Tyrone N. Butts
APE Reporter
Arrest racially motivated, lawyer says
A Jackson lawyer found in contempt of court in Madison County for allegedly making a racist remark said he was arrested because he is black.
Robert S. Smith was charged after he was accused of calling Madison County Sheriff's narcotics investigator Jay Houston a "racist (expletive)." He made the comment in court in front of Madison County Justice Court Judge Carole Davis and prosecutor C. Allen Phillips, witnesses said.
He was held five hours, fined $500 and released after he refused to apologize.
"The arrest was an over-reaction by the judge who saw an opportunity to make an example of a black attorney who zealously defended his client
, even after he was mistreated by a law enforcement officer," Smith said in a written
statement Friday. "It is abundantly clear that this state, to include some judges, law enforcement officers and society in general still has a long way to go in dealing with issues of race."
Davis said Smith's statement had "no truth to it." She said she couldn't say anything else.
Smith's attorneys, Winston J. Thompson and Precious T. Martin, filed an appeal Thursday.
Smith was in court Thursday to seek dismissal of charges against his client, Earnest Earl Johnson, 19, of Jackson, who was charged with two misdemeanors, careless driving and possession of a small amount of marijuana last year.
Johnson was to be tried Thursday, but Davis continued the trial at the prosecutor's request because lab results were not yet available.
*************
Only white people are forced to apologize before they are fired when they say something 'racist'.
T.N.B.
A Jackson lawyer found in contempt of court in Madison County for allegedly making a racist remark said he was arrested because he is black.
Robert S. Smith was charged after he was accused of calling Madison County Sheriff's narcotics investigator Jay Houston a "racist (expletive)." He made the comment in court in front of Madison County Justice Court Judge Carole Davis and prosecutor C. Allen Phillips, witnesses said.
He was held five hours, fined $500 and released after he refused to apologize.
"The arrest was an over-reaction by the judge who saw an opportunity to make an example of a black attorney who zealously defended his client
, even after he was mistreated by a law enforcement officer," Smith said in a written
statement Friday. "It is abundantly clear that this state, to include some judges, law enforcement officers and society in general still has a long way to go in dealing with issues of race."
Davis said Smith's statement had "no truth to it." She said she couldn't say anything else.
Smith's attorneys, Winston J. Thompson and Precious T. Martin, filed an appeal Thursday.
Smith was in court Thursday to seek dismissal of charges against his client, Earnest Earl Johnson, 19, of Jackson, who was charged with two misdemeanors, careless driving and possession of a small amount of marijuana last year.
Johnson was to be tried Thursday, but Davis continued the trial at the prosecutor's request because lab results were not yet available.
*************
Only white people are forced to apologize before they are fired when they say something 'racist'.
T.N.B.
