Tugging on Heart Strings: How Liberals Paid Off a Criminal's Court Fees
Repeat Bail Jumper? Out on Personal Recognizance After Being Caught
Oh, she was convicted and sent to prison for twelve years for getting caught with $31.00 of weed and it was a first conviction we were told as the story made national news. Sob story, cue strangers coming in to pay off her fines without knowing the entire story. But the poster child for the soft on crime movement is anything but innocent and it wasn't her first arrest.
Patricia Spottedcrow first showed up on the OSCN.net record after a couple of 2003 arrests for driving on a suspended license. We all know how licenses get suspended, almost always a DUI or impaired driving of some sort. Most likely municipal arrests and at that time not posted to the state records on DUI like they are now. Her first reported arrest was in June of 2003, for the driving under suspension charge.
Two months later the court issued an arrest warrant for failure to appear in court. Spottedcrow was apprehended in Canadian County around November of that year but was turned loose thanks to a lenient judge after what appears to be a promise to show up at court if let go without extradition. The kind local district court continued he case till April of 2004 and you guessed it, after a phone call from the court a week before the court date to remind Spottedcrow, she once again refused to appear at the court hearing. A week later an arrest warrant is issued.
By mid May of 2004 she was claiming that the Oklahoma City fines had been paid and the case settled but her drivers license had been destroyed by fire at her home after it was re instated the state .... so the judge kindly gave her 20 hours of community service and an extension on her next court date to prove that she had her license actually re instated. On the court date, Spottedcrow called in asking for a continuance so she could complete driving school so she in fact had not gotten her drivers license re instated. They reset the hearing at March 22nd 2005 and as expected, she refused to show up and another arrest warrant was issued, the third arrest warrant issued in the case after her initial arrest.
Seven years later....Spottedcrow was in their grasp again and made a payment plan agreement of $50.00 per month to begin paying off her fines and fees. Now up until the 2005 bench warrant for failing to appear to prove that she had a license, her fees were a whopping $35.00. About that time the legislature started stacking on court fees and why not? The criminals weren't showing up to court and causing the court to issue multiple arrest warrants for them, time for the criminals to start paying for the wasted court time and expense. But the court waived all the fines in that case, all she had to do was do the twenty hours of community service to end this mess by 2005.
Now it was 2012 and the court had enough and imposed a $471.00 fine for driving under suspension after Spottedcrow refused to do the community service. Another $127.00 was tacked on for various legislature mandated costs for various programs.
And by June 2013, no payments had been made so another arrest warrant for around $300 in late payments and the $471.00 fine was used to set a bond should she be arrested. By the 28th of June Spottedcrow had once again promised to pay $50.00 per month to get out of jail after being arrested on the warrant for the 2003 arrest. But by September she was once again behind by two months, meaning she probably had paid one payment, if that, and was calling in promising to come in and pay a double payment. She didn't of course, why when there was no consequences? The court waited till December before issuing another warrant, fifth or sixth? And tacked on $80.00 in costs for the warrant issuance.
In May of 2014 Spottedcrow had been caught and she coughed up $878.00,, the first payment that appears on the entire case since the initial arrest in 2003. And that settled the case after eleven years.
But Spottedcrow was just getting started in 2003, she had another ticket for not wearing a seat belt. Twenty dollar fine, ten dollars in costs, $30.00 to end the matter. But the court was generous, they removed the ten dollar fine and believe it or not, a bondsman filed a $20.00 bond, a twenty dollar bond, to get her free. Rather than pay the $20.00, Spottedcrow skipped bail.
So in April of 2004 Spottedcrow is calling in to the courthouse verifying her court date on the matter and two weeks later as expected the court is filing a warrant for her arrest for not showing up. By May they have her once again and release her once again after striking $30.00 in court costs for the warrant but Spottedcrow needs time to pay that $20.00 it seems. She was ordered to do 20 hours of community service and by December Spottedcrow was calling in once again asking for a continuance and the court actually dismissed the case without costs and exonerated the bail bond of $200.00 that had been set in April. What nice people and no sarcasm is intended. No doubt it simply wasn't worth the $20.00 of fines to prosecute the woman but look what she learned. Ignore, don't show up, outlast em, and no pay.
