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‘ This time, you lucked out…’

Man gets reduced fine after alibi checks out in District Court

news@theevening times.com Judge Fred Thorne was a few minutes past 8:30 when he arrived in the courtroom. When asked about the judge being late, bailiff Lt. Margie Poole was quick to correct.

“The judge is never late,” she said, “because we never start court until he gets here.”

A man in jail was charged with public intoxication.

He pled guilty.

“The report says you had three 32-ounce beers and two Xanax. The officers said they couldn’t get you woke up. Where do you live?”

“West Memphis. I’m going to check into 30-day rehab as soon as I can.”

“You were using the bathroom in the front yard. No matter what part of town you live in, no one wants to look out their window and see someone using the bathroom in their yard.

$350 plus court costs and 30 days suspended condition upon you entering rehab. Be back here April 22 for a review. If you haven’t entered rehab I will lock you up for 30 days.”

“I will, your honor.”

“I’m a doubting Thomas.

I’d bet you won’t do what you are supposed to.”

A man in jail charged with driving on suspended pled guilty to that charge and on his charge of no insurance he pled no contest.

“Do you have any insurance now?” “The girl whose car I was driving said she was going

Judge Fred Thorne to come to court and bring the insurance.”

“$750 plus court costs and 15 days jail on the driving on suspended. $500 plus court costs on the insurance.”

A man in jail pled no contest on his failure to appear for a review.

“He paid his money to get out of jail,” said the court clerk.

“Why didn’t you appear?”

asked Judge Thorne.

“I thought it was April 18 not March 18.”

“Someone paid his fines and court costs,” said the clerk.

“It was his girlfriend,” said the bailiff.

“Tell her to pick him up tomorrow.”

A lady was leaving the courtroom. “Are you his girlfriend? Why didn’t you speak up?”

“Because his momma paid the fine, not me.”

A woman in jail pled guilty to failure to satisfy commitment and no contest to harassment.

“A man filed a complaint on you for spraying bleach on him.”

“Me and my kids live with my grandmother but we was at a room just to get away from grandmothers’ house.”

“How old are your kids?”

“Five and seven.”

“So the ‘baby daddy’ comes up to see his kids and you spray him with bleach?”

“He filed for custody before.”

“$360 you owe, what about that?”

“I am the sole provider for my kids.”

“Pay 1/2 of it and I’ll let you get on a new payment plan. Change her plea to not guilty on the harassment. I want to hear what he has to say. You will be back here on May 16th for trial. You have to sign a no contact order. Go to legal aid and get yourself an attorney.”

A man in jail pled no contest on a disorderly conduct charge.

“You had an air rifle pointed at the police?”

“No, sir.”

“The report says you were dressed all in black and pointed the air rifle at a bystander. I don’t think you are Arnold Schwarzenegger. That was the first time. The second day, police said you had a pistol and pointed it at someone. Are you going through some issues?”

“No, sir.”

His wife was in the courtroom and came forward.

“Where do you live?”

“Hope, Arkansas,” she said.

“If I fine him, will you get him out of West Memphis?

If I was at the hotel and saw you pointing a rifle at me, even an air rifle, I wouldn’t like it.”

To the man in jail, Judge Thorne asked, “Where do yo work in Hope?”

“I am currently looking for a job.”

“$250 plus court costs and 30 days suspended. Don’t go back to the hotel and don’t come back in front of me or I will max you out.”

A woman was charged with tearing up property, beating on a car and scratching the hood.

“Where do you live? Go talk to the public defender.” “I live in a four bedroom home by myself.”

“You don’t need to be anywhere by yourself.”

A man in jail was charged with no tags, failure to appear, driving on suspended, failure to yield and fictions name pled guilty to all charges.

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

“I just made up a name.”

“That is better than getting a relative in trouble. What are you doing with your life?”

“Working in Memphis. I want to be honest with you. The car got repo’d and I didn’t have the ticket.”

“$55 plus court costs on the tags, $105 plus court costs on the failure to appear, $500 plus court costs and 3 days jail on the driving on suspended, $75 plus court costs on the failure to yield and $105 plus court costs on the false name.

You are lucky it’s Friday and I’m kinda wore down.” Another man in jail was charged with public intoxication,

loitering and failure

to appear.

“What color are your shoes?” asked the judge.

“It’s my socks… they are red.”

He pled guilty to all charges.

“The report says you got drunk and went a vacant home. Why didn’t you come to court?”

“I was in the hospital.”

“Where?”

“Crittenden.”

The people in the galley laughed.

“When?”

“August 4th, 2014.”

“Have a seat. I’m going to find out when the hospital closed. If you are telling me the truth, your fine will be $100 on the other charges and I’ll dismiss the failure to appear. ”

Judge Thorne made a personal call to County Judge Woody Wheeless.

“Judge Wheeless, we are on speaker phone,” said Judge Thorne. “When did the Crittenden Regional Hospital close?”

“August 25, 2014,” said Judge Wheeless.

“Thank you, sir. I am a man of my word. Your fine will be $100 plus court costs. You probably weren’t in the hospital at that time but this time you lucked out.”

By the Evening Times News Staff