Stewart County Circuit Court approves recovery-court placement, several pleas and docket settings

Stewart County Circuit Court Tuesday moved through a busy docket of arraignments, pleas and scheduling matters, with Judge David D. Wolfe approving a probation revocation that included placement into the 23rd Judicial Drug (Recovery) Court and imposing sentences and conditions in several other criminal cases.

At the hearing, the court found Priscilla Ann Brooks in violation of probation for an auto-burglary sentence from June 14, 2025, revoked her probation and signed an order permitting Brooks to enter and complete the 23rd Judicial Drug Court. Defense counsel and the state told the court Brooks would admit the violation and participate in drug-court programming; Judge Wolfe said, "Good luck to you. It's a good program. I hope you can stick with it and be successful in it." The court approved the recovery-court entry order and withheld immediate service of a longer jail sentence so Brooks could begin the program.

The court also retired the case of Melvin Eugene Childers to the retired docket for one year because of noted medical complications; the judge explained the case will remain on hold and, if Childers stays out of new trouble during that period, the state will dismiss the charge at the end of the term.

Other outcomes included: - Steven Lance was arraigned on an aggravated domestic-assault indictment; a public defender was appointed and a not-guilty plea was entered. A status date was set for July 20. - Robert Lance Parker sought early expungement and termination of probation fees. The judge declined to grant an early expungement before the statutory sentence expiration but granted termination of remaining probation fees and allowed Parker to serve the last two months on unsupervised probation. Parker and the court discussed restitution figures (the transcript records both $14,713 and $15,322.49). - Shawn Tidwell entered a plea of no contest to a first-offense DUI; the court sentenced him to 11 months and 29 days in county jail, suspended to supervised probation after a mandatory 48-hour period (credit for time served). The order includes an ignition-interlock requirement, a restricted license and a $350 fine plus court costs; the judge directed reporting within 30 days for completion of the short incarceration period at the DUI center. - Patricia Jane White pleaded no contest to an amended charge of simple possession (her original count for introducing contraband into a penal facility was reduced). The court imposed an 11-month-and-29-day sentence suspended to probation, a $750 fine and required completion of an alcohol- and drug-assessment with any recommended treatment.

The court also arraigned Alec Outlaw on multiple indictments (aggravated burglary and related counts); he waived a full reading and entered a not-guilty plea. The court set attorney-status and trial-preparation dates across multiple matters (notably May 26 for attorney status and July 20 or August trial windows for readiness depending on the case). Counsel and the clerk were directed to supply copies of out-of-county orders and facility information in a pending request for a psychiatric furlough for Joshua Josiah Terrance Nixon before the circuit court will act on that furlough request.

The session concluded with the court taking a short recess before lengthy motion hearings tied to cases set for trial. Several second calls and motion hearings were scheduled or deferred pending exchange of written orders and clerk-filed records.

Next steps: defendants with status dates must return on the dates set; the court directed counsel to provide the clerk and the courtroom copies of orders from other courts or facility documentation before the judge will rule on the Nixon furlough request.