Ross says false warrants taking valuable court time

A case which was dismissed Tuesday may lead to more accountability for people who take warrants or court summons against others and then have a change of heart in the courtroom.

?We may have to begin looking at perjury warrants for people who lie to get a warrant and then come up here when it?s time to be heard and want everything dismissed,? said General Sessions Judge Larry Ross in the case of Debra M. Basinger and Gregory L. Rains, both of whom charged one another with domestic assault.

The cases were dismissed at the request of both people Tuesday, although both were required to pay court costs. They had both charged each other with domestic assault for a domestic incident which allegedly turned physical. However, during court Tuesday, the couple maintained the skirmish was not enough to warrant a hearing.

While allowing the dismissal, Ross said he has misgivings about warrants which are being signed by judicial commissioners, pointing out either commissioners need to be tighter in writing summons and warrants or that those taking warrants should be held accountable when they get creative in swearing out allegations before the commissioners.

Ross stressed a large amount of the court?s time is wasted by docketing domestic cases and assault cases where the prosecutor has a change of heart by court time.

?Don?t have us up here refereeing your fights,? Ross told the couple in dismissing the charges.

Ross told state prosecutors he would like to look at requiring more accountability when it comes to allowing alleged victims to back out of prosecuting warrants they have taken against others. Such accountability could come in the form of show cause hearings, where a person must explain their actions or face contempt of court charges for failing to move forward with a case. Or it could be in the form of perjury charges where the accuser is believed to be lying.

There have been some past prosecutions for perjury in General Sessions Court.