Commonwealth vs. Deborah Hinds
This is a follow up to this incorrectly named post. Also see police report #060330631
I come home yesterday and open the mail to discover that I need to be in court this morning with the warning “Failure to appear pursuant to this summons could result in a Capias for your arrest.”. Nice. Very nice. Less then 24 hours warning that you can arrest me. Glad I opened my mail.
The post mark on the envelope was for April 14th, a Saturday. If the US Post Office observed Patriots Day I wouldn’t have gotten the letter in time.
I am instructed to appear at 8:30 am at Roxbury District Court. I arrive at 8:15, it is raining, and the doors to the building don’t open until 8:30 am. There is no where to stand out of the rain, so I go home.
I arrive back at 8:30am only to learn that no cell phones are allowed in the building. NO CELLS PHONES!? There was no mention of this “no cell phone” policy on the summons. Every other person is being turned away by the guards because they have a cell phone. The rules appear to have a little flexibility, as I am a witness, not one of those people who are innocent until proven guilty.
I go up to the DAs office and meet the Victim (and Witness) Advocate. This looks like a job which they can only fill with interns, the kid is very nice. (Anyone 20 years or younger than me is a “kid”.) I tell him that I am not interested in making a victim (or witness) impact statement and go down to the court room to watch justice in action.
Today justice has the name of Shaunna Jammal, who is the Assistant District Attorney (since I don’t remember the name of the judge). Deborah Hinds is there with her attorney – who is Shaunna’s brother. Now, how weird is that? Deborah was charged with a bunch of things, the ones I caught were: operating under the influence, serious injury (this one got dropped), failure to stop, failure to stay to the right, reckless endangerment, and others. I could have gotten all of those charges incorrect, as it is all new to me and I write slowly.
In addition to me, the witness, there are two victims. Both of them had their cars totaled. One car was parked on the inbound side of Warren, no one was in the car. This was the last car hit. The other car was going outbound and waiting to take a left onto Moorland Street. The guy in that car had a discolored spot on his head from the accident. I don’t know if anyone else was in that car. All the injuries were minor as I understand it.
The case was quickly “continued” and I missed the exact reason for that. Things happen fast especially when you are there for the first time. So I get released for the day.
Later in the day I talk to the Victims Advocate and he said that Deborah Hinds pled guilty, admitting she was intoxicated. She was sentenced to 2 years probation, 90 days loss of license, and lots of misc fines.
I think she was one lucky woman. Looking at the condition of the cars which were hit she could have killed someone.
I come home yesterday and open the mail to discover that I need to be in court this morning with the warning “Failure to appear pursuant to this summons could result in a Capias for your arrest.”. Nice. Very nice. Less then 24 hours warning that you can arrest me. Glad I opened my mail.
The post mark on the envelope was for April 14th, a Saturday. If the US Post Office observed Patriots Day I wouldn’t have gotten the letter in time.
I am instructed to appear at 8:30 am at Roxbury District Court. I arrive at 8:15, it is raining, and the doors to the building don’t open until 8:30 am. There is no where to stand out of the rain, so I go home.
I arrive back at 8:30am only to learn that no cell phones are allowed in the building. NO CELLS PHONES!? There was no mention of this “no cell phone” policy on the summons. Every other person is being turned away by the guards because they have a cell phone. The rules appear to have a little flexibility, as I am a witness, not one of those people who are innocent until proven guilty.
I go up to the DAs office and meet the Victim (and Witness) Advocate. This looks like a job which they can only fill with interns, the kid is very nice. (Anyone 20 years or younger than me is a “kid”.) I tell him that I am not interested in making a victim (or witness) impact statement and go down to the court room to watch justice in action.
Today justice has the name of Shaunna Jammal, who is the Assistant District Attorney (since I don’t remember the name of the judge). Deborah Hinds is there with her attorney – who is Shaunna’s brother. Now, how weird is that? Deborah was charged with a bunch of things, the ones I caught were: operating under the influence, serious injury (this one got dropped), failure to stop, failure to stay to the right, reckless endangerment, and others. I could have gotten all of those charges incorrect, as it is all new to me and I write slowly.
In addition to me, the witness, there are two victims. Both of them had their cars totaled. One car was parked on the inbound side of Warren, no one was in the car. This was the last car hit. The other car was going outbound and waiting to take a left onto Moorland Street. The guy in that car had a discolored spot on his head from the accident. I don’t know if anyone else was in that car. All the injuries were minor as I understand it.
The case was quickly “continued” and I missed the exact reason for that. Things happen fast especially when you are there for the first time. So I get released for the day.
Later in the day I talk to the Victims Advocate and he said that Deborah Hinds pled guilty, admitting she was intoxicated. She was sentenced to 2 years probation, 90 days loss of license, and lots of misc fines.
I think she was one lucky woman. Looking at the condition of the cars which were hit she could have killed someone.
posted by pos7ed at 7:30 PM
9 Comments:
doesn't the court have some provision for taking your cellphone at the security checkpoint, and returning it to you when you leave? I'm sure I've seen this at other courthouses.
Brother and Sister are terms that are used by lawyers in court as formal etiquette: my brother, my sister etc.
that is very funny. you thought that the da and the defense attorney were brother/sister? very funny
there is a cell phone ban in some other court house too, b/c of witness intimidation- people using their phones to take pictures of witnesses.....
> doesn't the court have some provision for taking your cellphone at the security checkpoint, and returning it to you when you leave?
At the Roxbury court house people were being directed to the other side of the plaza (along Warren Street) and told "a guy over there is holding cell phones". I looked over and saw five or six people in line. I have no idea who this guy was, or what the protocol was. It all seemed a little weird to me. As I mentioned I didn't have to give my cell phone to some stranger.
> Brother and Sister are terms that are used by lawyers in court as formal etiquette
Ok, if you say so. I have only seen the inside of a court room while watching TV, so I don't have any authority on the subject.
> that is very funny. you thought that the da and the defense attorney were brother/sister?
They didn't look related in anyway, so it makes sense that they were not siblings.
> there is a cell phone ban in some other court house too
That is fine, I don't have any problem with a ban. I have a problem with not letting me know that there is a ban before I get to the court house. Why can't they tell me this on the same letter they threaten me with arrest if I don't show up?
And why are witnesses able to get around the ban, but not defendants?
maybe brother and sister are terms used in Roxbury court, but I have been on several juries in Cambridge and have never heard the term.
I am surprised that the woman got off with 2 years of probation. You would think that the court would make people take responsibility for their actions.
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