A Dalton, Ga., public defender filed a motion Thursday to dismiss the probation-related cases against several inmates whom he claims have been in jail for up to three weeks with no hearing in city court.
“You can’t leave someone in jail that long,” without a hearing, said Josh Smith, public defender for the Dalton Municipal Court.
Smith said a preliminary hearing must be held within 72 hours of when someone is arrested. The municipal court acted illegally by not holding hearings for several inmates who violated probation, he said.
Municipal court has not met during the holidays and didn’t hold any kind of special session to read the inmates their charges or grant them bond, he said.
For complete details, see tomorrow’s Chattanooga Times Free Press.