Clayton County State Court resolves multiple arraignment and jail-calendar cases; family-violence plea draws restitution and program conditions

Judge Tammy Long Hayward presided over the Clayton County State Court arraignment and jail calendar in May 2025 and accepted guilty or negotiated pleas that resolved a string of cases, producing a mix of short jail terms, suspended sentences, fines, probation and program requirements.

The courtroom disposed of several matters that had been awaiting resolution. The most consequential outcome involved Celeste Victoria Watts, who pleaded guilty under Georgia’s First Offender procedures to a family-violence battery charge. The court imposed 12 months’ supervision with 3 days to serve, credited three days already served, ordered 40 hours of community service, enrollment in a 24-week family violence intervention program, random drug and alcohol testing, no contact with the identified victim and restitution of $100 to Rose’s Discount Store (4851 Jonesboro Road, Forest Park). Prosecutor Miss Ponder told the court the state would nolle prosequi a separate theft count in exchange for Watts’s plea; the victim, Faith Williams, made a victim-impact statement and sought restitution. Judge Hayward warned Watts that…