‘ It would be different if you didn’t know right from wrong’

‘ It would be different if you didn’t know right from wrong’

Judge Thorne gets stern with repeat offender

news@theeveningtimes.com

The jail for Friday’s District Court in West Memphis held four men and two women.

“Wow! This is unbelievable today. The crowd is low and there are no felonies,” said Judge Fred Thorne. “What’s going on?”

“It is Pre-Halloween,” said an attorney.

“I don’t get it. The jail is serving barbecue Spam, baked beans and candy corn in jail for Halloween.

Everybody is dressing up.

They are coming as either a jailer or an inmate.”

A man called up in the jail was charged with loitering.

He pled no contest.

“Why were you asking the people at the truck stop for money? You have been in my court since 2006, 30 or 40 times. I see you more than I see my grandchildren. When are you going to straighten up?”

“I’m going to do right today.”

“No you are not! How long have you lived in West Memphis?’ “All my life.”

“I live in Marion and I have a house to go to. Why were you at the motel?”

“I didn’t have no other place to go.”

“Jail, let him out Sunday at 8 p.m.”

The next man in jail was told by Judge Thorne, “You have your therapist here.

How has he been doing?”

“He has done all the things I need him to do,” said the lady from mental health.

“He was on probation but he had some felony charges. He is in jail now on felony bond and he had a public intoxication out of Marion,” said Mr. Brown of the Justice Network.

“I gave you nine months probation and a one year suspended sentence. I’ll review your case November 18th to see where you are.

When you get out, you better be meeting with your probation officer. If you get out and commit another crime I’ll give you one year in jail. It would be different if you didn’t know right from wrong, but I know that you do know the difference.”

A man in jail was charged with no driver’s license, no insurance, unsafe vehicle and no child restraint. He pled guilty to all charges.

“You were driving a vehicle with no side mirrors or a rear-view mirror?”

“I bought the car that way?”

“What is it a ‘62? And what about your license?”

Judge Fred Thorne “I just lost my job and I lost my house.”

“What does that have to do with your driver’s license?” “I failed my test eight times. I can’t read.”

“How many kids do you have?”

“One.”

“Don’t you think you should get your life together before you have kids?”

“$65 plus court costs on the driver’s license. $350 plus court costs on the insurance. I’ll dismiss the unsafe vehicle and the child restraint. Sit it out or do a payment plan.”

Two women in jail were called up and both were told to talk to the public defender.

A man in the courtroom was called up and the city attorney had a problem pronouncing his name.

“If you had given that to me I could have pronounced his name. I know him well. How do you plead to driving on suspended?”

“Guilty.”

“You are on your fourth one. Did you know you have to pay a $100 reinstatement fee?”

“I didn’t know that was all it took.”

“$395 plus court costs and four days house arrest.”

A young man in the courtroom

was called up. “How old are you?”

“20.”

“How do you plead to careless driving?”

“Not guilty.”

“Failure to appear?”

“Not guilty.”

“I hope whoever told you to plead not guilty will be around for you to thank them for you going to jail. Be back here on your trial date.”

A man charged with having his taillight out pled not guilty.

“Why are you pleading not guilty?”

“Because of how the police treated me.”

“If he had got his light fixed, I probably would have dismissed his case.

Now he has to get a lawyer and be back and probably get a fine.”

A woman with no tags pled guilty.

“How long have your tags been out?”

“I don’t know. It wasn’t my car.”

“It was when you drove it.

Whose car was it?”

“A friend of mine.”

“$35 plus court costs.”

A man in the courtroom charged with bogus tags pled guilty. To his charge of no insurance, no seatbelt and no vehicle light he pled no contest.

“Did you have insurance?” “No.”

“Do you have tags now?”

“Yes.”

“$55 plus court costs on the tags. $195 plus court costs on the insurance and I’ll dismiss the vehicle light and the seatbelt.”

A man with illegal window tint and failure to appear pled guilty to both charges.

“Did you take the window tint off?” asked the judge.

“Yes.”

“I would have dismissed it if you had come to court the first time. $100 plus court costs.”

A woman with a hot check charge asked for two weeks to get an attorney.

“She already got two weeks,” said the court clerk.

“How do you pled to hot checks?”

“No contest. I am on a fixed income.”

“Have you paid the check?”

“I am on a fixed income…”

“Change her plea to not guilty and we’ll have a trial.”

A man with a possession charge was asked to sign a waiver. After he did, he was asked, “How do you pled to no insurance?”

“Guilty.”

“No tags?”

“Guilty.”

“Driving on Suspended?”

“Guilty.”

“And possession of marijuana?”

“Guilty.”

“And speeding?”

“Guilty.”

His mother was in the courtroom.

“What are we going to do with him?”

“He just got out of the military.

He was in there for

three years,” said his mother.

“Do you have any insurance?”

“No.”

“You should be embarrassed having your mother here and me having to tell her and everyone else you were arrested with dope.

You had two bags. What does that suggest to me?”

“That I sell dope.”

“$395 plus court costs on the insurance. Speeding $55 plus court costs. No tags, I’ll merge into the insurance. $195 plus court costs and two days house arrest on the driving on suspended. $500 plus court costs and six months probation on the possession. Be back her for a review on

November 28th.”

By the Evening Times News Staff