First ever Bonnaroo docket day brings 277 cases to court
MANCHESTER, Tenn. — There isn't much Bailiff Ricky Davis hasn't seen inside the Coffee County Justice Center over the past two decades but Friday marked a first for the veteran keeper of the courts.
Two judges, two courtrooms, one 43-page docket and one day set aside to hear 277 criminal cases belonging to a group of people with one thing in common: The 15th annual Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival.
Defendants from all over the country cited on drug-related charges during the four-day music festival held June 9-12 in Manchester appeared in a Middle Tennessee courtroom Friday for a first-appearance on their respective cases, marking the first time ever that every single Bonnaroo-related citation case handled in the state's 14th Judicial District was jammed into one day.
"In previous years, they spread the cases out and mixed them into other daily dockets during the mid-summer months," Davis said. "But not this year. It's Bonnaroo day here today. A bit of a tryout I suppose."
Before court began at 9 a.m. Friday, scores of vehicles with out-of-state license plates poured into the parking lot of the Justice Center just off Hillsboro Boulevard in the small city of Manchester located about an hour south of Nashville.
Twenty-one year old Sion Smith, who received a felony citation for possession of a controlled substance, said he took a day off work and drove in on Thursday from North Carolina to take a plea deal in his case.
"My boss was way more mad about it than me," said Smith, who stood beside his mother, who made the drive in with her son. "The officer told me verbally the whole process would be the equivalent of a parking ticket, but it turned out much different. You don't have to drive across the country (and get a hotel room) to pay for a parking ticket."
As court began inside the Justice Center the group of defendants were divided into two groups: Those with pre-arranged negotiated plea deals and those without them.
Seventy defendants with pre-arranged deals were sent to a second-floor courtroom before General Sessions Judge Timothy Brock where their respective cases quickly wrapped up by the end of the morning.
The remainder of the defendants (all 207) had their cases heard in a first-floor courtroom.
"Line 'em up," Davis exclaimed in the bottom-level courtroom as a dozen defendants scurried to the front of the courtroom with their respective attorneys in tow. Behind them in the courtroom gallery, more than a hundred defendants sporting attire including khaki pants and button-down shirts, suits and dresses sat waiting their turn before the judge.
A majority of the people in the group who stood before General Sessions Judge Jere Ledsinger pleaded guilty to one count of simple possession and were placed on pre-trial diversion for one year.
As part of their plea approved by newly elected Coffee County District Attorney General Craig Northcott, some also agreed to participate in community service, pay court costs and make a donation of, in some cases, thousands of dollars to the Coffee County Sheriff's Office Narcotics Enforcement Team (NET).
At one point, the judge made it clear he personally wasn't asking defendants to donate to the NET fund.
Coffee County Sheriff's Office spokesman Lucky Knott said the money is used to buy patrol cars so taxpayers don't have to foot the bill, for undercover narcotic operations and for other things including deputy drug-school training,
Bonnaroo Festival 2016 | The Tennessean
By mid-morning more than a half-dozen defendants — most of them who Northcott said were from out of state — had not appeared for their court hearing.
Northcott and other court personnel said warrants would be issued for all those who failed to appear, meaning when and if they're arrested, they'll be jailed without bond and forced to appear before a judge.
Even though he had to drive nearly six hours to get to Middle Tennessee, 21-year-old Alex King said he knew how important it was to show up Friday.
"A friend of mine told me I should go to California and just wait it out," said King, who lives in Dayton, Ohio. "But I knew better."
In court several defendants expressed ongoing confusion about how they were supposed to deal with their citations before appearing in court.
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Nashville-based defense attorney Amanda Gentry said her client, who pleaded guilty to a lesser included charge of simple possession, was told by law enforcement in June that she would receive an email from a specific email address that would tell her her fine amount, and that if it was paid before Friday's court date she would not have to appear in court.
"My client never got an email from them and when she tried to email that account, the email bounced back," Gentry said.
At the end of the day Friday, a court clerk said about 60 percent of the cases on the docket were heard.
The rest, which included anyone whose case wasn't heard, those who pleaded not guilty to their charges or those whose asked for more time to hire an attorney for their case, were rescheduled to early September.
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Stewart Easton, who drove in for his hearing from Hilton Head, S.C., on Thursday, said he planned to plead not guilty to the possession of marijuana charge deputies slapped him with on the festival's first day.
"I'm going to fight this with all I've got," he said as court wrapped up Friday.
In all, the jammed-packed "Bonnaroo docket" day drew mixed reaction from both clients as well as their attorneys — some who said they wished the day would have been split into two in an effort to not waste people's time.
Although Attorney Lisa A. Tomlinson with MacPherson & Youmans, based in Lebanon, said she was frustrated with the fact people were donating to the NET fund, she said she thought the day went well.
"Despite the number of people here today," Tomlinson said, 'I'd say it's run as smoothly as possible."
Reach Natalie Neysa Alund at 615-259-8072. Follow her on Twitter @nataliealund.