Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Case Scheduling Plea Rejections topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Several defendants reject plea offers; court moves cases to trial docket
Summary
At the docket call multiple defendants recorded formal rejections of plea offers and had their cases placed on the trial docket; the presiding judge warned she would not accept previously offered plea terms after today unless new, material evidence appeared.
Multiple defendants in the 252nd District Court rejected plea offers during a crowded criminal docket and had their matters set for the trial calendar.
Among the defendants who formally rejected offers were Lenny Laday, who declined a 20-year offer and asked for trial, and LeCaven Jenkins, who rejected concurrent offers (10 years and 5 years) and had both cases set for trial. Chase Breaux signed a plea-bargain rejection after the district attorney’s office offered 21 months in state jail. Earlier in the morning, Romeo Johnson and Lawrence Marks both declined plea proposals and had their cases scheduled for trial.
The Presiding Judge repeatedly warned the assembled defendants that she would not accept the previously discussed plea agreements after today unless counsel produced new evidence that materially altered the offers. As the judge put it in one hearing, the plea offer would be “off the table” after today unless attorneys obtained new information that could change the prosecutor’s recommendation.
Why it matters: Formal plea rejections shift these matters from negotiated disposition toward contested trials, increasing scheduling demands on the court and preparation burdens for prosecutors, defense counsel and witnesses.
What’s next: Each defendant was set for placement on the trial docket; defense and prosecution counsel were instructed to exchange discovery and prepare for trial dates.
