FaceBook Fiasco Lands Local Man in Jail
April 24th, 2014 by iPhone
Following a divorce, along with many related and unrelated allegations, a Drew County man is in jail on Contempt of Court charges from Drew County Circuit Court.
During earlier court proceedings, Jim A. Hall was instructed to stay away from his ex in-laws and their business.
Hall was also “enjoined from posting in any manner, any information (by name or by reference) in any medium.”
According to attorney Paul Keith, Hall has continued to post “scarilus insults” against the family and business.
Keith asked the court to incarcerate Hall, since he will not obey the Court’s orders.
During Monday’s hearing, Hall’s direction focused on the issues covered in other cases, while Keith constantly objected to all questions not pertaining to Hall’s alleged violation of the “preliminary injunction” from the earlier court order.
Hall testified that the bruise he repeatedly posted on FaceBook was his daughter’s leg, as he covered the history of other hearings, in multiple court issues.
5 criminal charges had been filed against Hall in District Court, where 3 were dismissed. The other 2 are under appeal.
Hall stated that you can’t be charged with slander in the state of Arkansas. He added that Judge Ross found him not guilty on those 3 allegations, because of his “freedom of speech.”
Keith presented to Hall a court order from November, 2012, telling him to stay away from the family and their business. Hall then admitted that he later went there, to give them a court document in reference to a hearing.
Next, Keith handed Hall another order, telling him to refrain from posting comments about the case on social media, followed by multiples examples of FaceBook posts entries.
Hall contended that the posts used by Keith were “private messages” that he’d shared with friends, that they then posted on a FaceBook page that Hall had previously operated.
The ex-in-laws were both call to testify, but again Hall (representing himself ) only asked them issues unrelated to his Contempt of Court case.
Hall then attempted to call Atty. Paul Keith, whose objection was sustained by Judge Glover by declaring that as an attorney, could not testify in the case.
Hall then attempted to call MLive’s Joe Burgess (also a process server for the court system), who objected to testifying, based on no subpoena being served (based on Arkansas’s Rule 4 of Civil Procedure).
Hall then implied that there is a conspiracy against him involving the court system, the local sheriffs department, the ex-in-laws, and MLive.
Hall then called his wife, mother and son to testify, but again their testimonies receive sustained objections from the court.
Judge Don Glover ruled that Hall had violated the injunction on several occasions, and added, “I think you need to serve some jail time.”
Judge Glover continued, “These parties have asked you to not post anything about them, and to stay away from them. You then violated the court’s orders repeatedly. The others have rights , as well.”
Hall was sentenced to 30 days in jail, with all but 5 suspended.
Hall was told to report to the jail today at 8 am.
Hall then told the court that he was appealing the judgment because of his negative FaceBook posts about the 10th Judicial District Circuit Judges.
Although he has the right to appeal, Judge Glover told the courtroom that halls Facebook comments about the judges did not affect his ruling in the case, since he does not keep up with Facebook much.
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