‘If you get drunk again, I’ll give you the 30-day special’

‘If you get drunk again, I’ll give you the 30-day special’

Judge Thorne show leniency to senior citizen defendant

news@theeveningtimes.com

Two people in jail, a man and a woman, were called up together in Judge Fred Thorne’s court at West Memphis District Court.

“You both would not sign a waiver. Do you realize I can’t address your case if you don’t sign a waiver?”

“I’ll sign it,” said the woman.

“If you sign the waiver, that doesn’t mean you have to plead guilty. You can plead guilty or not guilty.”

“I’ll sign it,” said the man. Two men who were both charged with theft were called up together.

“Where do you live?”

One man answered, “Memphis.”

The other man said, “West Memphis.”

“How do you know each other?”

“We are cousins.”

“Do you work?”

The first man answered, “No, sir, not right now.”

The second man said “Yes. I work for a temp service.”

“How long have you worked?”

“Eight months.”

“How much do you make a week?”

“I get paid about $750 every two weeks.”

“Both of you go talk to the public defender.”

A woman charged with domestic battery in the second degree was asked, “Do you have a job?”

“No.”

A woman stood up for her in the courtroom.

“Are you her mother?”

“No, I’m her grandmother.”

“Where is her mother?”

“She is deceased.”

“Does she have the means to hire an attorney?”

“No.”

“Have a seat. I’ll set her bond in a minute.”

A man in jail was charged with felony possession with purpose to deliver.

“Do you have means to hire an attorney?”

“No, sir.”

“Do you have a job and where do you live?”

“I work at Hino and I live in West Memphis.”

“How long?”

“This is my second month there.”

“See the public defender.” A man with a possession of schedule one or two drug charges was also asked where he lived.

“West Memphis.”

“Do you work?”

“Not anymore. A guy there tried to jump me.”

“See the public defender.” A woman charged with felony terroristic threatening was asked where she lived.

“Earle.”

“Do you have means to hire an attorney?”

“No, sir. I’m disabled.”

A man in jail was charged with no driver’s license, no insurance and possession of controlled substance (marijuana) pled guilty to all charges.

A woman in the courtroom stood up, “I have his proof of insurance.”

“Does he work?”

“Yes.”

“How long has he had a job?”

“A month. His license was suspended because of a dope charge.”

“$55 plus court costs on the driver’s license. $70 on the insurance and $750 plus court costs and one year suspended on the marijuana charge.”

A man with disorderly conduct charges at the dog track pled no contest.

“Did you have too much to drink?”

“I had a couple of beers.

I was just walking back to my truck to sleep when they picked me up. I drive an 18-wheeler.”

“They asked you to leave the track and you cursed them. $575 plus court costs.”

A man in jail was asked how he pled to public intoxication.

“Guilty.”

“How old are you?”

“64. I am retired and get an Army pension. It’s not that much!”

“You were laying in the grass with your feet in the water. How did you get there?”

“My wife dropped me off. We have a paper route early in the morning and I didn’t want my wife out there by herself.”

“I’ll give you the 64-yearold special. You can get out at 5 o’clock today. If you get drunk again, I’ll give you the 30-day special.”

A man with an obstruction of justice charge pled guilty and to his disorderly conduct charge he pled no contest.

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

“My brother.”

“What would you have said to him if they had picked him up? $500 plus court costs and three days on the obstruction charge and I’ll merge the disorderly into that.”

A man in jail had a suspended driver’s license.

“See the public defender.

You have had five previous driving on suspendeds.”

A young man in the courtroom was charged with no driver’s license.

“Whose car were you driving?”

“My father’s girlfriend.”

“What grade are you in?”

“9th.”

His father was with him.

“Father what kind of grades does he make?”

“A’s and B’s.”

“Do you know why he got stopped?”

“I think so.”

“He got stopped because he had his windows down and the music blaring! If you don’t have a license and you just want to get stopped, you ride around with your windows down and your music blaring!

Here are your choices father, pay $75 plus court costs and go to driver’s school or do six hours community service at the dog shelter.”

“The community service,” said the father.

“The shelter can’t take him right now,” said the court clerk.

“Okay, here’s what I’ll do. I’ll give you 20 days to pay the ticket. In the meantime if you pass your driver’s test and come back on March 11th and show me your permit, I’ll wave the $75.”

Quite a few women and men pled not guilty to their charges ranging from expired tags, no proof of insurance, driving on suspended, and expired tags and had to get a trial date.

“Often when people plead not guilty they are just getting more time because they know they don’t have the money to pay fines.”

A young man with his father and mother with him pled no contest to his no driver’s license charge, “What were you doing out at 10 p.m. driving with no driver’s license?”

“I was coming home from a basketball game.”

“$75 plus court costs and go to driver’s school or do four hours community service.”

His mother said, “He’ll do the community service.”

“What kind of grades do you make?”

“A’s and B’s.”

“What do you want to do with your life?”

“I want to play professional basketball.”

“What else? You might not make it to the pros.”

“Maybe be a lawyer.”

“How do you think you can become a professional player if you can’t even beat Marion? Only about 1 percent make it to the pros!”

As they were leaving the judge asked his father, “Don’t I know you?”

“No, sir!” said the man.

By the Evening Times News Staff