During a session of Baxter County Circuit Court last Monday, a man attempted to plead guilty to drug related charges while saying he was innocent but Circuit Court Judge John Putman would not accept a guilty while claiming innocence plea.
Judge Putman has a long-standing policy of not sentencing people who plead guilty but claim innocence.
Twenty-nine-year-old Jesse Williams, who told the court he now lives in Springfield, was arrested in early December 2022.
The arrest came as the result of a traffic stop. During the stop, police detected the odor of marijuana.
The three occupants of the vehicle were asked to step out and a search of the vehicle was done.
Several items were found including two bags of a clear crystal-like substance, a plastic bag containing marijuana, three hypodermic needles, glass smoking pipes and a “grinder.”
In making his plea, Williams told the court he “just wanted to get this behind me and go back to my life in Springfield.”
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