Court

Went to court today.  I was terrified.  Granted, I was sitting in court, so that was scary enough.  However, rumor has it that if the person that goes ahead of you ticks the judge off, you can end up on the receiving end of poop.  The gentleman that went before me was sitting before the judge wearing orange.  He was arrested on a bench warrant, had not paid in years, and lied to the judge previously.  He ended up being sentenced to 30 days for contempt.  By the way, the handcuffs are color coordinated!  They are orange as well.  So yes, I was terrified when my name was called.  However, things went very well.  Right after I was sworn in, I was asked about my address and said I had moved to Arkansas.

Prosecutor:  So what is your current address.
Me:  Blah, blah, blah Missouri.
Prosecutor:  So do you live in Arkansas or Missouri?
Me:  Yes.
Prosecutor:  (Smiling) I know being here can be flustering, so which is it?  Arkansas or Missouri?
Me:  Yes.  See, I live in Arkansas....
Prosecutor:  You live on the state line?
Me:  Yes, Ma'am

Then, I was asked when my last payment was since it had not been recorded yet and (thankful for triplicate receipts) I was able to tell when it was mail out and the date that it was received.

With the move to Arkansas, they are going to look into what will happen with jurisdiction of the case since the case originates in Massachusetts.  Does Indiana continue to have it or does it get kicked to Arkansas?  The case has been set for review in December and by then, they should know.

That was another amusing thing.  I was asked about November and December to see which would be more convenient for me.  I mentioned Holy Convocation in November and had said that in December I will be in Indiana anyway for a friend's birth.  I was asked if December 15 would be convenient for me and I said that would be fine.  I was also told that I did not have to appear for this, but was more than welcome to see what is going on with my case.  (Yes, I am going to be there!)

So, contempt charges have been dropped, the judge is pleased with me, and the lawyer is familiar with the Ozarks and know how beautiful it is down there.