The much-delayed drug case of Amanda Lynn George of Mountain Home was set to go before a jury in Baxter County Circuit Court last week – more than 3 years after the alleged crime was committed. But, as she has done in the past, George changed her mind about how she wanted to proceed and dropped her request for a jury trial. She pled guilty last Monday to drug possession and was sentenced to 10-years-probation.
The trial has been continued at least 15 times, according to court records. The continuances have come mainly at the request of lawyers from the Public Defender’s Office who represent George.
The latest developments in the long running case have seen prospective jurors assembled twice only to have trials called off.
The first cancellation was due to George being late for the start of court.
Another jury panel was assembled to hear the case when an attorney with the Public Defender’s Office asked for a conference in chambers prior to the start of jury selection.
Circuit Judge John Putman asked if the issue was such it had to be decided before jury selection. Charles Hancock from the Public Defender’s office said it did.
After about 45 minutes Judge Putman retook the bench and said an issue had arisen that would prevent the trial starting and the prospective jurors were sent home. Apparently, the hang up dealt with a matter of when defense attorneys were provided the criminal record of the Confidential Informant alleged to have purchased a quantity of methamphetamine from George on February 24, 2021.
A letter from Prosecutor David Ethredge sent September 26, last year to Assistant Public Defender Clifford Swartz advised that requested information regarding the confidential informant was available for inspection in his office.
The trial was originally scheduled to begin January 8, but the state asked for a continuance so that a retired state crime lab technician would be available to testify.
The technician is the person who ran tests on the drug that was allegedly involved in the sale.
A hearing was held on the motion. The defense objected to the continuance and asked Circuit Judge John Putman not to allow it.
After a hearing lasting about an hour, Judge Putman said he did not see that the 42-year-old George would be denied justice or suffer undue prejudice by postponing the start of the trial by 48 hours to allow the state crime lab witness to give testimony.
He granted the state’s request for the continuance.
DRUG ARREST
According to the probable cause affidavit, George was arrested after selling a person working with law enforcement what was reported to be 3.5 grams of methamphetamine.
Officers from the Mountain Home Police Department and agents with the 14th Judicial District Drug Task Force had been notified by the confidential informant (CI) that an arrangement had been made with George to purchase an “8-Ball” of methamphetamine for $150.
The CI was told to meet George at her residence. When the source arrived, George is reported to have gotten into the person’s car where a brief money-for-methamphetamine exchange was made.
Officers met with the source at an undisclosed location for a debriefing after the transaction had been completed.
The substance George sold to the CI is reported to have field-tested positive for methamphetamine.
At the beginning and end of the “buy,” the CI was checked for anything other than items that had been provided by police to purchase the methamphetamine.
NO SHOW AT FIRST TRIAL LED TO ARREST
George was scheduled to go on trial in late October last year, but the trial was called off when she was late showing up. She was jailed for a short time on a failure to appear warrant.
At one point, she was expected to take a plea to her charges but changed her mind and said she wanted to change lawyers.
When George was a no show for the 9 a.m. start of the first trial jurors were in place, as was Judge Putman and lawyers for the prosecution and defense.
After she did not show for the start of court, a short recess was taken, but still no defendant. At that point Judge Putman sent the jurors home and ordered a failure to appear warrant be issued for George.
George did appear about 9:30 — after the jury had been let go. She was arrested on the FTA warrant at the court complex. She was taken to the Baxter County Detention Center.
Her booking time was shown as 10 a.m. and she was released at 2:00 p.m.
Her defense attorney said he did not know why his client was not present for the start of court. He said, “we reached out to her but have not been able to communicate.” There has been no further explanation for her tardiness.
George has been an inmate in the Boone County jail recently serving time after her probation in a District Court case in that county was revoked.
WebReadyTM Powered by WireReady® NSI