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Tuesday, November 17, 2009

Ind. Courts - "Apathy ensnarls courts, irks judges: Witnesses appear in slippers, if at all"

Rebecca S. Green had this story in yesterday's Fort Wayne Journal Gazette. Some quotes:

On Nov. 3, Brandon Pierson showed up for court wearing slippers and a leather jacket, scheduled to testify during a trial in Allen Superior Court.

But the next time he shows up, he could be handcuffed and wearing a jailhouse orange jumpsuit.

There's a warrant out for the lanky 31-year-old Fort Wayne man, subpoenaed twice in the case of Derrick Martin – a 29-year-old felon accused of unlawful possession of a firearm and possession of marijuana.

Pierson has run afoul of the courts twice – first by walking out of a scheduled deposition at the Allen County Prosecutor's Office and then again when he did not show up for a rescheduled deposition on Nov. 9. Depositions – recorded interviews of what witnesses intend to say at trial – are important for trial preparation on both sides of a case.

The first time, Pierson received a lecture from Allen Superior Judge Fran Gull – standing before her in his slippers, looking inconvenienced. The second time he was charged with felony obstruction of justice.

Allen County's judges, prosecutors and defense attorneys are fed up with the lackadaisical attitude many seem to have for the criminal justice system. And they've been cracking down in recent weeks, ordering witnesses held for contempt of court or in the case of Pierson and another scheduled witness in the Martin trial, Mario Gray, filing criminal charges.

"This isn't a joke. This is serious business," Gull said. "You have an obligation as a citizen … to participate in the life of the community."

And that is just the beginning of this lengthy and important story.

Posted by Marcia Oddi on November 17, 2009 08:55 AM
Posted to Indiana Courts