Judge Hayward grants multiple red-light and school-bus appeals, sets 90-day payment windows for others

(Note: the article below is the final revised version after auditing for accuracy and attributions.)

Judge Tammy Long Hayward heard the civil red-light and school-bus calendar April 28, 2025, in Clayton County State Court, Courtroom 304. She opened by explaining the statutory penalty for improperly passing a stopped school bus and the practical rule the court will apply: when there is a physical, nontraversable median separating opposing traffic, drivers on the opposite side need not stop; otherwise drivers must stop. "It is a thousand dollar fine if you are found to have passed improperly passed a school bus," Hayward said; she added that the court cannot change that figure because "it is in the law." (The transcript did not specify the precise statutory citation.)

The state and defense attorneys paired up for individual hearings and pre-hearing conferences. Where video evidence or affidavits showed drivers could not reasonably have stopped, Hayward granted appeals; where no affidavit or appearance was filed, the court denied them.

Notable outcomes recorded on the record: - Appeals granted after review or hearing: Rachel Clark (appeal granted after review of affidavit), Stivette Dukes (appeal granted), Daphne Felicia Mitchell (appeal granted), Jessica Farnon (hearing and video review resulted in appeal granted), Deonte LaShawn Williams (90-day payment ordered but appeal status addressed), and several others who either had hearings or had appeals granted after technical review (including Kaitrian Broughton, Sierra Janae Lockhart and others whose technical issues were cited). - Appeals denied for failure to appear or for lack of required affidavit: Desmond Cortez (no affidavit; appeal denied), Bish Pham Du (no affidavit; denied), Denasia Kamiyah Morris (appeal denied for failure to appear), among others. - For defendants who accepted liability or for whom the court did not grant an appeal, Hayward set a 90-day payment period rather than longer payment plans: the judge repeatedly told those who "will pay" that the court would give 90 days to complete payment. Named defendants assigned 90 days to pay included Marie Olivia Bass, Ronnie Lee Billingsley, Ralph Andre Dortch, Linda Ann Evans, Laura Janine Ingram, Janae Rashaan Lawrence, Asia Nicole Pates, Shindrika Thompson, Latoya Salise Turner, Paula Renee Tyler and Deonte LaShawn Williams.

In individual hearings the judge also examined video timing and roadway geometry. In one video reviewed for Jessica Farnon the judge determined the driver was traveling at or near the speed limit and the bus's stop-arm and lights left too little distance/time to safely stop; Hayward granted Farnon's appeal on that record, noting the short time between the arm’s deployment and the car’s passage. In multiple hearings the judge said she was mindful of drivers traveling with the flow of traffic and sometimes encountering buses that were slowing or preparing to stop without discharging children; she signaled that close timing and the presence of medians could determine outcomes.

The court also addressed logistics: defendants given 90 days were instructed to provide an email for the clerk so they could receive the court order; several defendants provided email addresses to court staff. The state asked the court to grant certain appeals where technical problems (Zoom or video issues) made remote review unreliable; the judge granted several appeals on that basis.

Ending

The court granted and denied appeals based on the affidavits and video evidence presented and set 90-day payment orders for defendants who accepted liability. The judge reminded drivers to be attentive to school buses and to the presence of medians that may modify stopping obligations; she also reminded defendants that failure to pay after the 90-day window could trigger administrative consequences such as license holds or tax-refund actions through state agencies.