How do juvenile trials "go"?

[pugfug90]

What is the name of your state? Georgia

https://forum.freeadvice.com/showthread.php?t=325059

That is what my trial is about. According to my mom, there would have been no trial except that 1 out of the 3 that got burnt are complaining. So is it me against the state or me against the complainer (as in does the "system" ever pursue petty arsonists themselves).

And yeah, can someone give me a brief synopsis of how things are going to go down?

Like judge asks questions, then sides grill each other or whatever then I make some statements.

 

[mommyof4]

Well, according to your other thread, you've been to court 2X before. You should know how this goes.

You now have the added problem that you seem to have managed to acquire a history of starting fires in the yard.

 

[fairisfair]

What is the name of your state? Georgia

https://forum.freeadvice.com/showthread.php?t=325059

That is what my trial is about. According to my mom, there would have been no trial except that 1 out of the 3 that got burnt are complaining. So is it me against the state or me against the complainer (as in does the "system" ever pursue petty arsonists themselves).

And yeah, can someone give me a brief synopsis of how things are going to go down?

Like judge asks questions, then sides grill each other or whatever then I make some statements.

arsonists are prohibited from using the term "grill each other".

 

[pugfug90]

lol sorry for the grilling

Well, according to your other thread, you've been to court 2X before. You should know how this goes.
You now have the added problem that you seem to have managed to acquire a history of starting fires in the yard.

Umm, what? Recap, fire Feb06, court Jun06, led to psychoeval, I think I got back to court Aug06?? That led to a trial. That was supposed to be in Oct06. Delayed to Jul07.

Each time in court, waited hours, got into courtroom, for around 10min. All from 1 incident.

So I want to know how the process of a trial for a juvenile incident goes, if theere are two sides, when i get to speak, stuff like that.

Another forum linked to here http://www.gpdsc.com/resources-juvenile-practice_info-delinquency_outline.htm but that's a bit much, if anyone can explain more easy thanks

 

[mommyof4]

Oh, sorry. The way I read your other thread, you had been in court before. Here's why I thought that. You stated that you went to court, it was dismissed because throwing a lit cigarette into the yard was stupidity, not arson (according to the judge.)

Update..

I've been to court twice, 1st one led to psyhological evaluation, 2nd one led to a trial since I pled not guilty. Not guilty because I didn't have a plan to go and start a fire.

In the court, the judge said something like..."Throwing a cigarette into a yard isn't arson, it's stupidity"
Relating to me of course..

What does throwing a lit ciggy into a yard have to do with:

What is the name of your state? Georgia
Age: 16

Sometime in February 2006, I started a fire in my backyard...I was cooking something. Then bored. Then took a chopstick, placed it over the gas oven. It wasn't dangerous at the time..I let it cool to an ember. Then I did it again. And I'm 90% sure that when I took it outside, the chopstick was still just embers. So I took it outside, dug it into the ground, thinking that dirt and ember would kill each other, but it was a windy day on dry winter grass. It immediately spread about the size of a shoebox?

I had faith in the authorities so rather than killing it off myself, which I'm sure I could've, I went inside and called the police. The dispatcher took like 4 minutes -_- Yeah it spread pretty big. About half of my yard(though my yard is small since it's a crowded subdivision) And I walked back and forth, got a 'welcome carpet', extinguished some fires that were approaching my house. It got hot so I quit. Then back with a fire extinguisher and extinguished some more. Some neighbors said use the hose, but the one that was nearby melted..Yeah and after the firemen came, 3 yards were burned, a fourth with a fence got blackened...though it was minimal damage.

The other neighbors didn't care for charges, but one did..Initially it was a 1st degree arson charge, now a 3rd degree charge.. Just got a letter saying to arrive in court June 27.
Charged with 3rd degree arson to the boy that knowingly(I didn't on purpose) started a fire with $25 damage.
Any idea my punishment/advice?

 

[mommyof4]

By the by, I saw your duplicate post on the other forum. Aaron gave you an excellent link. Read the information. If you have any questions, ask your atty. That's what he gets paid for.

