A man charged with felony possession of methamphetamine surprised authorities last week in Ripley County Circuit Court when he walked out of the courtroom during his arraignment.
Jessie Dewayne Alvey, 34, Fisk, was apprehended a short time later in a field a few hundred yards south of the courthouse by Doniphan city police chief Mark Rodgers.
Alvey was returned to court and soon learned his bail had been revoked and re-set at $50,000 cash only at the request of assistant prosecutor Paul Oesterreicher and the approval of Judge Thomas D. Swindle. He also now faces an additional charge of contempt of court.
Alvey was released on a $25,000 surety bond the day before his July 21 arraignment and appeared for court dressed in regular attire. Jail inmates normally appear dressed in jail uniforms and wearing shackles and leg irons.
According to the Ripley County Sheriff’s Department, the defendant appeared to be in an impaired condition in the courtroom. Judge Swindle ordered the defendant to submit to a drug screening before the proceedings would continue.
Upon returning to the courtroom, Alvey was instructed to be seated but reportedly walked past the seating area and exited the courtroom on the second floor of the courthouse.
“Some courthouse officeholders reported seeing him go out the doors downstairs and were able to give us a direction he was going,” said Ripley County sheriff Mike Barton. “He was spotted by police chief Rodgers and apprehended quickly.”
Appearing before the judge a second time, Alvey reportedly directed an expletive toward the judge, who then ordered the defendant to be taken away.
Alvey was taken to the Wayne County Jail. A bond hearing was set for July 28 (today).
Alvey was stopped by a deputy about midnight July 18 while traveling east on a motorcycle along U.S. Highway 160 East near Brooks Lane.
During a search of the motorcycle, a deputy reported finding a black cloth pouch inside a saddlebag containing approximately 7.9 grams of a white crystal substance that field tested positive as methamphetamine. Three prescription pills also allegedly inside the pouch.
Alvey was charged with two counts of felony possession of a controlled substance.