I want to set record straight when it comes to my name

TO THE EDITOR:

It is a sad day in Warren County when one cannot contact one?s child without being charged for a crime. In this matter, it was decided upon a guilty charge of trespassing (due to the fact I would not hire an attorney to argue a point that should not have been an issue in the first place).

I would like to apologize for the county?s time that was wasted due to a misconstrued visitation on my part.

I have worked full time in this county for the past 12 years and have never had to visit the courtroom for any broken laws before. It is an embarrassment to have to defend one?s name but necessary in some instances.

I now have a better respect for those in the legal field and what they have to defend or prosecute under the rules of the law.

That being said, my name has appeared twice in the paper in the last week with incorrect information. I was not convicted of harassment but felt little better when I saw a ?correction? in Sunday?s paper that, too, was incorrect.

I then verified the correct information with the circuit court clerk?s office and was reassured my sentence is ?30-day suspended sentence with judicial diversion and no probation ? $10 fine.? Please set my name straight for the record.

Tina Smock
Plainview Road
Rock Island