Judge Fred Thorne bringing back ‘Second Chance’ days to district court

Judge Fred Thorne bringing back ‘Second Chance’ days to district court

Individuals with outstanding warrants can get cases cleared and save on court costs

news@theeveningtimes.com

It’s not exactly a “Get Out of Jail Free” card, but it’s still a great opportunity for those with some lingering legal troubles to get their situations on the right side of the law.

Residents of Crittenden County with outstanding court warrants will have a second chance to turn themselves in without getting arrested. District Judge Fred Thorne will be offering another round of their Second Chance Program where residents can come in and get a court date to get their legal matters disposed of without fear of getting arrested.

With potentially hundreds of folks with warrants hanging over their heads for their failure to appear charges or misdemeanors or traffic offenses, Judge Thorne has scheduled the next series of “Second Chance” days for those that have outstanding warrants to come in and take an important first step to getting their names cleared.

For West Memphis District Court, the dates are: Thursday, Aug. 30, Thursday, Sept. 13, Thursday, Sept. 27, Thursday, Oct. 11, and Thursday, Oct. 25, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

For Marion District Court, the dates are: Tuesday, Aug. 28, Tuesday, Sept. 11, Tuesday, Sept. 25, Tuesday, Oct. 9, and Tuesday, Oct. 23, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

The judge stopped short of calling it an “amnesty day,” because fines for no contest or guilty pleas will be handed out. The benefit comes in that the failure to appear charges will be set aside and the original matter settled straight away.

Those with suspended licenses and who pay the fines can get their driving privileges restored by the end of the day, according to the judge.

“If they want to dispose of their case that day, plead guilty or no contest, then we won’t charge them with any court cost, fine or jail time on their warrant,” said Thorne. “They’ll pay a $50 warrant fee and then whatever we come up with on the fines. If they pay it all on that day then we will release them to go get their license. They will have to pay their reinstatement fee.

If they are on a time payment plan and pay for three months, I’ll release their license then. This gives them a chance to get their license back and not worry about getting stopped on the highway and going to jail.

No more worries about $640 costs and six month in jail getting caught on a warrant. They can come in, take this second chance, and dispose of there case that day.”

It’s a three-step process Step One: Appear on any of the designated days and turn yourself in Step Two: You will receive a citation to return to court on the designated day.

Step Three: Go to court to have your case adjudicated and make arrangements to settle any fines or fees.

Judge Thorne introduced the Second Chance Program after seeing the success other judges had with the idea.

“Jonesboro District Court has a similar program and I called the judge from there for details,” said Thorne.

The first second chance initiative was last October and was a success. A second round this past February was equally well-received. Local law enforcement agencies touted the program to the public.

“We did this last year and it was a great success,” said Sheriff Mike Allen. “Judge Thorne gave a second chance to almost a hundred people that had suspended licenses because of traffic tickets or warrants. Get this matter taken care of and avoid jail.”

“This program is designed to help you get your life back on track and stop looking over your shoulder for the police,” said Marion Police Detective Lt. Freddy Williams. “If you have outstanding warrants for not coming to court, Failure to Appear or Failing to Pay Your Fines, ‘Come On Down’ and receive a citation to appear. It's that simple.”

By Ralph Hardin