Hope Sykes arrested 1/20/2010

[lonetraveler]

She didn't plead "not guilty" she pled nolo, which meant she wasn't going to contest it. I have to say, even with a public defender, I don't know why any attorney would have let her plead that way.

I guess this takes care of what Ms. Sykes will and won't do.

Didn't Ron also plead NOLO on some of his earlier drug charges? I'm trying to understand the difference between Hope and Ron's earlier drug related charges. If similar, there is a great disparity between the two sentences, don't you think? I'm going back to look at his charges.

 

[Zoe Bogart]

She didn't plead "not guilty" she pled nolo, which meant she wasn't going to contest it. I have to say, even with a public defender, I don't know why any attorney would have let her plead that way.

I guess this takes care of what Ms. Sykes will and won't do.

With her priors, and being caught red-handed on tape, gets her 15 years. With a trial, she'd have 15 years, owe $250,000 fines, and cost the state a whole lot of money for a trial she was going to lose. With or without trial, she was going down.

 

[Dr.Fessel]

I am sooooo happy about this and have enjoyed all the funny and serious comments here. FL is finally getting serious I believe. I've lost 5 family members and friends due to these god awful drugs in the last 6 years. I recently took over 400 legally prescribed methadone pills to a hospital to be disposed of after the last person I knew died. I was terrified having them in my possession and told no one I had them. Once they were gone I told a few druggies I knew just to watch them cringe. Everyone said you could have made a lot of $$ selling them. Drug addicts do not care about the laws until they get caught. God bless Judge LaRue this is a excellent way to send a message to our young generation so they think before they ever want to try these drugs. Anyone know if it's OK to send the Judge a nice plant to his office to let him know he is my hero for the year?

Grace, my little sister lives in WV and she is seeing the same thing in families out there. Can't count the number of funerals she has been to in the last couple of years.

 

[doobiedoo52]

I'll bet Ron thought he would get called as a witness and he would generously offer to take her charges--you know, she was only along for a ride to the Kangaroo or something. Heh, too bad they never gave him the chance!

 

[CN2Souls]

When you have a plea deal your lawyer presents it to you that the D.A. and your Lawyer have agreed upon, and you have to sign the back of the paper that states you have read it and understand it. On that piece of paper it does say that the judge can still do whatever he wants as far as sentencing goes. If I am not mistaken from the phone call the plea was for a lesser sentence. However the Judge took it upon himself after hearing the phone call between Hope and her mother, to reject the plea agreement of sentencing and sentence her with the 15 years. This is totally legal; the judge always has the last word.

 

[Zoe Bogart]

Didn't Ron also plead NOLO on some of his earlier drug charges? I'm trying to understand the difference between Hope and Ron's earlier drug related charges. If similar, there is a great disparity between the two sentences, don't you think? I'm going back to look at his charges.

RC's earlier charges were possession only, not trafficking. The difference is TRAFFICKING.

Same with Hope. Her earlier charges were possession. Trafficking is more of a big deal and a major criminal step.

 

[stilettos]

I don't know how it works in PC as Ron and Misty opted for a jury trial whereas Hope made a plea. Depends on the docket and the judge's schedule, I would think.

Jury trial won't help them..they are going down.

 

[lonetraveler]

On Hope's call with her mother, she hanged herself is less than five minutes! I'm sure they didn't have to play the entire tape. What a hard gal. Not much sympathy here. Not with that attitude and rap sheet. Wow. The judge was kind to give her 15 years, which is the minimum. She's actually lucky.

I can't help but wonder if the entire tape was played and the judge also got to listen to Hope's confusion as to what she was agreeing to. She sounded as if she didn't have a clue as to what her pleading NOLO, really meant. Makes you wonder just what her attorney did for her. Don't get me wrong, I hope all of them don't see daylight anytime soon, I'm just thinking that she wasn't really understanding what she would be eligible for as far as the Youth Offender Program and anything else. Hope's mother seemed to understand that Hope had maybe screwed up pleading this way, but Hope didn't seem to have a clue. Just observing.

 

[stilettos]

RC's earlier charges were possession only, not trafficking. The difference is TRAFFICKING.

I thought he was arrested for maintaining a drug vehicle???

 

[lonetraveler]

RC's earlier charges were possession only, not trafficking. The difference is TRAFFICKING.

