Winter disrupts docket...again

By Doug Thompson

Two weeks ago, Floyd attorney Rob Spessard told Circuit Judge Ray W. Grubbs his client could not be in court that day because he was “stuck in a ditch” from the winter weather that has savaged the county and region.

Tuesday, Spessard phoned in to say he was snowbound and couldn’t make it to court for his cases before Grubbs in the regular scheduled session of Circuit Court. His client’s case was continued.

Spessard’s absence and other no-shows marked the third time in recent weeks that weather has played havoc with the court schedule. Besides the problem in circuit court two weeks ago, the sentencing of Jeffrey Martin Young, convicted last year in the attack of a young woman in Slaughters’ Supermarket parking lot, was cancelled because the Fairfax County judge hearing the case could not get out of his driveway in Northern Virginia.

Most of the cases on the six-page court docket were continued because defendants hadn’t been served or were absent from court.

On one case that could be heard, Drucella Lynn Crockett entered a “no contest” to a charge of conspiring to illegally distribute a prescription drug.

The case stemmed from a 2008 case where Crockett agreed to sell a single morphine pill to a confidential informant for the New River Valley Drug Task Force.

Grubbs found Crockett guilty of the drug charge but delayed judgment until May 4 after attorney Harrison Schroeder asked for a pre-sentencing report.

In another case, Grubbs continued the under advisement status of Lauren Rebekah Goorskey because of her driving record.

Goorskey was found guilty of drug possession last year but disposition of her case was continued and she was given a chance to complete probation and clear her record if she stayed out trouble.

Grubbs, however, continued her deferred disposition and probation for six more months because she had two traffic offenses – one for speeding and another for making an illegal turn – during the period.

“You’ve done well, but you have poor driving habits,” Grubbs told Goorskey. “If you get another traffic citation, you will be back here.”

The court docket Tuesday included 22 cases against individuals who have no paid court costs from earlier offenses. Many were no shows because they had not been served or did not appear. Those who did appear were ordered to work out payment plans with the Circuit Clerk’s office or face jail time.