252nd District Court processes guilty pleas and probation matters; judge sentences one defendant to 25 years

A session of the 252nd District Court in Jefferson County on the docket heard dozens of pleas, sentencing arguments and probation‑revocation motions. The court accepted multiple guilty pleas, ordered probation and programming in several matters, reduced a previously set $500,000 bond to $100,000 for one young defendant with strict house‑arrest and GPS conditions, and sentenced Hayden Fontenet to 25 years in the institutional division for aggravated robbery.

The most significant ruling came in the Fontenet case, where the state played surveillance video and asked for a custodial sentence. The court said the video and other materials showed the defendant participated in a robbery that terrorized a store employee, and imposed a 25‑year prison term with an affirmative deadly‑weapon finding. The judge told Fontenet: “I’m gonna send you to a term of 25 years in the institutional division,” emphasizing public‑safety concerns and referencing the court’s authority to protect the community.

The court also finalized a…