Watkins Glen - An Addison man was jailed on $200.00 bail by the Schuyler County Family Court on Thursday on allegations he violated a prior court order.
According to papers filed with the court, Todd G. Jones, age 38, was found to be in contempt of court in July of this year and failed to appear for sentencing on September 11. The contempt finding stemmed from his willful failure to obey an existing family court order from 2012.
At Thursday’s court appearance, Schuyler County Attorney Steven Getman asked that Jones be sentenced to thirty days in jail, due to his history of non-compliance with court orders. In the alternative, Getman said, the court should set an appropriate bail, to ensure Jones appear for sentencing at a later date.
Failure to punish contempt of court, Getman said, sends a message that orders can be ignored and undermines faith in the justice system.
Jones, through his attorney, asked to be released, pending further proceedings.
After oral argument, Family Court Judge Dennis Morris ordered Jones held on $200.00 bail and set the matter down for further proceedings on November 13. Jones was then returned to the Schuyler County Jail.
Under New York State law, willful failure to obey a valid Family Court order may subject a party to up to six months’ incarceration for contempt of court.
The County Attorney is the legal advisor to county government and serves as the prosecuting agency for various family court matters, including cases filed by the county’s social services and probation departments.
The charges against family court respondents are allegations and respondents are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
