Greenwood’s Municipal Court tried 115 cases concerning COVID-19 violations from May 6 through June 17, ultimately generating more than $31,000 in fines and court costs.
Of the 115 cases, 63 people were convicted of misdemeanors, 50 had their cases passed to the files, and two had their cases dismissed.
Most of those convicted were charged with violating Greenwood’s COVID-19 curfew, though others were convicted for operating non-essential businesses or having gatherings larger than 10 people.
The city’s curfew of 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. was in force from April 3 until May 7. After that, the curfew was amended to 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. This was continued until May 25, Memorial Day.
Mayor Carolyn McAdams had warned that anyone who violated the curfew would be fined.
Indeed, numerous people who violated the curfew were each slapped with a $300 fine and $124.25 in court costs, amounting to a $424.25 penalty. The total from the convictions amounted to $26,578.
Of the 50 cases that were passed to the files, people still had to pay either $100 or $50 in court costs, generating a total of $4,850.
When a case is passed to the files, it still can be brought back up should a person be charged with the same misdemeanor. Municipal Court Judge Carlos Palmer then could convict that person on both charges should he choose to do so, Municipal Court Clerk Felecia Bedell said.
Two cases pertaining to violations of the COVID-19 curfew were dismissed with no court costs.
Asked why some people who violated the city’s curfew were fined while others had their case passed to the files or dismissed, Palmer said, “I deal with every case on a case-by-case basis.”
Palmer said he considers each person’s circumstances when deciding on a ruling. However, he would not say what factors would lead to a person being fined versus having the case passed to the files.
When asked if the curfew was effective in curbing the spread of the coronavirus, McAdams said: “I don’t know if it helped tremendously on the cases, but I will say this: It made people feel safer (because) people should’ve been home at 9 p.m.”
The mayor said she received calls from citizens saying that the town felt more peaceful and quiet and that there were fewer instances of random shots being fired.
Given that the city has had continued trouble collecting outstanding fines from misdemeanor convictions in the past, McAdams said she expected that “very little” of the fines and court costs from the COVID-19 violations will be paid.
The mayor said her next step to combat the continuing rise of coronavirus infections and deaths in Leflore County is to present a resolution to the City Council that would strongly encourage residents to wear masks in public, practice social distancing and sanitize their hands.
The council will consider adopting the resolution during its meeting on Tuesday.
“Our cases are getting worse,” McAdams said. “We have a serious situation going on.”
The mayor’s resolution does not mandate that people wear masks in public. She explained that she wanted to try a softer approach, adding that “this is a personal responsibility for each person.”
McAdams said that if cases continue to climb and people still don’t wear masks in public, she may consider presenting a resolution that would mandate the wearing of masks.
•Contact Gerard Edic at 581-7239 or gedic@gwcommonwealth.com.
