A Courtroom Snag: Three Cases Reach Impasse

Three important cases were supposed to move forward this morning in the Athens Clarke County Superior Court, but all reached an impasse.

Termedrick Faust (pictured left), one of the men accused of kidnapping and robbing a local Papa Johns pizza delivery driver, was supposed to find out whether or not he would receive bail. Instead, Faust’s request for bond was withdrawn to possibly  be resubmitted at a later date.

Jeffrey Delk, a former administrator within the Office of Development at University of Georgia, was supposed to face an arraignment for five counts of possessing/creating visual medium depicting a minor. However, his lawyer was unavailable for court, so consequently neither Delk nor his lawyer was in Judge Lawton Stephens’ courtroom.

Xaviess James Smith (pictured right at podium) and six other co-defendants were supposed to face their arraignment for a medley of charges that include trafficking, possessing, and intending to distribute cocaine and methamphetamine.However, the case was not advanced because the same public defender was assigned to two different defendants, creating a conflict of interest. That case will not be heard until the defendants can be adequately represented.

While these legal procedures were not the expected step forward, court officials say that they need to be straightened out before any of the cases can progress.

By Matt Mataxas