Judge Joan Hayward opened the Jan. 13 criminal arraignment calendar for Clayton County State Courtroom 304 and worked through a packed docket that included arraignments and the start of the jail calendar. The court permitted private conferences for plea negotiations, appointed counsel where needed and resolved several cases by plea or disposition.

The court accepted a pretrial diversion (PTI) offer pending defendant Kamaria Sheena Artis’s decision; prosecutors asked that Artis be placed on the next available PTI orientation date (March) and the court agreed to provide notice and an April compliance calendar if needed. Mario Cortez Clark and Jevon (Jevon Chesley) Powell were noted as subjects of bench warrants after notices were returned. Where defendants appeared, the court often set aside bench warrants to allow conferences and resolutions.

Multiple defendants entered pleas or had negotiated dispositions. Self‑represented defendant Britney Danielle Waller pleaded no contest to a speeding charge and received 12 months of probation, a $500 fine (total $737.50 with state surcharges) and a defensive driving course approved by the Georgia Department of Driver Services; reckless‑driving counts were dismissed. Marcus Armani Curry pleaded no contest to criminal trespass and received 12 months with seven days to serve (credit for time served) and a suspended balance so long as no new violations occur. Other pleas accepted included Isaiah Eugene Denson, Nathan Leyva and negotiated pleas for several Johnsons; the judge emphasized reporting to probation and clarified how defendants should obtain paperwork and complete conditions.

Before concluding the arraignment calendar, the judge summarized dispositions (Artis: PTI consideration; Clark: bench warrant; Esquivel Orto: plea/set‑aside; Holcomb and others: no pros or negotiated pleas) and transitioned to the jail calendar for cases already in custody.

The court routinely instructed self‑represented defendants and counsel on technical procedures for virtual participation and on probation reporting and the consequences of failing to comply. Next steps for unresolved matters varied by case: some were continued for one to two weeks for further negotiation, others were set for probation orientation or confined time with suspended balances contingent on future compliance.