What the hell does it take to get a guy accused of possessing child porn to trial in Hinds County? Hinds County deputies arrested Cameron Travelstead in 2010. WAPT reported in February 2010:
A Hinds County resident was arrested and charged with possession of child pornography Wednesday, according to Sheriff Malcolm McMillin and Attorney General Jim Hood.... Cameron Travelstead, 20, of 170 Montbrook Drive in Jackson, was charged with two counts of possession of child porn. He was being held Wednesday at the Hinds County Jail awaiting a bond hearing, officials said..." WAPT story
JJ reported the arrest and his connection to First Baptist Church (Jackson) on February 28, 2010. Earlier post. The case was not given to the Hinds County District Attorney until July 2011. A grand jury indicted him in December 2011. The capias was served on Travelstead in January 2012, two years after the arrest. Earlier post. The case was continued several times and was supposed to go to trial this week under Circuit Judge Jeff Weill. Unfortunately, a trial did not take place as suddenly there was a problem figuring out who is going to represent Travelstead. The Clarion-Ledger reported:
Hinds County Circuit Judge Jeff Weill holds veteran criminal defense attorney Randy Harris in criminal contempt after he refuses to go forward with representing an indigent defendant accused of possession of child porn because of fear he won’t get paid.
Harris had filed a motion to withdraw from representing Cameron Travelstead. Weill refused to grant Harris' motion today and ordered him to prepare for trial in Travelstead's case that was scheduled to begin Monday in Weill's courtroom. Harris refused to go forward with representing Travelstead.
Weill held Harris in contempt and set a July 22 hearing to determine sanctions against him. The judge delayed Travelstead's trial.
The case is one of those that Weill appointed private attorneys to handle in a dispute with the Hinds County Public Defender’s office....
Harris is asking Weill to allow him to withdraw from the case of Cameron Travelstead. Harris is scheduled to make his motion today, which is the date set for Travelstead’s trial.
Harris said his case is different than those previous in that not only is the public defender available to represent Travelstead (wherein they had been unavailable per Judge Weill when he terminated their representation and replaced them in the other cases), but also both the public defender and defendant are desirous that the public defender represent him, according to Harris....
This is what you call a prime example of a cluster****. The Sheriff's office took forever to give the case to the D.A. The D.A. actually did his job and got the guy indicted. Here we are, over five years after the initial arrest and this guy STILL has not gone to trial. Meanwhile the judge and lawyers bicker over who represents who. Cluster****. There is enough blame here to go around for everyone, including the judge. Yes, I wrote that.
So the next step will be obvious: The public defender will need time to review the case and prepare for trial. Does anyone want to be that when six years rolls around that the case will still not be decided?
****ing pathetic. Keystone Courts. That describes the Hinds County criminal justice system. Keystone Courts.
9 comments:
Nemo,
Your exasperation at the status quo is clearly the big story here.
The kids are grown up now, hence not child porn, is his current defense.
Some delays cannot be helped. I have dealt with clients arrested and long indictments due to the crime lab being slow. It is unclear who caused the delay between arrest and presentation to grand jury, and that occurs through out the state at times. As for the rest. No comment
Weill totally controls his docket and does not let the DA or AG have input on what cases get tried on the limited trial weeks. This case simply hasn't been set as a priority setting until this week; then problems with the attorney result in the judge delaying it once again. Weill comically holds the attorney in contempt AND delays the case instead of ordering the attorney to perform regardless of the fee disputes. A more learned and experienced jurist would have disposed of the case this week. Weill is a joke.
I didn't see anything that tells me whether his is in jail or still on his home computer.
Next: The comment that 'they are no longer children' is stupid.
Lastly; a lawyer who has no comment. WTF?
Can Cameron Travelstead get off the charge because he didn't get a speedy trail?
fella's not much of a lawyer--just talks smack about everything that walks through his door including on facebook in which he is actually uniquely unethical...
as for travelstead--first baptist--waller, philbilly and crew, keeping him from advancing through the system. jeff rimes would be proud if he could pull it off.
@5:42 PM... wrong again turbo....you bee's the yoke..
@5:42 - been on that crack pipe again haven't you - careful, your public defender badge is showing. So Weill goes so far as to actually hold Harris in contempt because Harris REFUSED to try the case ON THE DAY THE TRIAL WAS SUPPOSED TO START - I guess Weill should have physically chained Harris to the defense counsel table and say "you are not leaving until you try the case", then when the defendant is convicted he appeals and gets the verdict overturned for ineffective counsel because defense counsel was chained to the counsel table. Seriously @5:42, have you ever even seen the inside of a courtroom? As to Weill "totally controlling his docket" with no input from the DA or AG, you are simply WRONG AGAIN. go watch sometime, Weill has the DA and defense counsel set several things for trial each criminal week just in case some settle, others are still ready to go - frankly that's why he is trying more criminal cases than anyone else. I know that drives you @5:42 crazy as a public defender because you actually have to, heaven forbid, prepare for more than one trial at a time instead of "preparing" for one, selling your client up the river right before trial starts so you can avoid the courtroom for yet another week.
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