Well, I do remember that he had charges for possessing equipment for selling.....

 

[grace60]

On Hope's call with her mother, she hanged herself is less than five minutes! I'm sure they didn't have to play the entire tape. What a hard gal. Not much sympathy here. Not with that attitude and rap sheet. Wow. The judge was kind to give her 15 years, which is the minimum. She's actually lucky.

She is lucky. When she gets out she will still be young enough to have a family and a career if that's the path she chooses.

 

[Dr.Fessel]

Jury trial won't help them..they are going down.

They have them dead to rights.

 

[watchinginky]

Let's discuss what Hope's sentencing today might mean for Ron Cummings, Misty Croslin, Tommy Croslin and Donna Brock.

Please back up facts with links and opinions with IMOs.

Thanks!

IMO, I think Misty and Ron are going to have much longer sentences since they both had more charges against them.

Tommy may get the same as Hope....IMO

Hopefully this will be an eye opener for Misty and she will start flappin' those lips!!

 

[Tainted Angel]

Holy Cow!

Just catching up on the threads and saw this. I bet all of the players are now sitting in their cells with the contents of every jail house phone call and visit they've had running through their head about now.

I would think that now, Ms. Sykes was wishing she could do that program and drug treatment both at the same time!

IMO, I don't think LE had anything to do with why Ron was in court today to observe the sentencing and make him think. IIRC, it was the defense who was going to call him as a witness so they had him subpoenaed. LE would not have had any control over that. I'm sure they just count it as a lucky break.

 

[Zoe Bogart]

I can't help but wonder if the entire tape was played and the judge also got to listen to Hope's confusion as to what she was agreeing to. She sounded as if she didn't have a clue as to what her pleading NOLO, really meant. Makes you wonder just what her attorney did for her. Don't get me wrong, I hope all of them don't see daylight anytime soon, I'm just thinking that she wasn't really understanding what she would be eligible for as far as the Youth Offender Program and anything else. Hope's mother seemed to understand that Hope had maybe screwed up pleading this way, but Hope didn't seem to have a clue. Just observing.

I wondered the same when I began listening, but as the tape goes on and on she becomes more vile, more hateful, more vicious, and only gets "sweet" as the end when she says "sorry, Mom". Listening to the entire tape probably would have gotten her 30 years.

 

[Kimster]

But Misty hasn't ever been arrested before - or has she? Her juvenile records would be sealed....:waitasec:

Or would juvenile records come into play? Are they not counted when arrested as an adult? I have no idea about the law on these things.

 

[CN2Souls]

Every plea deal is executed like this
Her lawyer would have had her read the paper out load to her lawyer then initial next to every line and then sign the statement saying she signs it at her free will and completely understands it.
If she did not understand it she could have asked for clarifications.

 

[Helplessly Hoping]

IMO, I think Misty and Ron are going to have much longer sentences since they both had more charges against them.

Tommy may get the same as Hope....IMO

Hopefully this will be an eye opener for Misty and she will start flappin' those lips!!

bbm--this is where I get confused. Tommy also violated the terms of his bond for gun theft, so aside from being held on no bond, does he incur any further penalty?

 

[1Chump]

Hope Sykes, a cousin of Ronald Cummings, received a minimum mandatory sentence of 15 years in prison after pleading no contest to a drug trafficking charge. She also faces $250,000 in fines.

http://www.news4jax.com/news/23277023/detail.html

Wow. That Judge just sent a LOUD AND CLEAR message that he is not messing around with these guys. Usually, a defendant pleads "no contest" to get a reduced sentence. I cannot remember ever hearing of a defendant pleading "no contest" and getting the full sentence.

 

[woodville]

Jacksonville.com is reporting that since Hope had only been out of jail for less than two weeks on the possession charge when she was arrested on the drug trafficking charge, she was not eligible for the youthful offender consideration which she would have received a much shorter sentence. LaRue says the youthful offender statute is for young people who are pressured or led astray by peers. “This is not the case here,” he said going farther in explaining that this second charge was not a simple possession charge. “What she did was engage in trafficking.”
This could explain LE calling Misty the "mastermind" in the drug trafficking sting. I wonder if we will see any new head snapping, kiss my azz tapes from the jailhouse now. She is looking at a lot of years and it doesn't look like she has a way out even if she does talk.