Chesterfield City Court Features the Judge Whisperer

During my 30-year career in law enforcement, I spent literally thousands of hours in various courts, waiting for my cases to be called. I’ve watched thousands of other cases be tried or plea bargained, and I’ve seen a fair share of defendants beg for mercy from a judge.

Last Tuesday night, I went to to relive those days and hopefully find some interesting stories to fill my weekly column. What I found amazed me. In my opinion, the Chesterfield city court is practically held in secret.

In January, I called the court clerk to find out when the next trial night was. I was told it was two months away because not many people want trials. That immediately made me think that the judge gives out such good deals that no one in their right mind wants to go to trial.

Court was scheduled to start at 7 p.m. I was glad I brought a paperback with me. The judge arrived at 7:50 p.m. The bailiff told us to rise without announcing who was presiding. The gray-haired judge took his seat at the dais, told us to sit down and said good evening. Then he pushed the microphone out of his way.

That was the last time anyone heard from him for the next two hours.

Most all courts have about 10 or 15 feet between the bench and the defendant. Here, the defendants stand directly in front of the judge. Then, they speak softly back and forth. I was sitting in the second row and could not hear a thing. I moved to the first chair in a row against the wall that put me as close to the judge as I could get, and I still could not hear everything said.

Defendants were called, but charges were not read out loud. It would be hard for any group, such as Mothers Against Drunk Drivers or a judicial watch group, to monitor the court and hear the sentences being issued. I moved beyond the first row of seats to hear a bit more.

The judge tried to convince several people not to plead guilty to shoplifting charges. He said they should get a continuance and hire a lawyer, who might be able stop them from getting a conviction. This drives me nuts. People without a lawyer should be eligible for the same deals as people who hire lawyers. The folks pled guilty despite the warning.

By 10 p.m., there was finally a trial. For the first time in the evening, there was no whispering. The defendant was charged with going 60 mph in a 45 mph zone. Rookie police officer Joanna Flushing testified in her first municipal court trial. She did an excellent job describing how she used a moving radar unit to clock the defendant speeding on Wild Horse Creek Road at 2 a.m. She said the defendant told her he couldn’t have been speeding because he has a radar detector. He apparently has it so he can speed and the darn thing didn’t go off, or he forgot to turn it on.  

The defendant was completely lost on what to do during the cross examination. 

“Officer, you said you were in the city limits of Chesterfield. Define what the city is?” he asked Flushing.

“Objection,” the prosecutor said.

“Sustained,” the judge said.

He was found guilty and fined $150 and $51.50 in court costs.

When I left the court, I asked the clerk who the judge is. I was told his name is Rick Brunk. He certainly does his best to keep things quiet, including his name.