Judge Hayward accepts multiple pleas, orders treatment and probation in Clayton County State Court

Judge Tammy Long Hayward presided over the April 14, 2026 arraignment and jail calendars in Courtroom 304 of the Clayton County State Court, accepting pleas and disposing of a range of cases from traffic violations to probation revocations. The court ordered fines, community-service conditions and, in one case, inpatient mental-health treatment.

The session opened with routine arraignment business and multiple bench-warrant bond-forfeiture grants for absent defendants. On the arraignment calendar the judge accepted negotiated pleas including Dejanesha ("Denasia") Johnson (case 2023CR02935), in which Count 1 (possession of 1 ounce or less of marijuana) was nol-prossed and Count 2 (obstruction of an officer) was resolved by a nolo plea; the court set the fine and surcharges and gave Johnson 60 days to pay after she provides contact information to the clerk. The judge reminded defendants that failing to pay could move a matter to the suspended-sentence calendar and trigger arrest warrants.

The judge also accepted a negotiated plea from Riley Nordick on traffic counts (case 2024CR09814): a nolo plea to the speeding count with two other counts nol-prossed, a $100 fine plus surcharges, and a payment deadline set by the court with instructions to provide contact information to the deputy clerk for payment instructions.

Several defendants appeared by video and were assigned appointed counsel or placed in breakout conferences so defense attorneys and the state could finalize negotiated dispositions. Crystal Lachelle Arnold (2023CR03371) entered a nolo plea; the court imposed a 12-month sentence with 1 day to serve and suspended balance with conditions, and the judge directed probation intake staff to enroll Arnold and explain reporting requirements.

On the jail calendar the court addressed pleas and revocations. The court revoked probation for Antoine Brandon Graham (2022CR01071) and imposed 90 days’ revocation based on documented probation violations; defense counsel noted completed community-service hours that remained to be filed with probation. Jerry Alexander Hixson (2026CR04394) entered a nolo plea to a battery-related charge; the judge ordered a custodial component (12 months with 10 days to serve, credit for time served), a pecuniary penalty with surcharges and a period in which Hixson must pay or report to probation.

The court also accepted pleas with treatment conditions. Reginald Johnson’s matter (2024CR05670 and related case numbers) was resolved with nolo pleas and a global disposition that included an order for inpatient treatment at Riverwood Behavioral Health Center; the judge required the defense and state to supply transport and contact details so the sheriff’s office could effect the transfer on April 17.

Judge Hayward emphasized compliance and community-safety obligations throughout the session, repeatedly warning defendants about bond conditions, probation reporting and the consequences of failing to pay fines. "If you go there to save a life, it will be a violation of your bond conditions," she told one defendant while explaining the strict terms of bond and the need to get bond-condition copies from the clerk.

What happened next: most defendants who entered pleas were directed to meet with the court’s probation intake or assigned attorneys for post-plea processing; several cases were continued or reset where the state or defense asked for additional time to file transport orders or complete paperwork. The court moved to the suspended-sentence or further calendaring only where necessary; otherwise defendants were discharged under the terms set on the record.

Courtroom logistics: multiple participants experienced technical problems with remote breakout rooms; the judge and court staff repeatedly instructed remote defendants how to use the Zoom chat and directed them to send contact information to the deputy clerk so the clerk’s office can email payment and probation instructions.