But Spottedcrow was on a traffic ticket spree it seems and in August of 2003 she got a speeding ticket, posted bond for $147.00 (she must have been screwing that bondsman to post bonds that low) and pled guilty one month later. This time the court tacked on $148.00 in costs. And sure enough, two requested continuances put the case into April of 2004 and Spottedcrow didn't show up and another arrest warrant was issued for Spottedcrow. A month later and she had agreed to pay payments and was released and she agreed to do do another 20 hours of community service to settle the matter by December and of course in December she calls in saying she can't be there.
In early February Spottedcrow actually pays $90.00 of the costs of the $148.00 in fines/fees but by the end of March she is once more not paying and not showing up and another warrant for her arrest is issued. $45.00 is added for the new arrest warrant, and Spottedcrow is once more on the run from the law.
In December of 2012 Spottedcrow posts bond for $147.00 and pays $100.00 of back payments (seven years since paying anything) and agrees to pay $50.00 per month. In January of 2013 Spottedcrow paid the final $47.00 of the original $147.00 fine and the case is ended ten years after it began. Let that soak in, ten years, over a traffic ticket she could have settled for $147.00 in 2003.
But no, we aren't done yet with 2003.... Spottedcrow received her second driving under suspension ticket that year, you know, the first one that were her driver license burning up at her home prevented he from settling and now this second one? Her court fees on the case was a spiffy $10.00 had she settled that year. In August of 2003 Spottedcrow posted bond for $503.00 thanks to her long suffering bail bondsman, got the case continued till February 2004, tried to continue it again and got it put off till April, refused to show up, got an arrest warrant issued and bond increased to $1000 in May of 2004, and the court revoked the bond and sent the bondsman a bill for $503.00. But the court gave Spottedcrow an incentive, pay now and pay only $300.00 to settle things IF she produced a valid drivers license
In late July of 2004 the bond was exonerated after Spottedcrow showed up. A deal was struck for $613.00 for fine and bond as long as Spottedcrow completed her 20 hours of community service by early December. You got it, Spottedcrow wanted a continuance and it was set in March of 2005, Spottedcrow refused to show up and the bond was set at $1206.00. Around $611.00 in costs were assessed for all the extra court work and Spottedcrow went on the lam anyway.
In December of 2012 Spottedcrow agreed to pay $50.00 a month to get out of jail in January, she shocked everyone by paying $200.00 in late December and $3.00 in January, and $50.00 in March and April, then another $50.00 in early May. That is five months at $50.00 or $250.00 and she had paid $103.00 before a June 2013 arrest warrant was issued which cost Spottedcrow an additional $80.00 in fees.
In June Spottedcrow sent in her main squeeze and an offer of $100.00 paid at that time got the warrant recalled IF Spottedcrow appeared and made a new payment agreement. Sure enough she pays the July payment then she her excuse is that she is in the hospital (no proof), and pays late but she at least pays in August and September. Then nothing is paid, still owing $270.00 so another arrest warrant is issued in December of 2013. In May of 2014 Spottedcrow pays off the $270.00 and ends the eleven year old case.
But the most likely DUI aside and the driving under suspension arrest aside, Spottedcrow was also arrested in 2007 for obtaining merchandise by bogus check, a misdemeanor offense but an arrest regardless. Seems the news stories omitted that arrest.... doesn't fit the agenda I guess. Initial fees were set at $298.00 in 2007 and in 2010 when Spottedcrow sells weed to the undercover cop informer she is finally facing a judge in January of 2010 over the bad check and pleads not guilty. A public defender is appointed, the case is continued till October of 2010 when the case is dismissed along with the costs, almost certainly by a plea agreement on the weed distribution charge and possession in the presence of a minor.
Now, the January of 2010 she was arrested for the weed sale to an undercover police informant and she was sentenced to 12 years with four of it suspended. And she did it in front of what appears to be one of her kids or all of the kids, we just know that she was selling weed in the presence of minors. This time the costs are assessed at $623.00 right off the bat and bond is set at $50,000 on each count. That is high, but look at Spottedcrow's record so far from evading justice and her refusal to pay court costs and fines.
Spottedcrow doesn't bond out of course, who would write a bond on a repeat bail jumper? She is tagged with $1268.93 in costs and jail fees and her bail is reset to $24,000 for both counts. Another $120.00 for court costs on posting the bond fees and in February she is bonded out by a bondsman for $24,000, costing her $2400.00 in cash or payments if the guy was stupid. In June Spottedcrow pleads guilty and in October after much legal wrangling she receives 12 years for the distribution count and 2 years on the presence of a minor count. Keep in mind, she wasn't arrested for $31.00 of weed in her possession, she was distributing weed, AKA selling weed.
