{"id":1262,"date":"2019-10-16T19:44:47","date_gmt":"2019-10-16T19:44:47","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/9thstreetjournal.org\/?p=1262"},"modified":"2023-03-27T15:52:47","modified_gmt":"2023-03-27T15:52:47","slug":"two-dwi-defendants-walk-into-a-courtroom-one-leaves-free-the-other-goes-to-prison","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/9thstreetjournal.org\/2019\/10\/16\/two-dwi-defendants-walk-into-a-courtroom-one-leaves-free-the-other-goes-to-prison\/","title":{"rendered":"Two DWI defendants walk into a courtroom: one leaves free, the other goes to prison"},"content":{"rendered":"

Two defendants pleaded guilty to DWI charges before Judge Amanda Maris. One walked out of the courtroom, and the other went to prison after Judge Maris denied his appeal for probation.<\/span><\/p>\n

***<\/span><\/p>\n

Judge Amanda Maris greets each defendant at the stand for Wednesday morning traffic court. She is generous with motions to delay hearings or requests to waive court and jail fees. She resolves cases quickly, often handling them within minutes of their introduction, and she expects attorneys to keep up the pace.<\/span><\/p>\n

On Sept. 18, her packed morning takes two pauses \u2014 once to punish, and once to mourn.<\/span><\/p>\n

Joshua Meckes shuffles to the podium as he prepares to plead guilty to Driving While Impaired. Judge Maris asks if he understands that by pleading, he is admitting guilt. He mutters, \u201cYes.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

A four-car crash. Open containers of alcohol and marijuana found in the car. Property damage totaling several thousand dollars. A Blood Alcohol Content level twice the legal limit. Meckes pleads guilty to the impaired driving that caused this collision.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re lucky no one was killed, sir,\u201d Judge Maris says. \u201cYou\u2019re responsible for affecting three other lives that night.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Meckes\u2019s attorney argues that the offense should be considered a Level 5 DWI conviction, the lowest sentencing level for that crime. He notes that Meckes cooperated with police, sought out treatment for substance abuse, and, aside from a speeding offense in 2011, had a mostly safe driving record.<\/span><\/p>\n

Judge Maris chastises Meckes\u2019s attorney for suggesting a Level 5 DWI conviction despite the presence of aggravating factors, such as the open containers and marijuana.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe presence of open containers and marijuana in your vehicle is not a minor fact for this court,\u201d she says. \u201cIt indicates a flagrant violation of the law.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

A circumstance as egregious as this, she says, shouldn\u2019t be portrayed to the court as a minor offense, even if the defendant has taken steps to deal with substance abuse issues.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cSomeone could have died that night,\u201d she says. \u201cWe\u2019re lucky they didn\u2019t.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

As Meckes continues to look down at the ground, he lets his attorney field questions from Judge Maris, who will now decide his fate.<\/span><\/p>\n

Judge Maris hands down a 120-day suspended sentence for Meckes, requiring 48 hours of community service, three months of weekly Alcoholics Anonymous meetings, and a monitoring device installed in his car. She adds on six months of supervised probation, despite the defendant\u2019s request for unsupervised probation.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt is not going to be unsupervised probation,\u201d Judge Maris says. \u201cThis court does not have adequate assurance that Mr. Meckes is doing what he needs to, to provide for his own safety and that of Durham.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s just a lot of, a lot of stuff that I have to do,\u201d Meckes says after his hearing. \u201cIt\u2019s not worth making that mistake.”<\/span><\/p>\n

***<\/span><\/p>\n

About an hour later, Evan Hymes steps toward the podium, also ready to plead guilty to a DWI charge. He clearly says, \u201cYes, ma\u2019am\u201d when asked if he understands that he is admitting guilt.<\/span><\/p>\n

Hymes, after a few too many drinks, drove his car into a ditch. His Blood Alcohol Content (BAC) reached 0.17, more than twice the legal limit.<\/span><\/p>\n

He immediately admitted guilt, calling 911 himself to get towing assistance and cooperating with police officers once they arrived.<\/span><\/p>\n

Hymes and his attorney make no excuses for his conduct that night, admitting that since he has two prior DWI convictions, this charge is a Level 1 DWI offense.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

While the Level 1 charge will require up to three years in jail, Hymes\u2019 attorney is seeking probation under the condition that Hymes has already taken steps to support his sobriety.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI appreciate, Mr. Hymes, that you\u2019ve completed this inpatient treatment. I appreciate that you\u2019re in AA,\u201d Judge Maris says. \u201cIt\u2019s the type of thing that I like to see when people are facing DWIs, and I\u2019d like to see it sooner than now.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

As part of the plea hearing, Hymes makes a statement about his struggle with substance abuse. He says he hopes his recovery process may spur an individual in the audience to act on their own substance abuse issues.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cMy name is Evan Drey Hymes, and I am an alcoholic,\u201d he says. \u201cAs most, as some of you know, I was not always this way.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Hymes describes himself as a devoted son, driven student, and dedicated Division I NCAA basketball player at Siena College. Basketball was his outlet, he says, for any of the obstacles he faced \u2014 an escape from the struggles he faced in his childhood.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHere\u2019s the kicker,\u201d he says, \u201cHow does a young, black, successful student athlete, college graduate become dependent on alcohol?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The courtroom is silent, lost in the tragedy that befell young Evan Hymes after he walked off the basketball court.<\/span><\/p>\n

Hymes describes six or seven years of alcohol abuse, years in his life when he didn\u2019t know where to turn in times of strife. He speaks about his inpatient treatment as an opportunity to connect with his faith as a basis for his newfound sobriety.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI gave everything over to my higher power,\u201d he says. \u201cI asked him for forgiveness for everything that I\u2019ve done in my past.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

His parents are in the audience. His mother muffles her sobs. Judge Maris turns away from Hymes to address his parents directly.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI understand the pain you must feel right now,\u201d she says, \u201cto have your son up here facing the time that he is facing.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Judge Maris explains to the audience that an aggravated Level 1 is the most serious sentencing level for a DWI charge. People who are convicted on that charge, she says, routinely go to prison for a maximum of three years.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u201cAt a certain point there\u2019s accountability,\u201d she says, \u201cand it\u2019s now.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Evan Hymes will spend twelve months behind bars, the minimum for this conviction.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt doesn\u2019t give me pleasure to send people to jail \u2014 it doesn\u2019t,\u201d Judge Maris says. \u201cBut that\u2019s what I have to do today.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

While Meckes trudges out of the courtroom at the end of his hearing, Hymes\u2019s takes his place at the bench to Judge Maris\u2019s right. He\u2019ll sit on that bench until he can be transferred to prison to begin serving his 12-month sentence.<\/span><\/p>\n

When the bailiff brings Hymes\u2019s personal items to his parents in the audience, they ask if they can have one more chance to speak to their son. They are denied.<\/span><\/p>\n

After a moment of looking at the parents, the bailiff goes back to Hymes and hands him a pad of Post-Its and a pen, a final opportunity to convey something to his parents.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Two defendants pleaded guilty to DWI charges before Judge Amanda Maris. 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