2010.04.27 Hope allegedly said "Everyone was supposed to plea the same way"

[1Chump]

"Everyone was supposed to plea the same way."

I think Hope was told that. I think Hope was the "weak" link. I think she had the best chance to make a deal. Her actions in the drug deal appears minimal compared to the cousin she idolizes. Therefore, she could have "talked" about the drugs maybe even who supplied her dear cousin. But I'm also sure that by "hanging" out with that bunch, she has knowledge about many things such as Haleigh or other crimes. Some things she may know but not even realize is important. When Hope talks, no one knows what is going to come out her mouth as evidenced by that phone call.

I think the "eveyone was supposed to plea the same way" was Hope's dead rat in the mailbox. Hope was not smart enough to figure out they were insuring her silence by getting her to plead "no contest."

 

[faefrost]

The statute is posted here in one of the threads, you can have priors, you cannot have a capital felony, life felony or be a habitual violent felon, which she is not to my knowledge. But he still would not be under any obligation to allow her into the program. And if she failed in the program she would be right back to the mandatory minimum anyway. Her own comments show she was not likely to succeed in the program.

Yeah but between anther drug arrest two weeks prior to the trafficing arrest, plu sher performance on the tape, a month before sentancing, that she would be worse if let out after a program, and that she was outright lying to the judge (she lied to him to avoid telling him that she was a stripper). He would see no remorse and no reason to take a gamble on a youthful offender program.

 

[LaLaw2000]

This is Hope Sykes arrest record and charges as an adult:

1.) 06/10/2009 - Shoplifting - 2nd or subsequent offense - Misdemeanor

2.) 06/10/2009 - Tresspassing an Occupied Structure or Conveyance - Misdemeanor

3.) 06/24/2009 - Possesssion of Marijuana with Intent to Sell, Manufacture, or Deliver
Schedule 1 - Felony

4.) 06/24/2009 - Possession and/or Use of Narcotic Equipment - Misdemeanor

5.) 01/03/2010 - Possession of Controlled Substance without Prescription - Felony

6.) 01/20/2010 - Drug Trafficking 4 Grams of Controlled Substance - Felony

Those are (6) charges. Three are misdemeanor and three are felony charges. It appears that Hope started to get into drugs in June of 2009 as an adult. We do not know what she may have been into as a juvenile, or what she may have done and gotten away with. We will never know, and shouldn't know what may have happened as a juvenile.

All of these charges were incurred in less than one year. IMO, Hope was on the fast track to jail/prison time at the rate she was going. IDK when Hope got so 'in' with Ronald and Misty, but in June, 2009, she clearly made decisions that have wound up getting her where she is today - in prison.

Everyone involved here knows that they were caught on video. We have never seen the video from the back of the car that alledgedly depicts Hope with (2) pills in her hand. I think it does exist, IMO. Even if everyone was supposed to plea the same way, there would be different levels of culpability. Hope only had (4) grams, and that is much less than Misty or Ronald had. I actually agree that it was best Hope plead 'no contest' because of the evidence against her, then ask for the court's mercy.

Ronald and Misty are not pleading 'no contest'. I do not believe that in all of this time since the pleas were entered that Hope did not know that both Ronald and Misty pleaded 'not guilty'. She knew, IMO, and could have changed her plea at any time. So, this statement that "Everyone was supposed to plea the same way" makes no sense whatsoever.

*Sorry for the long post. Hope got what she asked for, IMO, and everybody pleading the same would have made no difference. Her dramatics and crimes got her where she is today and I have no sympathy at all for her or any other criminal.

JMO

 

[TrialAddict]

Doesn't the judge tell the person that the N/O plea is equal to a guilty plea, when he asked them if they are making the plea of their free will and understand what the plea is?
Just asking because I have heard a few judge's ask and explain what it is to a few people.

 

[Dr.Fessel]

Here are the incident reports of Hopes involvement.



http://download.gannett.edgesuite.net/wtlv/docs/2010-359.pdf

http://download.gannett.edgesuite.net/wtlv/docs/2010-336.pdf


At approximately 2312 hours, Det.. arrived in Welaka on C.R.309 and found Misty Cummings, Ronald
Cummings and Hope Sikes walking north. Det.. stopped his vehicle and all three subjects got in. M.
Cummings entered the front passenger seat, R. Cumming entered the rear passenger seat and Hope Sikes
entered the rear driver's side seat. R. Cummings then directed Det.. to drive down Oak Street and stop in the
area of Second Avenue. Det.• then purchased (9) Hydrocodone pills (approximately 6.0 grams) from M.
Cummings and R. Cummings for $65.00. After the purchase was complete M. Cummings, R. Cummings and
Hope Sikes exited the vehicle and left the area on foot.






A short time later the UC returned to the area where the UC dropped M. Cummings and
H. Sykes. M. Cummings and Sykes were walking down the roadway and the UC stopped the vehicle. M.
Cummings got into the right rear passenger's seat, H. Sykes got into the left rear passenger's and the UC
departed from the area. M. Cummings gave R. Cummings the pills that UC then received. The pills purchased
are (25) Hydrocodone pills (approximately 16.2 grams) purchased from M. Cummings, R. Cummings and Hope
Sykes for $190.00. After the purchase was complete M. Cummings, R. Cummings and Hope Sykes exited the
vehicle and left the area in a white Chevy truck.


Here is Hope's arrest warrant.

http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2010/images/01/27/felony.arrest.warrants.pdf

From the incident report and the videos I have seen I don't believe they had a case at all, she never had the pills in her hand and it would be about impossible to say she had constructive possession of them when other people had them in their actual possession.


I would really like to know who encouraged her to take that plea and why. Who told her they were all pleading one way. The only way I can see the SA could get a conviction is if Ron or Misty had agreed to testify against her saying she did have them at one point.

