Judge Hayward accepts multiple DUI pleas, imposes fines, probation and treatment requirements

Judge Hayward on Tuesday accepted guilty or no-contest pleas in multiple DUI and related cases in Clayton County State Court, imposing a mix of credit-for-time-served jail terms, probation, fines and court-ordered treatment and monitoring.

The cases combined routine plea paperwork with pointed remarks from the bench about the risks of impaired driving. In each sentencing, the judge stressed that failure to report to probation or to complete ordered conditions was the fastest path back to jail.

Martinez Hall (case 2022CR01872) pleaded guilty to driving under the influence and to a separate misdemeanor traffic offense; the court accepted a negotiated recommendation that included credit for time served, 12 months on probation, a $300 fine (the judge warned surcharges would push the total higher), 40 hours of community service, a substance-abuse evaluation, enrollment in a risk-reduction program and random testing. Prosecutors said Hall’s blood test returned a BAC of 0.215; officers had also reported an improper lane change and on-scene signs of impairment.

Caberella Celeste Penix (case 2022CR02017) pleaded guilty to DUI per se. The state said Penix’s blood alcohol concentration was 0.219 following an October 2021 crash; the court accepted a sentence of 12 months with 1 day to serve (credit for time served), probation with a $300 fine (the judge noted surcharges typically raise that amount substantially), a substance-abuse evaluation, random testing, a risk-reduction course and 40 hours of community service.

Sharon Ann Walton (2022CR02271) pleaded guilty to DUI and to an improper-backing count after officers reported her BAC at 0.162 and three children in the vehicle not secured in child restraints. The court imposed 12 months with 24 hours to serve (credit for time served), probation, a $500 fine (the judge warned surcharges would push the total toward a larger amount), 80 hours of community service, substance-abuse evaluation and any recommended treatment, random testing, a risk-reduction course and an ordered parenting course because children were present in the vehicle. Walton told the court she had custody responsibilities for grandchildren and acknowledged the mistake; the judge urged her to work with probation officers and counselors.

Tony Lee Willis (case 2023CR00213) pleaded guilty to DUI. Prosecutors said officers smelled alcohol, saw glassy eyes and unsteady balance, and that Willis told them he had been at a party; he refused a blood test. The court accepted a negotiated sentence of 12 months with one day to serve (credit for time served), probation, a $500 fine (noting surcharges), a substance-abuse evaluation and any ordered treatment, 40 hours of community service and a risk-reduction course.

Patrick Lamont Moss (case 2022CR03474) agreed to a negotiated outcome in which DUI-related counts were dismissed or amended and he pleaded guilty to reckless driving. The court imposed 12 months with two days to serve (credit for time served), probation, a $300 fine, a substance-abuse evaluation and any treatment ordered, random testing, a risk-reduction course and 40 hours of community service.

Jasmine Imani Wilson (case 03268) pleaded guilty to DUI and to one open-container count; her blood draw showed a BAC of 0.103. The court sentenced her to 12 months with 48 hours to serve (credit for time served), probation, a $300 fine (surcharges aside), 40 hours of community service, a substance-abuse evaluation and random screens; the $200 open-container fine was suspended under the negotiated terms.

Other cases addressed ranged from no-prosecute (“no pross”) dispositions to bench warrants for absent defendants. The court repeatedly instructed defendants to report to probation immediately after leaving the courtroom and to contact probation officers about difficulties complying with special conditions; the judge said probation officers typically help defendants avoid violations that would otherwise return them to custody.

Throughout the hearing prosecutors provided factual bases for the pleas (officer observations, crash reports and blood-alcohol results) and attorneys for defendants confirmed negotiated terms. The court clerk’s office will email sentencing sheets and payment instructions; the judge reminded defendants that fines typically include mandatory surcharges that substantially increase the nominal fine and that unpaid amounts can lead to arrest warrants.

The session also included multiple non-DUI dispositions and procedural items (bench-warrant orders, setting of future plea or motion dates and referrals to diversion or DUI-court processes), but the most substantive, front-loaded outcomes were the DUI pleas and their attendant sentences and conditions.