August 9, 2020
By: Dwayne Page
Sentences were handed down against seven people last Monday, August 3 in DeKalb County Criminal Court.
Judge Gary McKenzie presided.
32 year old Jose Benjamin Soto entered a plea to reckless endangerment and received a sentence of 11 months and 29 days suspended to supervised probation. Sheriff Patrick Ray said that on Thursday, September 20, 2018 a deputy was called to a residence on Sparta Highway due to an assault. Upon arrival the officer spoke with the victim who was bleeding from his nose and stated that he had been assaulted. According to the victim, he was struck in the face by the assailant after answering a knock at the door. The victim identified Soto as the person who assaulted him.
50 year old Mark Anthony Graham entered a plea to driving under the influence and received a sentence of 11 months and 29 days suspended except for 48 hours to serve. His driver license has also been suspended for one year and he must pay a $350 fine and attend a DUI education class. Sheriff Ray said that on Friday, November 10, 2017 a deputy was on routine patrol in the area of the public square in Smithville when the driver of a vehicle pulled up beside him and began asking questions about a previous call to which the officer had responded. While speaking with the driver, Graham, the deputy noticed the odor of an alcoholic beverage coming from his vehicle. The officer asked Graham to step out of the automobile and submit to field sobriety tasks. Graham consented but performed poorly on the tasks. He was then placed under arrest.
In June,, 43 year old Pablo Flores was indicted by the grand jury for driving under the influence (2nd offense), driving on a revoked license, and violation of the implied consent law. He entered a plea Monday, August 3 to driving under the influence and received a sentence of 11 months and 29 days suspended except for 48 hours to serve. His driver license has also been suspended for one year and he must pay a $350 fine and attend a DUI education class.
Candice Suzanne Bates was indicted in July, 2019 for driving under the influence and violation of the implied consent law. She entered a plea on Monday, August 3 to reckless driving and received a sentence of six months suspended to probation.
41 year old Troy Martin entered a plea to driving under the influence and received a sentence of 11 months and 29 days suspended except for 48 hours to serve in a DUI education center. His driver license has also been suspended for one year and he must pay a $350 fine and attend a DUI education class.. Sheriff Ray said that on Sunday, August 19, 2018 a deputy responded to the area of Miller Lane and Jacobs Pillar Road where a vehicle was in the ditch and the driver was passed out. Upon arrival the officer found the driver, Martin passed out behind the steering wheel with the engine running. The deputy also spotted an open can of an alcoholic beverage in the cup holder of the vehicle. After being awakened Martin performed poorly on field sobriety tasks and refused to take a blood alcohol content test. He was placed under arrest.
27 year old Christina Marie Hughes entered a plea to reckless endangerment and received a sentence of 11 months and 29 days all suspended to judicial diversion probation. Sheriff Ray said that on November 29, 2019 a deputy received a call about a maroon Chevy Impala driving recklessly on Dale Ridge Road. The officer spotted the vehicle in the parking lot of a boat storage unit on Dale Ridge Road. The driver, Hughes had a strong odor of alcohol on her person. She admitted to having consumed six beers and then driving from her brother’s home on Temperance Hall Road. Hughes performed poorly on field sobriety tasks and was placed under arrest.
24 year old Zachary Tyler Adams entered a plea to reckless driving and received a sentence of six months all suspended to probation and possible restitution. Sheriff Ray said that on Sunday, October 8, 2017 a deputy was dispatched to the 1200 block of Four Seasons Road due to a one vehicle accident. Upon arrival the officer spoke with Adams who said he was the driver of the 2006 Dodge truck which left the roadway and hit a light pole. Adams was unsteady on his feet. His eyes were bloodshot and he had a strong odor of an alcoholic beverage on his person. Adams admitted to having consumed too much alcohol to have been driving and he performed poorly on field sobriety tasks.