TEXARKANA, Ark–Circuit Judge Brent Haltom on Wednesday ordered jail time for a Pine Bluff, Ark., lawyer found in contempt of court after failing to show for a client’s jury trial Monday afternoon.
Judge Haltom, who is one of three circuit judges serving the Eighth Judicial District South, sentenced attorney Zoe Jackson to remain behind bars from the time of her booking at the Miller County jail on Wednesday until Monday morning at 9 a.m., according to a court order.
Judge Haltom also ordered Jackson to pay back the cost to Miller County of having a jury panel show up Monday. Court records show Jackson has paid $1,520 while she was ordered to remit $1,510.
Jackson’s court filings show that her office is in Pine Bluff and her LinkedIn page indicates that she is a solo practitioner. Jackson has been licensed to practice law in Arkansas since September 2022, according to state records.
Haltom had denied Jackson’s request for a delay in the trial setting of Demon Mar’Quincy Richardson, 25, at a pretrial hearing Monday morning, according to court records. Jackson had argued Monday that she had just received some material March 19 from the state which she had not had time to review, according to court records.
Judge Haltom’s contempt order said he determined that the material provided by the state last week was “not shown to be relevant to defense counsel’s ability to be ready for trial.”
Judge Haltom, in a written order Tuesday, denied a motion Jackson filed on Monday seeking to have him bow out of the case and replaced with a different judge.
In the motion seeking Judge Haltom’s recusal, Jackson alleges that the judge showed “unconscionable disregard” for her client’s constitutional rights. Jackson further said in the motion that the judge refused to consider an agreement between her and the prosecution for a “set bond amount” and that he denied a change in Richardson’s bond status “with no basis or justification.”
Court records show that Richardson’s bond was set at $100,000 at his initial appearance before Miller County District Judge Tommy Potter on Oct. 7. Richardson is charged with unlawful discharge of a firearm from a vehicle and three counts of aggravated assault, all alleged to have occurred Sept. 7. He faces five to 20 years in prison on the firearm charge and up to six years on each of the assault charges.
Jackson said in her motion to recuse Judge Haltom that Richardson was “called into court without his attorney being present” in November. Judge Haltom said in his order Tuesday denying Jackson’s bid to oust him from the case that he is “without sufficient knowledge” to fully respond to that allegation but that nothing about it should require him to step away from overseeing the case.
Jackson’s motion said she “does not feel safe or secure appearing before Judge Brent Haltom due to both his egregious behavior on the bench [Monday] and previous appearances.”
In his order Tuesday, Judge Haltom flatly denied that he has acted with any misconduct toward Jackson.
“The court denies any allegation that the court has exhibited any behavior as alleged towards Zoe Jackson and declines to recuse from the case at her request,” Judge Haltom said in his Tuesday order.
In her motion seeking Judge Haltom’s recusal, Jackson had asked for a hearing and said she anticipates filing a motion seeking a mental evaluation for her client. Judge Haltom said in his order that Jackson has had plenty of time to file motions but waited until the day of trial to bring them.
“The court heard no convincing argument that the new motions were needed and why if needed they should not have been discovered before this matter was set for trial” and “why such motions were presented for the first time on the day of trial.”
Judge Haltom rescheduled the trial for April 8.
