A Baxter County man learned a hard lesson Thursday — it’s not a good idea to curse when you are appearing before a judge with the power to cite you for contempt.
Jeffery Grigg of Norfork, who faces three felony offenses, was appearing in circuit court via video hookup from the Baxter County jail when he used profanity after a discussion on his bond.
At first, Circuit Judge John Putman seemed to let the incident pass, but then told jail staff to put Grigg back on camera. “I want Mr. Grigg, the curser, brought back to the camera,” the judge ordered.
When Grigg reappeared, Judge Putman cited him for contempt of court and sentenced him to spend 100 days in the county jail. When Grigg appeared ready to grumble about the decision, Judge Putman warned if he repeated his prior performance, more jail time would be added.
Grigg was arrested in September after he fled from an Arkansas State Police trooper, eventually jumping from his moving vehicle, leaving his girlfriend grabbing the steering wheel to keep from hitting a fence.
According to the probable cause affidavit, the trooper was traveling on State Highway 177 when he came up behind Grigg’s vehicle and observed it weaving, with the brakes being hit repeatedly.
The chase continued until Grigg’s vehicle reached the intersection with Wolf Road. At that point, the driver’s side door opened, as the vehicle entered a ditch and almost struck a fence. Grigg jumped out and fled, leaving his girlfriend to fend for herself.
The woman identified Grigg as her boyfriend. She said when Grigg saw the trooper behind him, he said he was “not going to go to jail today” and sped away. The woman said she repeatedly told Grigg not to continue running from the trooper, or at least to let her out. Instead, he jumped out leaving her to try and steer the vehicle.
WebReadyTM Powered by WireReady® NSI