in West Memphis?”

“My mom came to take care of it for me.”

“Stop right there. Why does your mother have to take care of it for you? How old are you?”

“18.”

“Is your mom here?”

“I’m his father,” said a man in the courtroom.

“My mom tried to pay it.”

“I’m talking about your actions, why didn’t you take care of this? Do you have a job?”

“He works at a pizza place,” said the father.

“What about his future?”

“He is going to go to Arkansas Baptist.”

“Is he into sports? I know that college does that.”

“Yes. Track.”

“You have a bright future ahead of you and you are in jail. You owed $290 to West Memphis and $200 to Marion. Put $200 on the bill and get a payment plan. I guess your parents will have to pay this.”

A woman in jail was rambling and was not coherent.

“Jail does she have any relatives here?”

“She did not put a number in case of emergency. We don’t know anyone to call for her.”

“She is a parolee and should be on active probation. See if you can find a parole officer or a relative. I can’t let her out of jail when she is like this.”

A man in jail pled no contest to domestic battery.

“The report says the woman had severe injuries and was in so much pain she couldn’t fill out a statement.”

“I’m going to be honest with you. My momma is pregnant and they all got in a fight, her and my sister and my girlfriend.”

“$1,000 and 60 days jail. You can appeal it.”

A man in jail pled no contest to not completing his sentence and not paying his fine.

“Why haven’t you paid on your fines?”

“I had to leave town.”

“Pay $200 today to get out and pay on your fines or do 16 days jail.”

Judge Fred Thorne

By the Evening Times News Staff