‘I can lead you to water but I can’t make you drink’
‘I can lead you to water but I can’t make you drink’
Judge Thorne helps those that help themselves
news@theeveningtimes.com
A man arrested and charged with a felony was asked by Judge Fred Thorne, “Do you have a job?”
“No.”
“How do you live without a job?”
“My friends help me out.” “Go see the public defender. Come back with a better attitude or your bond will be $100,000.”
A man in jail who had appealed his case had a remanded appeal.
“Pay $1,100 or 90 days in jail.”
The man started to argue with Judge Thorne. “30 days for contempt. You have been in my court 80 times before. Give me his sheet.”
Judge Thorne began reading the charges from 1991 and read many of the charges. “You know how to perfect your appeal. You have appealed many of your charges. Jail, if he opens his mouth again it will be 30 days on top of that!”
The next man up at the jail owed the court $422.
“How do you plead?”
“Guilty.”
“Why haven’t you paid us?”
“I was helping my woman out and couldn’t afford it.”
“How do you plead to fleeing?”
“Guilty.”
“Why did you run?”
“I was scared.”
“11 days on the fine and 10 days on top if that for the fleeing. You don’t have to be scared now.”
A man in the courtroom
Judge Fred Thorne charged with no insurance and running a red light pled no contest to both charges.
“The light was yellow and I was under it and I had to turn to get out of the road.”
“$350 plus court costs on the insurance. I’ll dismiss the red light. I’ll see you again next month.”
A woman charged with speeding pled guilty. She pled no contest to failure to appear.
“Why did you miss my court?”
“I got an extension on my charge and I forgot.”
“If you miss your boyfriend’s birthday you won’t get sent to jail, but if you miss my court you will go to jail,” said Judge Thorne.
“Do you work?”
“Yes, at a funeral home.”
“They won’t miss you if you aren’t there. I mean the people in the caskets. $55 plus court costs and driver’s school on the speeding. I’ll dismiss the failure to appear.”
A woman in the courtroom was charged with failure to yield and pled no contest.
“You met someone in the center of the intersection?
You didn’t see them?”
“I saw them. I mean, I saw them when it was too late.”
“Are you chewing gum?”
“No, sir.”
“Chewing gum and jeans with holes in them, even if they cost $500, is a ‘no-no’ in my court. $45 plus court costs and driver’s school on your failure to yield.”
A young man charged with no driver’s license, careless driving and no insurance pled no contest to each charge.
“Who is that with you?”
“My dad.”
“Do you have insurance?”
“Yes.”
“How old are you?”
“16.”
“You’ve been eating good.”
“He has a driver’s license but he had to have a licensed driver with him. I told him several times he didn’t need to drive.”
“Do you want me to put him in jail so he’ll listen to you? This is up to you, Daddy. He can do 30 hours community service or $65 plus court costs on the careless driving, court costs on the driver’s license and $50 on the insurance.”
“I want him to do the 30 hours community service and driver’s school.”
“Be back here August 5th or you will be getting home schooled from the jail.”
“He’ll do it,” said his father.
“He is a good student.”
“How many women are in the courtroom with their husbands with a ticket?
How many men are with their women who have tickets? If you want them to go to jail for the weekend and eat barbecue Spam for the 4th, just give me a thumbs up when they come before me. Thumbs up or thumbs down.”
A woman came before the judge and was asked how she pled to no driver’s license.
“Guilty.”
“And no seatbelts on two of your passengers?”
“Not guilty.”
“Turn around and ask the people what you should have pled.
“I don’t have anyone here with me.”
“Let the audience tell you.”
“No Contest!” said the galley.
“And no proof of insurance?”
“I thought he had…”
“Sit down! I can lead you to water but I can’t make you drink.”
A man charged with driving on suspended pled not guilty.
“This is your 10th driving on suspended. Bailiff put a message out to the police department. If this man is caught driving again and gets stopped his bond is going to be $150,000. He has a total disregard for the law.”
A young man was called up for following too close.
He pled guilty.
“Do you have insurance?”
“Yes.”
“How old are you?”
“18.”
“Is your mother here with you?”
“No.”
“Your father?”
“No.”
“Someone from the orphanage?”
“No.”
“Your parents bought you a car and bought insurance for you, and if this goes on your record, their insurance will go sky high. Do you realize that?”
“Yes.”
“10 hours community service and driver’s school.
Are you on the football team?”
“Yes.”
“Does your practice start in August?”
“July.”
“Be back here July 8th with proof that you have done your community service.”
A woman charged with no proof on insurance and failure to yield, pled guilty.
“You didn’t have insurance?”
“No.”
Her mother was with her.
“She had lost her job and was getting ready to go to college, said her mother.
“Do you work 40 hours a week?”
“No. 20.”
“40 hours community service and driver’s school.
Where are you going to college?”
“UCA.”
“I double the fines on anyone going to UCA. Come back on August 12th with proof that you did your community service or you will pay $195 plus court costs on the insurance and $45 plus court costs on the failure to yield.”
Two more football players were in court and Judge Thorne commented, “This team may have to forfeit some games.”
By the Evening Times News Staff
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