The Winston-Salem Journal’s Scott Sexton reports on a WSPD officer sending a text message to a prosecutor while Hanks was testifying from the witness stand during a DWI trial.
So what did the judge do?
Faced with such an egregious violation of court decorum, the judge had several possible options.
He could have confiscated the phone. He could have held Hanks in contempt and fined or jailed him. He could have dismissed the case entirely.
Bedsworth chose none of those options. Instead, he convicted Waters of the DWI and the traffic offense. She was acquitted of the narcotics charge and given a 60-day suspended sentence. An appeal of the decision is possible.
I would think so.
