Clayton County State Court calendar: guilty pleas, probation terms and multiple bench warrants on Feb. 17, 2025

Judge Tammy Long Hayward presided over the State Court of Clayton County calendar call in Courtroom 304 on Feb. 17, 2025, accepting guilty or no-contest pleas in several cases, issuing bench warrants for absent defendants and entering several "no process" (state declines to prosecute) announcements.

The most serious plea came in the case of Ryan Mitchell Cox. The court accepted Cox's guilty pleas to three counts of public indecency related to separate incidents at a Clayton County fast-food restaurant in May 2021. Judge Hayward sentenced Cox to probation consistent with the state's recommendation: 12 months probation on count 1 with a $300 fine and 40 hours of community service; count 2 to run concurrent with count 1; and count 3 to run consecutive, producing a total of 24 months of probation. The judge ordered Cox to stay away from the named victims and instructed him to register with the probation office before leaving the courtroom. "I just can't imagine, being a teenager ... and somebody pulls up and unasked, unwanted, they just pull out their [private parts], and show you stuff that they didn't ask for, that's an assault," Hayward said during the hearing.

In a separate, high-profile traffic-and-impairment case, the court accepted a guilty plea from Roderick Thornton to DUI and related counts stemming from an August 2021 incident. Hayward sentenced Thornton on count 1 to 12 months, with 48 hours to serve (credited as time served), balance probated; a $500 fine (surcharges to apply); 40 hours of community service; a substance-abuse evaluation and any recommended treatment; enrollment in a Department of Driver Services-approved driver improvement course; and random alcohol/drug screening while on probation. Counts that were fines-only were suspended and ordered to run concurrent with the probation term.

Kimberly Michelle Edwards entered a no-contest plea to an improper lane-change charge (count 1); the court accepted the plea, entered a no-prosecution on count 2 (open container), and fined Edwards $100 (approximately $151.50 with surcharges). The court instructed Edwards to send her email address to the clerk and pay within 30 days.

The court also accepted a plea from Dulce (Salina) Puentes (transcript spelling clarified in court) on a no-license charge and suspended the red-light count; the judge set the fine at $500 (about $737.50 with surcharges) and directed the clerk to process a bench-warrant recall immediately once the paperwork was prepared.

Several cases were announced "ready" (defense or state indicated readiness for trial) and will receive trial notices; the court repeatedly emphasized that trials must be in-person. Among those who announced ready subject to outstanding discovery were Demitrius (Dimitri) Harris, Anthony Hicks, Keonte (Keate) Hatcher, and others. In multiple matters the defense or state requested and used Zoom breakout rooms to consult privately with counsel.

Bench warrants were granted for multiple defendants who did not appear: Alicia Brooke Dearman (bench warrant times two), Christopher Duane Gray (bench warrant), and Jermaine Bernard Foster (bench warrant). Some bench warrants from earlier in the calendar were later recalled when defendants logged on or appeared (for example, Cassandra Marshall logged on after a warrant had been requested and the court noted her case would proceed with motions and possible scheduling for a motions hearing). One defendant, Nasir Ismail Dawson, was noted to be in custody in Henry County; the court granted a bench warrant to notify Henry County for transfer upon release.

The court entered several "no process" / nolle prosequi announcements in which the state declined to pursue prosecution for now but retained the right to refile within a statutory period. For example, the court announced a "no process" with a six-month refile window in one matter and earlier in the calendar the state declined to prosecute the case of Anthony Cordell Chapman and released him.

Administrative instructions given from the bench included routine directions about payments, probation sign-up (probation enrollments were handled via an in-court probation office, with Ms. James assigned as the probation contact), and a reminder that driver improvement courses must be those approved by the Georgia Department of Driver Services. The judge also instructed defendants that failure to appear or to report for probation risks rearrest.

Several attorneys and the clerk used Zoom chat and breakout rooms for private conferences; the judge paused the calendar at times to complete the 10 a.m. docket before starting the 11 a.m. docket. The court recessed after completing the 11 a.m. calendar and announced the 1 p.m. calendar would start on time.

Ending

The hearing covered dozens of individual criminal-court calendar items in Courtroom 304 over a roughly two-hour session. Multiple pleas and sentencing orders were entered, bench warrants were both issued and recalled depending on later appearances, and numerous defendants announced ready for trial subject to discovery. The court scheduled or confirmed several trial and plea dates and directed defendants to coordinate closely with counsel and the probation office for compliance and follow-up.