Another $637.00 in fees including her transportation cost and she is sent to prison at last in very late November of 2010.
In 2011 the liberals scream and articles are published nationwide, this is one of those Oklahoma women being unfairly locked up in jail. So political pressure is applied and Spottedcrow gets a sentence reduction and she is out in early December 2012, right about two years of a 12 year sentence. She walks free on the condition that she appears in February and makes a $50.00 per month payment plan for her fines and fees. Which she does in February, wonder of wonders.
She just escaped ten years of prison time minus the time off crap, one would think she had learned her lesson. But no, she calls in in April saying she will be late paying, again in June, again in July and again in September. In November she calls in once again and says she will pay double later that month. And no, of course not, she doesn't. By January the court is out of patience and sends a late payment notice, which is ignored, and a warrant is issued in February. $80.00 more for warrant fees.
Spottedcrow catches up and the warrant is squashed, falls late in paying again in April and in May another warrant is issued for $80.00 and in May another payment agreement is signed. But by July Mom is coming in saying Spottedcrow will pay late again and by January 2015 another $80.00 cost for another arrest warrant.
By May Spottedcrow is reminded of her obligations to report to her parole officer which she has not been doing and by October she has racked up three more late payments with the $10.00 per notice fee added to her bill. By August of 2016 she is $147.48 in arrears, being warned again three more times in 2016 to pay up or face the consequences, and in July of 2017 she is in violation of her parole agreement because she hasn't been reporting once a month to her parole officer.
A warrant is issued once again, she is arrested quickly and is out on $1500 bond in a few days, adding $100 in costs including the jail stay. Spottedcrow hires an attorney, is late the next month in paying, her attorney withdraws a few months later, no doubt because not being paid, another attorney enters an appearance, and shortly after that another attorney has to take over no doubt due to the second one not being paid. By February Spottedcrow is once again in arrears, $300.00 on a debt of $2478.60 and another warrant is issued for her arrest. By April another attorney withdraws and the arrest warrant thing is done again. The poor bondsman has his bail bond forfeited but he has Spottedcrow back in the court by the end of April (which is why we need bondsmen in the system).
And surprise surprise in May, Spottedcrow is let out of jail on a personal recognizance bond, a court appointed attorney is appointed. The judge revokes her suspended sentence, sentences her to 180 days with credit for time served so far and releases the DOC from having to supervise her, after all, she isn't showing up anyway. All she has to do is to pay the remainder of her court fines and fees.
Meanwhile a local TV station steps in for the “poor woman arrested just for having $31.00 in weed” and gullible people call the courthouse and pay off Spottedcrow's court costs and fees and she is let out of the local jail where she was being held for extradition to Kingfisher County.
But wait, there is more. We aren't done with Spottedcrow. Not to be an under achiever, she was arrested again in October of 2010 for possession of a controlled substance, most likely still selling weed and got caught this time in possession instead of selling the drug.
Now this time she gets the two years sentence for weed possession, meaning she would be out in three months if not for the other charges including the 12 year for possession of drugs in the presence of a minor. Didn't cost her a day in prison or jail as she was already tied up on the earlier charges, just some more fees.
So no, this wasn't her first run in with the law. Spottedcrow was a seasoned career criminal with a long history of bail jumping, the refusal to pay her fines and fees even at $50.00 per month, and was busted twice in one year, the second time while out on bail for selling weed to the cop with a kid in tow.
Yet we are told it was her first arrest, for $31.00 in weed, not mentioning the long history of criminal activity.
The case is even more interesting in that Spottedcrow's mother, Delita Starr, received a 30 year sentence for her part in the 2010 drug selling bust but it was all suspended and probably because the Kingfisher jail had to spring for nearly $6000 in medical bills for her while she was in jail. Starr pretty much paid, paid late a lot, but she generally kept up with the token $50.00 per month payments and she showed up at the hearings. Another big difference is that Starr had a few tickets in the past but always paid them off promptly instead of taking ten years and dozens of court dates to settle. Starr was put in charge of Spottedcrow's four kids, two older, two she had since her conviction and release in 2012. Starr appeared to be an addict with hair testing ordered regularly for the next five years.
As always we learn that it is very difficult to wind up in prison on a first conviction for weed unless you are already a problem child known for skipping bail, not paying court costs and fines, and get arrested while out on bond or probation. Yet we have a woman who thumbed her nose at authority for the past sixteen years and liberal idiots come forward to remove what little consequences Spottedcrow faced.
