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Clayton County State Court traffic bench: pleas, continuances and a not-guilty ruling
Summary
Judge Hayward and court staff processed a busy traffic bench calendar Feb. 19 that included multiple no-contest pleas, continuances and a not-guilty finding in a stop-sign case; several defendants were excused as cases were no-prossed.
The Clayton County State Court’s 10 a.m. traffic bench calendar on Feb. 19 moved through a long list of citations and appearances, producing pleas, continuances and administrative dispositions.
Major items and outcomes: several defendants entered pleas of nolo contendere (no contest) or guilty, typically with suspended fines or 30 days to pay; the court set a restitution hearing for one case; one defendant received a not-guilty verdict after the state presented an officer witness but the judge found the officer’s testimony lacked an articulable basis for the stop; and multiple citations were no-prossed (the state electing not to prosecute).
Highlights from the calendar: - Two citations for Austin Coleman (2023TK178989 and 2023TK17990): Coleman entered no-contest pleas; the judge accepted the pleas and set a restitution hearing for March 17 (10 a.m.) to resolve claims by multiple claimants; fines of $100 on each ticket were suspended pending restitution proceedings. - Sabrianna (Sabre) Cotton: counsel requested and received a four-month continuance because of pending civil litigation related to the incident; the court ordered counsel to file the formal continuance request. - Tobias Davis (2023TK16108): after the state presented officer testimony about a stop-sign violation, the court directed a verdict of not guilty, finding the officer had not established sufficient articulable facts supporting the stop. - Several cases were no-prossed (not prosecuted) and defendants were excused, including Roxanne Larkins (three cases), Shakia Jordan, and others. - Multiple routine fines were imposed in the $100–$200 range (traffic speeding reductions); the court routinely granted 30 days to pay and provided email notification of sentencing/instruction sheets.
Several routine administrative notes: the court used Zoom breakout rooms for pretrial discussions with prosecutors and attorney representatives; clerks and deputy marshals coordinated email collection for sentencing sheets and notification to defendants.
The judge repeatedly reminded defendants to provide their full first and last names on Zoom roll calls to speed processing and avoid bench warrants. The calendar continued into the 11 a.m. docket after attorneys completed pretrial business.
