Clayton County court processes arraignments: appointed counsel, fines and nolo pleas recorded

Clayton County State Court ran a lengthy arraignment calendar Aug. 25, 2025, during which judges and counsel handled attorney appointments, negotiated pleas, and routine sentences for traffic, insurance and trespass-related charges.

Why it matters: Arraignments set case trajectories—appointment of counsel, plea choices and payment deadlines determine whether matters proceed to trial, enter diversion, or move toward sentencing.

Highlights and outcomes:

Samuel Cho (Case 2022CR01449). Cho, represented by counsel appointed on the Zoom calendar, entered nolo pleas to the charges of driving without insurance and following too closely. The prosecutor described the factual basis for an accident on April 2, 2022, following too closely and driving without valid insurance. The judge accepted pleas to counts 1 and 2 and ordered fines: $100 (count 1; $151.50 with surcharges) and $200 (count 2); a total of $298 with surcharges. Cho said he would pay within 30 days; the judge instructed him to check emailed sentencing information from the clerk’s office and explained online and in-person payment options. The judge also told Cho, “insurance is important because you never wanna be in a situation where you, have an accident with somebody and you're unable to make things right for them.”

George Carroll (Dotson/Dodson) (speeding). The defendant indicated he would represent himself. The court confirmed he was NOLO (nolo contendere) eligible to avoid license points. The judge explained NOLO use limits and the consequences for license points; the fine was set such that the total with surcharges would be $151.50 (a $100 base fine) and the defendant was given payment instructions.

Rashid Akhil and other arraignment conferences. The court set up breakout-room conferences on Zoom for several defendants whose cases required lawyer–client discussion (Akhil, Bridal, Smith, Thorpe, Turner). Appointments and conferences were organized so counsel could speak privately with jailed or remote defendants and return to the main calendar to finalize pleas or continuances.

Tatanya Deneen Diggs and Jamal Tayun Brown (trespass and related matters). Both entered nolo pleas. Diggs was sentenced to 12 months with 32 days to serve and balance suspended conditioned on not returning to the Stay Inn Suites location identified in the charge. Brown received a suspended sentence with credit for 41 days served and a condition not to return to the incident location (a McDonald’s at Tara Boulevard). The court advised Diggs and Brown about local reentry services and chaplain/community resources for housing and support when released.

Lewinsky Angelo Monestine and others. Monestine entered a nolo plea to a striking-a-fixed-object count; a $300 fine was suspended in credit for time served. Multiple other arraignments were continued, set for negotiated pleas, or had attorneys appointed.

Procedural notes: The clerk and judge repeatedly instructed defendants to add full first/last names in Zoom identifiers and to provide email addresses so sentencing sheets and payment instructions could be sent. Several matters required follow-up: probation intakes (for DUI-related cases), scheduling for community-service and evaluation compliance, and coordination with jail medical staff for medication when defendants are taken into custody.

Sources: Proceedings of the Clayton County State Court arraignment and jail calendar on Aug. 25, 2025.