On April 17, 2017, I Attended Public Hearings In The Virginia

On April 17, 2017, I attended public hearings in the Virginia Beach Circuit Court. I arrived in the circuit court room #2, at 0915 to observe cases that were scheduled to begin at 0930 A.M. I attended the hearings until 1123 A.M. Throughout the time while I was present in court, I observed a number of three cases. However, only the first two will be mentioned and discussed. The first case was a felony hearing of an illegal possession of cocaine. The second case was a violation of probation. Both of these cases were briefly discussed after the Judge entered the courtroom. The Judge, along with the attorneys, discussed which cases would be heard that day and which cases would be continued on a later scheduled date. The Judge then issued a†¦show more content†¦The defendant’s attorney argued that this was his first drug charge and stated that the defendant was indeed eligible under Virginia law to receive first offender status. The first offender program included a decis ion that the judge would withhold for one year. It also included that the defendant, was to serve 100 hours of community service, be subject to random drug tests, and was to wave his 4th Amendment rights of unreasonable searches and seizures for one year. The judge then asked to hear his prior criminal record. The attorney then representing the Commonwealth of Virginia began to list a long list of incidents, which included; Breaking and entering, and grand larceny in 2003, assault and battery in 2004, and a D.U.I. with a failure to appear in court in 2012. After hearing a longer list than stated above, the judge stated â€Å"I think I have heard enough. It seems to me that you are trying to obtain first offender status to avoid another conviction.† The defense began to argue that the defendant at the time he was stopped on his moped was heading to one of his three jobs. The judge stated, â€Å"I assume he was using the moped due to his D.U.I.† in which the answer was à ¢â‚¬Å"yes†. The judge then asked the attorney for the Commonwealth of Virginia to present his argument, in which he surprisingly stated that overall in the defendants circumstances he was â€Å"trying to do the right thing† by having three jobs and working hard. The judge interjected andShow MoreRelatedFundamentals of Hrm263904 Words   |  1056 Pagesbetter study smarter save money From multiple study paths, to self-assessment, to a wealth of interactive visual and audio resources, WileyPLUS gives you everything you need to personalize the teaching and learning experience.  » F i n d o u t h ow t o M A K E I T YO U R S  » www.wileyplus.com ALL THE HELP, RESOURCES, AND PERSONAL SUPPORT YOU AND YOUR STUDENTS NEED! 2-Minute Tutorials and all of the resources you your students need to get started www.wileyplus.com/firstday Student