Court Grants Keeling Probation After FTA

Joseph Abraham Keeling, in custody, appeared in the Tenth Judicial District Court on September 24 before Judge Thomas Stockard. Keeling pleaded guilty to the gross misdemeanor of Failure to Appear (FTA) after Admission of Bail or Release without Bail, which is punishable by up to 364 days in jail and a fine of up to $2,000. 

According to Senior Deputy District Attorney Chelsea Sanford, Keeling failed to appear for a New River Justice Court hearing on July 11. She reminded the court that Keeling was in court a year prior on a gross misdemeanor of domestic violence concerning a person over 60 in which he received a suspended sentence of 364 days (with time-served credit applied for 118 days) under a provision that Keeling was not involved in further criminal activity.

"What did he do after being out of custody for that one? He was involved in more criminal activity; more domestic batteries which he pled guilty to," Sanford stated, noting misuse of 911 and altercations with family members, girlfriends, and ex-girlfriends. 

"What does he do 21 days later? He fails to appear, and he totally dismisses Court Services and his obligations to them," Sanford said, arguing that the defendant has shown he is unsupervisable, citing his continuous interactions with law enforcement. She asked the court for 364 days to run consecutively to his 100-day jail sentence for his Justice Court case.

Churchill County Public Defender Jacob Sommer began his defense by stating, "Mr. Keeling recognizes that there may be some issues in his life that he needs to handle in different ways than he has previously." According to Sommer, Keeling has taken responsibility for his failure to appear, acknowledging the cost of a conviction and his desire to change for the sake of his two sons.

"We're not here for all of the things that he's done in the past," argued Sommer, "and we aren't here for anything else except for a Failure to Appear on July 11 of 2024."

Keeling expressed concern for his aging parents, remarking, "It should not be their responsibility to have to chase a ten-year-old and a thirteen-year-old." He voiced his desire to be there for his sons rather than spend more time in jail, stating he now has options for work since his sons are in school. Keeling mentioned he had worked in the past but had been a full-time parent since his wife left six years ago.

Judge Stockard granted probation on a suspended jail sentence of 364 days to run consecutively to the Justice Court case, ordered a substance abuse evaluation, and Keeling must find gainful employment within 30 days of release.