Opinion ID: 1715200
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: on petition for writ of prohibition

Text: On June 23, 1981, a Jackson County Grand Jury returned fifteen (15) indictments which have been assigned numbers on the docket of the Circuit Court of Jackson County as follows: No. 11,032, State v. Lum Cumbest No. 11,033, State v. Lum Cumbest and Dale Coleman No. 11,034, State v. Edward A. Khayat No. 11,035, State v. Edward A. Khayat No. 11,036, State v. Edward A. Khayat No. 11,037, State v. Edward A. Khayat No. 11,038, State v. Edward A. Khayat and Donald Cunningham No. 11,039, State v. Edward A. Khayat and Frank Lynn No. 11,040, State v. Edward A. Khayat and Anthony Watts No. 11,041, State v. Edward A. Khayat, Ed McElroy, Lum Cumbest, Bill Roberts, Anthony Watts, Frank Lynn, Dale Coleman, and Donald Cunningham No. 11,042, State v. Harry Krebs No. 11,043, State v. Ed McElroy No. 11,044, State v. Ed McElroy No. 11,045, State v. Bill Roberts No. 11,046, State v. Bill Roberts On June 30, 1981, the District Attorney of the Nineteenth Judicial District filed a motion in each case requesting the three circuit judges to recuse themselves from hearing these cases. On July 1, 1981, Judge Clinton Lockard filed an order recusing himself from all the cases. On July 17, 1981, the motions came on to be heard before Judge Darwin Maples. At the conclusion of the hearing, Judge Maples entered an order overruling the motions, and recommended that the State: [A]ppeal from this decision and ask the Supreme Court at this time for a ruling on this matter. You can probably get a hearing within five (5) days on this. And I honestly and sincerely request that you do that, because I believe you should get a ruling on this matter and not delay it that much. On July 29 the district attorney filed in this Court a Petition for Writ of Prohibition, supported by his brief and attached a transcript of the record of the July 17 hearing. The petition for writ of prohibition was heard by a panel of three judges on August 7 on the transcript of the record and oral argument by the district attorney. Judge Maples did not appear at the hearing and did not file a brief.