 

[pugfug90]

He only shows up to accompany in court. The judge seemed to be annoyed when I didn't know whether to say guilty/not guilty (I said not sure what those statements implicates as it relates to the charge), and said "you didn't even go over that with your client". On top of that, she is annoyed with his lateness. I'm not exactly sure of what he is doing in my case besides showing up. Not much communication...

The cig thing, the judge asked/said to herself outloud, throwing a cigarette into the ground and making a fire isn't arson and this case doesn't look like it either (proving intent to start a fire)

 

[pugfug90]

Do any of you guys know punishment of being convicted of 3rd degree arson for juvies? I looked up for adults, and it's fine no more than 10K and 1-5years.

If I had plead guilty, I would've got probation, some negligible fine, ??community service, an apology

 

[pugfug90]

1. Hello? I talked to someone with the same judge, different situation (runaway). He says 1st lawyer speaks for me, then judge grills me, then I speak. Only he's not sure, and if anyone feels they know the juvenile judicial process better than a druggie, go ahead

2. And what can a GA 3rd degree arson, plead not guilty but convicted anyway expect when initially could've got probation, petty $25 fine or something, apology?

3. one hole in my case. The police interviewed me days later, asked why I didn't extinguish the flaming chopstick in sink. I said because I thought it'd explode. Then minutes later I said I stuck in the toilet. They seemed to write down everything else, then I noticed they didn't write that down, either they said "yes, this kid's going down", or they were just getting weary.

So yeah, should I announce to the judge immediately "dear judge, I was nervous, cracked, lied (nicer twist of words I'll or someone can think up), but besides that, everything else is true, and I hope that this slip doesn't overrule the fact that other things point to me being innocent (did not decide to wake up and intentionally start a fire with a chopstick).

Or should I wait until she brings it up..

This was something I posted on another forum. Then I realized, ding, the policio were there when i flip flopped in Feb06ish, they should've wrote that down. I came to court Junish 06 or something, the ??ADA or something told me what I would've got, so I assume "ada (judge's assistant or something)" came across my blunder, talked to the police about it. Or maybe no one brought it up. So would it still be wise to be straight up with judge saying "I flipped", even "they" should've noticed that in Feb06 and included that in their lenient Jun06 judgment?

 

[pugfug90]

July 11th is coming!

 

[cbg]

So's Christmas. So what?

No one here owes you an answer. There are a couple of possibilities;

1.) No one knows the answer off the top of their head and figure you know how to use Google as well as they do

2.) Someone does know the answer and chooses not to provide it to a smart-ass little punk like you

Remember, this is a forum of volunteers. No one has to answer any question they don't care to. If they get disgusted with a poster's attitude, they are free to ignore him

 

[Silverplum]

So's Christmas. So what?

No one here owes you an answer. There are a couple of possibilities;

1.) No one knows the answer off the top of their head and figure you know how to use Google as well as they do

2.) Someone does know the answer and chooses not to provide it to a smart-ass little punk like you

Remember, this is a forum of volunteers. No one has to answer any question they don't care to. If they get disgusted with a poster's attitude, they are free to ignore him

Yep. Totally agree with you, cbg.

 

[pugfug90]

I am so sorry that I asked you negative nancys with nothing to contribute to post to a thread of a smart ass punk as I am! Oh right

Anyways, preliminary info, I just met up with my lawyer, he somehow managed to change the charge from 3rd degree arson to "setting a brush fire" and I shall plead guilty and get 90 days probation and some program where I go see museums and "culture stuff" lol. Just gotta wait til court on 11th for it to be official.

 

[pugfug90]

So I plead guilty. Thought it was finished, nope! Had to recall the story. All's well and good, I got 90 days probation and get to play in Tiger Woods's "Start Something" program.

 

[mommyof4]

I got 90 days probation and get to play in Tiger Woods's "Start Something" program.

I am positive that Tiger would take it as a personal favor if you refrained from "starting something"...namely any sort of fire.