Clayton County state court resolves multiple arraignments with plea deals and short jail sentences

Judge Tammy Vaughn Hayward presided over the July 29 arraignment and jail calendar in State Court of Clayton County, accepting a series of pleas and announcing sentences or fines for multiple defendants.

The most immediately resolved case involved Ricardo Alvarez (case 2023CR00188). Prosecutor William Tipton told the court that officers clocked a Dodge Challenger driven by Alvarez at 87 mph in a 65 mph zone and observed lane departures. Tipton said, “If you plead guilty or NOLA today, the speeding will be a fine of $500.” The judge accepted Alvarez’s guilty plea to speeding (count 1) and improper lane change (count 3), ordered counts 2 and 4 null prossed, and imposed a $500 fine with surcharges totaling $737.50 and a $200 fine (total $298) on the lane-change count. The judge also instructed Alvarez on payment options and noted the Department of Driver Services, not the court, assesses license points.

Other resolved matters included: - Brandon Jones Adamson (2021CR06054) entered a Nolo contendere plea to improper lane change. The state recommended a 12-month sentence with two days’ credit for time served; the judge accepted that recommendation and ordered any bench warrants set aside. - Jesse Emmanuel Davis (2022CR07679) pleaded guilty to improper lane change; the state’s offer was a $100 fine (about $151.50 with surcharges) and the judge allowed up to 60 days for payment without placing him on probation. - Jamie Patrick Starace (Starace / Storace) pleaded no contest to a merged speeding offense; the court accepted a plea that included 12 months’ probation and a fine the attorneys described as $700, with the judge noting surcharges could push the total “close to a thousand dollars.” The defendant had completed a defensive-driving course and the judge directed follow-up with probation. - Deandre Smith (2025CR06486) entered no-contest pleas to counts including giving a false name and drug-related objects; the judge accepted the state’s recommendation of a concurrent sentence of 12 months to serve with 24 days credit for time served and the balance suspended. - Vincent Price (2025CR06607) pleaded guilty to simple battery for an incident in an emergency-room waiting area; the court imposed 12 months to serve with 14 days credit for time served and suspended the balance on condition of no contact with the victim.

Several attorneys and court staff assisted in processing pleas, arranging electronic delivery of sentencing sheets and payment instructions, and coordinating bench-warrant recalls when needed. Judge Hayward repeatedly reminded defendants how to obtain police reports and court documents and instructed those not at the courthouse to provide email addresses via the court's chat so staff could send sentencing paperwork.

Why it matters: The arraignment calendar disposed of numerous pending matters and reinforced procedural points — payment timelines, how license points are assessed by the Georgia Department of Driver Services, and the administrative route for police-report and discovery requests — that affect defendants' post-plea obligations and exposure to bench warrants or further enforcement.

The court gave clear directions on follow-up: defendants were told how to get their sentencing sheets and payment instructions from the traffic-court cashier or by email, were warned about potential license points assessed by the Department of Driver Services, and were given timelines for payment or probation options.

Several matters were continued or set for further conference (motions or discovery), including at least one case in which defense counsel said a motion to suppress would be filed and requested a motions calendar because the client lives out of state.