Go to main contentsGo to search barGo to main menu
Sunday, July 6, 2025 at 8:14 PM
Ad

Court Grants Keeling Probation After FTA

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.

More about the author/authors:
Share
Rate

Comment

Comments

July 4, 2025 -Fallon Gears Up for a “Bee-autiful”  - page 1
July 4, 2025 -Fallon Gears Up for a “Bee-autiful”  - page 2
July 4, 2025 -Fallon Gears Up for a “Bee-autiful”  - page 3
July 4, 2025 -Fallon Gears Up for a “Bee-autiful”  - page 4
July 4, 2025 -Fallon Gears Up for a “Bee-autiful”  - page 5
July 4, 2025 -Fallon Gears Up for a “Bee-autiful”  - page 6
July 4, 2025 -Fallon Gears Up for a “Bee-autiful”  - page 7
July 4, 2025 -Fallon Gears Up for a “Bee-autiful”  - page 8
July 4, 2025 -Fallon Gears Up for a “Bee-autiful”  - page 9
July 4, 2025 -Fallon Gears Up for a “Bee-autiful”  - page 10
July 4, 2025 -Fallon Gears Up for a “Bee-autiful”  - page 11
July 4, 2025 -Fallon Gears Up for a “Bee-autiful”  - page 12
July 4, 2025 -Fallon Gears Up for a “Bee-autiful”  - page 13
July 4, 2025 -Fallon Gears Up for a “Bee-autiful”  - page 14
July 4, 2025 -Fallon Gears Up for a “Bee-autiful”  - page 15
July 4, 2025 -Fallon Gears Up for a “Bee-autiful”  - page 16
July 4, 2025 -Fallon Gears Up for a “Bee-autiful”  - page 1Page no. 1
July 4, 2025 -Fallon Gears Up for a “Bee-autiful”  - page 2Page no. 2
July 4, 2025 -Fallon Gears Up for a “Bee-autiful”  - page 3Page no. 3
July 4, 2025 -Fallon Gears Up for a “Bee-autiful”  - page 4Page no. 4
July 4, 2025 -Fallon Gears Up for a “Bee-autiful”  - page 5Page no. 5
July 4, 2025 -Fallon Gears Up for a “Bee-autiful”  - page 6Page no. 6
July 4, 2025 -Fallon Gears Up for a “Bee-autiful”  - page 7Page no. 7
July 4, 2025 -Fallon Gears Up for a “Bee-autiful”  - page 8Page no. 8
July 4, 2025 -Fallon Gears Up for a “Bee-autiful”  - page 9Page no. 9
July 4, 2025 -Fallon Gears Up for a “Bee-autiful”  - page 10Page no. 10
July 4, 2025 -Fallon Gears Up for a “Bee-autiful”  - page 11Page no. 11
July 4, 2025 -Fallon Gears Up for a “Bee-autiful”  - page 12Page no. 12
July 4, 2025 -Fallon Gears Up for a “Bee-autiful”  - page 13Page no. 13
July 4, 2025 -Fallon Gears Up for a “Bee-autiful”  - page 14Page no. 14
July 4, 2025 -Fallon Gears Up for a “Bee-autiful”  - page 15Page no. 15
July 4, 2025 -Fallon Gears Up for a “Bee-autiful”  - page 16Page no. 16
COMMENTS
Comment author: Mike HinzComment text: I knew Sam as a member of our church growing up. He always had a warm smile, a kind word, and a great sense of humor! He will be great missed!Comment publication date: 7/2/25, 11:57 AMComment source: Obituary -- Samuel Bruce WickizerComment author: Mike HinzComment text: Great teacher, great coach, but even a better person!!! Rest in peace Mr. BeachComment publication date: 7/2/25, 11:53 AMComment source: Obituary -- Jack Victor Beach, Jr.Comment author: Mike HinzComment text: I had Mrs Hedges for First Grade at Northside Elementary in 1969. I still, to this day, remember her as a wonderful teacher…one of my favorites!!Comment publication date: 7/2/25, 11:29 AMComment source: Obituary - Nancy Marie Hedges C Comment author: Carl C. HagenComment text: What are MFNs and PBMs ?? ............................ From the editor: This is a very good question and we apologize for not catching that wasn't in there. We reached out to the writer/submitter and got this info back...hope it's helpful. PBM: Pharmacy Benefit Managers are pharmacies that are owned by insurance companies. (CVS is one.) They negotiate with drug makers to get reduced pricing for medications, but they historically have not passed along those savings to patients. https://www.ftc.gov/system/files/ftc_gov/pdf/pharmacy-benefit-managers-staff-report.pdf MFN: Most Favored Nation pricing is a policy that means a country agrees to offer the same trade concessions (like tariffs or price reductions) to all member nations of the World Trade Organization (WTO). When applied to pharmaceuticals, it could disrupt global access, deter innovation, and obscure the deeper systemic issues in American health care. https://petrieflom.law.harvard.edu/2025/05/22/the-global-risks-of-americas-most-favored-nation-drug-pricing-policy/Comment publication date: 6/23/25, 7:47 AMComment source: L E T T E R TO THE EDITOR
SUPPORT OUR WORK