The Chattanooga Times Free Press reports the practice in Chattooga County State Court of charging court costs on unprosecuted cases occurred before the current judge was on the bench.
According to a report compiled by a clerk of court employee, people paid a total of $19,070 on 109 nolle-prossed — or unprosecuted — cases in 2007-08 under three other judges.
All but four of the 152 cases occurred under current State Court Judge Sam Finster.
The other four happened in front of Judge Jerry Westbrook, who normally oversees juvenile cases but has at times stepped in as a replacement in State Court.
Westbrook also was the judge who handled many of the cases from 2007 until 2008, though not as many as Carlton Vines, who held the position until the Georgia Judicial Qualifications Committee suspended him for unrelated violations. Vines declined to comment Friday.
Between Westbrook and Vines, Judge Kristina Cook Graham was on the bench for a pair of cases in which people paid the court for nolle-prossed cases. Graham, who normally works in Superior Court, did not return multiple calls seeking comment.
Comments