Credit to Maryann123 for looking the first part up.

 

[Kimster]

From the incident report and the videos I have seen I don't believe they had a case at all, she never had the pills in her hand and it would be about impossible to say she had constructive possession of them when other people had them in their actual possession.


I would really like to know who encouraged her to take that plea and why. Who told her they were all pleading one way. The only way I can see the SA could get a conviction is if Ron or Misty had agreed to testify against her saying she did have them at one point.

<quote snipped>

THANK YOU for looking that up! ITA, something is hinky about this...:waitasec:

 

[Searchfortruth]

On one of the videos, when Hope and Misty get back in the car, it looks like Hope gives the pills to Ron instead of Misty. Maybe I am remembering this wrong ?

 

[Indiana at Heart]

<quote snipped>

THANK YOU for looking that up! ITA, something is hinky about this...:waitasec:

Yes Ma'am, something is hinky... wonder if Hope knows it's a set up and she is playing along ??? maybe/maybe not:waitasec:

 

[Dr.Fessel]

<quote snipped>

THANK YOU for looking that up! ITA, something is hinky about this...:waitasec:

I can't take all the credit, Maryann123 found the incident reports.

 

[azwriter]

LMAO!

Love the avatar, you are so clever mew!
I'm with you, stupidty isn't a defense. However, I do think Hope isn't too bright. What smarts she may have I see as being overshadowed by her stubbornness. When I hear the tapes where she argues with her mother about what she is or isn't going to do and how she acts as if she is in control of her case, I believe prison is a good place for this gal. The sad thing is that being in prison does one thing - teaches the person how to be a prisoner. jmo

 

[Searchfortruth]

Here's the video where Misty and Hope come back to the car and one of them hands the pills to Ron. It's sort of hard to tell who is handing the pills over...looks like Hope, but it might have been Misty.

http://www.palatkadailynews.com/articles/2010/02/22/news/news0350.tnv

 

[azwriter]

ITA Tinsel. Today while listening to Hope's phone call to her mother, I thought about Misty using the same phrases when she was talking to her father. So many "I ain't gonna's". Someone that both of these girls believe highly in has told them not to worry, just plead nolo. Who else but Ron? All of these folks seem to believe that he is "da man"!:loser: This is more like it!

Oh joeskidbeck, I think you are so right on. Who else but Ronald could be the Kingpin and the resident attorney for this gang?
I too believe they would follow his lead over their attorney's advice. It makes me furious and sad at the same time when it comes to justice for Haeligh.
jmo

 

[Dr.Fessel]

Here's the video where Misty and Hope come back to the car and one of them hands the pills to Ron. It's sort of hard to tell who is handing the pills over...looks like Hope, but it might have been Misty.

http://www.palatkadailynews.com/articles/2010/02/22/news/news0350.tnv

In that video I see what appears to be Misty's right hand come into view and put them in Ron's hand.

 

[Emeralgem]

On one of the videos, when Hope and Misty get back in the car, it looks like Hope gives the pills to Ron instead of Misty. Maybe I am remembering this wrong ?

From what I can tell in the video where Ron C is sitting next to the UC guy (after Hope and Misty were dropped off close to the school) when Misty and Hope return to the car, Ron C reaches back and takes the pills from Hope...JMO

 

[Dr.Fessel]

From what I can tell in the video where Ron C is sitting next to the UC guy (after Hope and Misty were dropped off close to the school) when Misty and Hope return to the car, Ron C reaches back and takes the pills from Hope...JMO

Here on this video it looks like Hope's hand starts to come up but Misty's left hand is the one that actually gives them to Ron. I think we are seeing two hands. Really hard to tell.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ge7kizAgp3E

 

[Searchfortruth]

Didn't Hope say that Misty took two of the pills for herself ? Not that we can believe everything that's said, but that would go to Misty having the pills in her possession.

 

[azwriter]

Playing devils advocate here:

I cant imagine why she pled no contest. If she was only involved on one transaction, she could have claimed that she did not know where they were going or what they were doing, and once she found out she was too scared to bail. If she would have went to trial, I doubt she would have gotten more than the 15 years anyway. I could understand if she pled to a lesser charge, but to plea to the original charge is crazy in my opinion.

Also, I believe that she will win an appeal for ineffectual counsel, since its pretty clear that she had no idea what she was doing. I think it will all depend on what attorney she has to represent her in the appeal. (If its the same one that represented her in this plea, then she better adjust to the prison life).

Also, in the recorded jail tape, if she discusses conversations she had with her attorney, her attorney could argue that that information should have been protected by attorney-client privileged and should have not been released.

It just makes no sense why she pled no contest.

You play a good Devil's Advocate, Phoenixfla. However, from what I read here at WS and in the news reports, just two weeks before being busted with Ron and company, Hope was arrested for possesion of drugs. So that would make two charges on her involving drugs; one for having drugs and the second for dealing. I think that would weigh heavily on her sentence.

 

[azwriter]

In one of the phones calls, Chelsea does tell Misty she won't get much time because "you were just helping a friend"

ROFLMAO. She really did say that.

Right Raisin, and with legal advice like that from an in-law, who would need and attorney! Thanks for bringing forth the lighter side of this. jmo

 

[Violet]

Looks like Ron got them from Hope. She said they were short, ron said good thing you counted, told UC she would take care of it.

Also wonder what ron was hand jestering to hope when they were in back seat together?
Before misty and hope got out?

 

[SuziQ]

Doesn't Hope's mother remind her that when she plead No Contest that the judge asked her if she understood that by making that plea he could sentence her to 30 years? And Hope answered yes? So someone explain to me how Hope getting only 15 years is a sign her attorney didn't do her job or that Hope has the basis for an appeal. I'm not seeing it.