Amanda George (Photo courtesy of Baxter County Sheriff’s Office)
Due to various factors, it took more than three years after her arrest on drug charges to close the case of 43-year-old Amanda Lynn George of Mountain Home.
She was put on probation for 10 years after she eventually pled guilty April 29. It took George less than 20 weeks to violate her probation in a number of ways and wind up back in court.
A petition to revoke her probation was filed Sept. 11, and she was arrested and jailed four days later.
She appeared during an earlier session of Baxter County Circuit Court and pled guilty to alleged violations of the terms and conditions of her probation.
A sentencing hearing was held Oct. 21, and George was ordered to spend 12 months in one of the community correction centers in the state, followed by four years probation.
In the petition, it is alleged George had not shown up for drug tests and office visits, failed to provide proof of employment, changed residences without notifying her supervising officer, not paying fines and fees, not reporting for GED class and not showing up to do community service work.
When she entered her guilty plea, Deputy Prosecutor Chris Carter told the court that George “had failed to do almost everything she was required to do.”
Circuit Judge John Putman told George she had played the system in both her trial and by not adhering to the terms and conditions of her probation, “and it has not done you any good.”
George’s trial was 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.
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.
Judge Putman said he would reset a date for the trial.
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 Feb. 24, 2021.
The trial was originally scheduled to begin Jan. 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 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 DETAILS
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.
At one point during the pre-trial period, George was an inmate in the Boone County Jail serving time after her probation in a District Court case in that county was revoked.
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