It’s a short ride from the Pershing County jail to the 11th Judicial courtroom.
But, it’s long enough that freedom beckoned at least one defendant.
Amanda Street, 38, came to court from jail for a probation violation hearing on Wednesday, Sept. 5.
In October 2017 Judge Jim Shirley sentenced Street for battery on a peace officer. He imposed a suspended sentence of 364 days in jail for the alcohol-fueled event. But the terms and conditions of probation stymied the defendant.
Most recently, on July 20, 2018, the Lovelock tribal police contacted the Division of Parole and Probation. They informed Officer Markus Heimbruch that Street had been drinking and fighting. Law enforcement arrested her for aggravated assault and domestic battery. They booked her into jail.
On Wednesday, Street spoke to the judge before he decided whether to keep her in jail or reinstate her probation.
“I want to move out of Lovelock,” she told him. “They have a halfway house in Fallon. Keeping me locked up isn’t going to help me. I have a friend who will pick me up today. I’ll pack my bags and go.”
Public Defender Steve Cochran represented Street.
He spoke to the judge as his client sat quietly in the defendant’s seat, her wrists tied to a leather strap around her waist.
Street has become a fixture in the courtroom over the last decade, going back to Judge Shirley’s days as a prosecutor.
“Your Honor is aware of the role of alcohol in Ms. Street’s development and upbringing,” said Cochran. “We’ve gone through many different options in terms of treating her subsequent use- both inpatient and outpatient.”
Deputy District Attorney (DDA) Jack Bullock and Officer Heimbruch agreed.
The DDA reminded the judge that on April 15, 2018, the court reinstated the defendant on probation following an earlier violation.
“Now we’re back,” he said. “We’ve given Ms. Street all the tools — Vitality Center and 30-day programs. I believe that if she wants to stay sober she’ll have to leave the colony. But it becomes a matter of protecting the public. The State recommends that you impose the underlying 364-day sentence.”
“We have exhausted all of our treatment options,” added Officer Heimbruch. He mentioned one stone left unturned – a tribal rehabilitation center in Arizona.
The judge noted the discrepancy between the woman sitting in the courtroom and the woman described in the police reports.
“When you’re clean and sober you’re a nice person,” he said. “But when you get drunk or high you change. Some people are mean drunks.”
He added that the defendant, approaching 40, would soon begin to experience alcohol-related health issues.
“I have sympathy for you, but I’m going to impose the underlying one-year jail sentence with 147 days credit for time served,” said the judge.
However, he held open a door.
“If you apply to the tribal rehab center in Arizona I’ll allow you to go, free and clear of criminal charges,” he said.
Maybe Amanda Street will pack her bags and go, after all.
