Clayton County State Court accepts multiple pleas; short jail terms, probation and no-contact orders imposed

Clayton County State Court Judge Tammy Long Hayward on July 8 accepted plea agreements and imposed sentences in a number of jail-calendar matters, including custodial days, probated time and special conditions such as no-contact orders, anger-management classes and community service.

Christopher Eugene Wilcox pleaded no contest to criminal trespass and was sentenced to 12 months with 27 days to serve, credit for time already served; the balance was suspended on condition of no new offenses. Judge Hayward urged Wilcox to keep steady employment and noted his work as a diesel technician during sentencing.

Antonio Marquis Jenkins pleaded guilty to battery and criminal trespass. The court imposed a 12-month sentence with 30 days to serve, the balance to be probated. Jenkins was ordered to complete anger-management treatment and 200 hours of community service; probation would convert to nonreporting after successful completion of conditions and the state agreed to suspend fines in exchange for the community-service requirement.

Kareem Ali Manuel entered a guilty plea under the First Offender Act for possessing a handgun at Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport. The court placed Manuel on 12 months’ probation, imposed a $300 fine (with surcharges noted), required a weapon-safety course, forfeiture of the described firearm, and 40 hours of community service; probation supervision fees were waived and the court indicated the first-offender probation would become nonreporting upon completion of special conditions.

Antoine Brown resolved two cases by plea: an affray matter and a family-violence battery. Brown was sentenced to 12 months with 102 days credited as time served; the balance was suspended conditioned on no contact with the named victim. Judge Hayward warned Brown that violating a no-contact order can lead to additional charges including aggravated stalking.

Other resolutions included guilty or no-contest pleas and short terms in cases involving public indecency, disorderly conduct and criminal trespass. For example, Calvin Leon Smith pleaded guilty to criminal trespass and public indecency and received 12 months with 33 days to serve, credit for time served, balance suspended with a condition of no violent or harassing contact with the victim; Jeremy Souder (pedestrian in roadway) received 12 months with 15 days to serve, balance suspended; Dondrich Pounds entered a no-contest plea and received 12 months with 15 days to serve, credit for time served, balance probated.

The court routinely credited time served where defendants had been in custody and noted multiple defendants would be required to complete probation conditions such as substance evaluation, anger-management classes, community service and no-contact provisions before suspended balances would remain inactive.