The 10:00 a.m. traffic calendar in Clayton County State Court on Thursday was disrupted repeatedly as several arresting officers reported conflicts, training sessions or were otherwise unavailable, leading prosecutors to request resets, no-pros (nolle prosequi) and failures-to-appear across the docket.

Judge Tammy Long Hayward presided over a calendar that included arraignments, bench trials and plea offers. Throughout the morning the prosecutor, identified in the transcript as Mr. Tipton, repeatedly sounded for officers and informed the court when officers were on military leave, in training, making arrests, or unable to attend. For example, officers Arnold and Chavez were on leave; Officer Billingsley reported he was in training and asked to be scheduled as late in the calendar as possible.

Those absences produced many administrative case outcomes: the record shows multiple no-pros and failure-to-appear notations, several plea resolutions where defendants accepted suspended fines, and multiple resets because the state could not confirm officer availability. The judge reviewed the dispositions near the end of the calendar and listed which matters were closed, reset, no-pros or pleas.

Judge Hayward asked participants with iPhones to rename their Zoom tiles with full first and last names so the court could identify who was present. The judge also repeatedly instructed defendants on their rights during arraignment and trial opportunities, and emphasized that defendants who wished counsel should request arraignment so appointed counsel could be considered.

Several defendants resolved their cases via NOLO pleas or guilty pleas with suspended fines where driving histories supported that resolution; others were given trial dates or had cases reset because the officer could not appear. Multiple defendants were excused or released after the state moved to nolle prosequi on their cases.

The transcript shows the judge urged better coordination and noted the calendar took longer than usual because of the repeated officer conflicts; she directed clerks and prosecutors to provide notices for reset dates and sentencing paperwork to defendants as needed.