Busy day in Judge Thorne’s courtroom

District Court Report West Memphis District Court was a busy place this past Monday morning, with a docket consisting of 12 felonies and 24 misdemeanors. Local police departments were busy during the weekend, especially at Southland Casino Racing.

Judge Fred Thorne was back on the bench, and spent time between the cases offering lectures and continuing his position on being “Old School.”

The first man up was in on a drug charge. He told the judge that he “was” employed at Steve’s Auto Body Shop.

“Where are you now?”

asked the judge.

“In jail,” he answered, drawing laughter from the gallery.

For some, Southland is considered a lucky spot, but for those who were in the courtroom on Monday morning, it was an unlucky trip over the weekend, with a half-dozen folks who went from Southland directly to jail. Drug possession, disorderly conduct, and trespassing were among the charges. Most of them were offered help by Judge Thorne through Harbor House or the Justice Network. An 18-year-old was in jail and his mother was not present in the courtroom.

“Your mother is tired of you,” the judge told him, and he agreed.

He asked to get out so he could go to school. The judge agreed to let him out at 7 a.m. the next morning for school.

“Thank you, Judge Thorne,” said the teen.

Another man was booked on a public intoxication charge after his wife drove him to the police station for “acting crazy.”

The judge asked if he had been “drinking Blue Top.”

“No, sir… Jack Daniels,” the man replied.

Judge Thorne told him he was going to give him a big fine “since he was drinking an expensive drink.”

Once again, the audience chuckled, and so did the man.

Several people were late for court. This led to the judge giving another speech about being punctual.

One young man was charged with a traffic violation. He was fined $45 plus costs or six hours of community service. The judge asked his mother which one she preferred. She asked her son, but Judge Thorne told her it was her decision to make.

He decided to pay the fine, and the mother said it was his money. They went to pay and ended back up in the courtroom with another ticket.

The judge saw him and said, “I bet you’ll do community service next time.

To the animal shelter he goes!”

Another young man was charged with no driver’s license. The judge gave him until Nov. 7 to get his permit or it was five days in jail.

His mother said, “I bet he will get that book and study now.”

The judge was lenient with a few speeding tickets, as well as no insurance tickets for those who had their proof with them.

One young lady had a no insurance charge. She said her “baby daddy” offered to pay it in lieu of paying child support.

Judge Thorne said, “Here we go again! $175 and costs. You can’t trust these men.”

One young man had used Dad’s car to celebrate his birthday, but the car had no insurance.

“My daddy wouldn’t let me have a car to drive around in with no tags or insurance,” the judge said.

He should have given you a ‘Happy Birthday’ along with a donut with a candle on top.”

The judge and the crowd had a good laugh before handing out a $300 fine plus court costs.