When Judge Gordon Webb took the bench last Thursday to begin a session of Baxter County Circuit Court, he faced a packed courtroom, a very crowded docket and a long day.
The session stretched well past dark and saw more than 100 individuals come before the bench, representing 130 separate cases — with charges ranging from rape to possession of drugs to theft of property.
Among those making appearances were a number of people who changed their pleas and were sentenced to probation.
— Casey Sutterfield was given six years probation after changing her plea to guilty on drug-related charges and two counts of endangering the welfare of a minor. The 33-year-old Sutterfield was arrested September 19th last year when relatives could not reach her and were concerned that her ex-husband, David Sutterfield, might have harmed her. The relatives told police that the couple had spent the weekend together at a local motel with their two young children — ages 7 and 9.
When Mountain Home police officers went to the room they found David and Casey Sutterfield and the children asleep. They also located used syringes, loaded uncapped syringes and bags of a crystalline substance on a table near the entry door. According to court records, the Sutterfields told police they had used methamphetamine the night before, but claimed another individual had been in the room and left the drug-related items behind.
Drugs were consumed in the presence of the two young children which led to the endangering charge.
— Scott Froit of Mountain Home was also given six years probation on a variety of charges, including possession of drug paraphernalia, possession of a controlled substance, theft of services and damaging the wires and other fixtures of a utility provider.
Froit entered a no contest plea to the charges against him.
Many of the charges stemmed from an incident in September of last year when the owner of property on Buzzard Roost Road, who was himself an inmate in the county jail, complained that the 47-year-old Froit and others were living on the property without his consent. When deputies went to the address, they found that Froit and two others were living in a camper-trailer parked on the property. As the deputies were in the process of investigating the complaint, they found drugs and drug paraphernalia in the camper-trailer.
They also discovered that the camper-trailer had electric power even though the service had been shut off to the property. Electric service had been restored by tampering with the meter and that led to the theft of services and the damaging wires and fixtures of a utility provider charges against Froit.
The amount of restitution due for the stolen electricity has yet to be determined.
— In unrelated cases, Michelle Gilpin of Gassville, Alford Freeman of rural Mountain Home, Steven Krug of Bull Shoals, Lawrence Jones of Mountain Home, Jason Collins of rural Mountain Home, and Chantel Biggers of Ash Flat all received five-year probation sentences.
Gilpin changed her plea to guilty on charges of forgery and theft of property. She admitted that she had forged and passed a number of checks belonging to a relative. In addition to the probation time, the 27-year-old Gilpin was ordered to pay restitution of slightly more than $4,000.
The 34-year-old Freeman pled guilty to drug-related charges. His sentence was handed down under the provisions of Act 346, meaning that if he stays out of trouble during his time on probation, he can apply to the court to have his record sealed.
The 45-year-old Krug also pled guilty to drug-related charges, including bringing marijuana into the Baxter County Detention Center. The drug was discovered during the booking process.
Jones pled guilty to passing a $2,200 check written on the account of a Texas business without authorization in May of last year. The 30-year-old Jones was also sentenced under provisions of Act 346.
The 32-year-old Collins pled guilty to drug-related charges stemming from a compliance visit by parole and probation officers late last year during which drugs and drug paraphernalia were found.
Biggers also entered a guilty plea to drug-related charges, including attempting to smuggle hydrocodone pills into the Baxter County Detention Center in June of last year. The pills were discovered as the 26-year-old Biggers went through the booking process at the jail. She also has an active case stemming from an arrest this month in which she faces charges of possession of drug paraphernalia and giving false information to law enforcement officers.
— Two people, 38-year-old Julie McKenzie of Gassville and 21-year-old Makayla Champion of Calico Rock were both given four years probation on drug-related charges. Champion was sentenced under provisions of Act 346.
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