2009-06-04 Speed trap arrest
Incident:
Thursday June 4th, 2009: Sharon Ankrom, otherwise known as Ivy Walker, is stopped at a speed trap by the New Hampton Police Department on Route 104 in New Hampton. It was found that she had a warrant out for her arrest from Rhode Island. She was taken into custody and brought to the Belknap County Department of Corrections. An arraignment was scheduled for 9:00am June 5th, 2009.
Friday June 5th, 2009:
Ivy’s arraignment is held at 9am (video released 2009-06-08)
jraxis of NHClog.org attended the arraignment. His telling of the events as followed:
Ivy’s arraignment for yesterday’s arrest took place on the morning of Friday, 2009-06-05 in Laconia District Court.
Bill Walker, Bill D., and I showed up shortly before 09:00, when court opens and we expected the arraignment to happen. Of course, this being the typical court bureaucracy, things got off to a wonderful start: First, the court security officer claimed there was nothing scheduled for the day, that court was closed; then he vaguely remembered there was one arraignment scheduled for something that had happened the day prior. Of course, no judge was on hand yet, the court being closed.
And, as usual, they were confused over the well-documented proper procedures on videoing in the courtroom; the security officer claimed that only WMUR was allowed to video in court, and held onto the camera until I got permission from the court to bring it in.
It took them almost an hour to get the arraignment underway. They were finally able to procure a judge from their family court division, Lucinda V. Sadler. While waiting for that, Bill W. went to file the appearance form as her legal counsel while I dealt with the video motion. We then went and waited in the hallway, while the courtroom slowly filled up with bureaucrats.
A bailiff finally came out and told me the judge had approved the video motion, so I could go in and set up the camera—this time, on the witness stand, facing the defense table only. Apparently the prosecutor and judge didn’t want to appear on camera, despite them all being public officials.
A total of fifteen bureaucrats had assembled in the courtroom: The judge, Lucinda Sadler; the court clerk, Diane F. Lane; the prosecutor; Monica Cunningham, a New Hampton police officer; three bailiffs; four sheriffs; and Jim Carroll, the county attorney with three assistants. Security was ridiculously tight—not only the seven armed guards, but they had the front row of the gallery cordoned off so none of us could sit within reaching distance of the defense table, and the entire roomful of bailiffs jumped at every move that Bill made.
They denied Bill’s motion to appear as Ivy’s legal counsel, because the form wasn’t notarized, and because Ivy hadn’t explicitly granted him power of attorney to do so. The fact that that had been impossible considering that she had been incarcerated since the arrest, and the fact that they wouldn’t let him speak to her in court in order to let her do so then, didn’t matter. Typical bureaucracy.
They brought Ivy in handcuffed and shackled, and clearly not feeling well; the judge told her she could remain seated during the proceeding. The clerk read off the charges: Two counts of violating RSA 262:16, “Counterfeit, Unauthorized or Forged Stickers, or Decals or Facsimile; Altered or Modified Temporary Motor Vehicle Registration Plates,” violation of RSA 261:178, “Suspension of Registration of Vehicle,” and violation of RSA 612:3, the “Form of Demand” statute covering extradition. The complete charge was described as, “after committing a crime in another state, to wit, Rhode Island, for failing to appear in the Providence County Court, for the charge of embezzlement, in violation of the laws of the State of Rhode Island, and is now within the State of New Hampshire, and is liable under the United States Constitution to be delivered on demand of the Governor of Rhode Island and to be removed to the said state.”
As Ivy wasn’t feeling well, she said virtually nothing during the trial. They offered her a court-appointed attorney, to which she explained if she had access to a law library, she could represent herself. They still wanted to appoint stand-by counsel, and gave her a week to decide how she wanted to proceed.
The judge explained that because the Rhode Island charges were felonies, she could not enter a plea on Ivy’s behalf; also, oddly, she didn’t even ask for pleas, let alone enter ones on her behalf, on the misdemeanor motor vehicle complaints. These complaints had all been originally charged as class A misdemeanors by the arresting officer, Christopher M. Hogan, but had been downgraded to class B by the officer who appeared in court, Monica Cunningham. Ivy was given personal recognizance bail on these charges, but the judge said she could not grant any sort of bail on the felony fugitive from justice charge.
The charges against Ivy by the state of New Hampshire are:
- two counts of violating RSA 262:16 : Antitheft Laws, Offenses, Penalties, Habitual Offenders, Arrest of Nonresidents and Abandoned Vehicles > Counterfeit, Unauthorized or Forged Stickers, or Decals or Facsimile; Altered or Modified Temporary Motor Vehicle Registration Plates
- violation of RSA 261:178 : Certificates of Title and Registration of Vehicles > Suspension of Registration of Vehicle
- violation of RSA 612:3 : Uniform Criminal Extradition Law > Form of Demand
After the hearing Bill Walker and Jeremy Olson went to the impound lot to retrieve their truck. The truck needed to be towed since the police had taken the plates. Jeremy and Bill went to Ivy’s restaurant to figure out how to get the truck back as cheaply as possible. While at the restaurant police arrived at the impound lot with an order to search the truck.
At approximately 7:05pm Bill Walker left a Porc411 message indicating that 8 or 9 state and Bristol, NH police officers were at 8 Central Square, Bristol, NH (their restaurant) with a search warrant. They took at least one computer and a printer leaving Bill without the information regarding Sam Dodson‘s case or perhaps info regarding his wife’s.
Saturday June 6th, 2009: Case information regarding defendant “ANKROM, SHARON L” was found on http://courtconnect.courts.ri.gov containing the arresting agency, charges, docket entries and case event schedule:
- Arresting Agency: RHODE ISLAND DEPARTMENT OF ATTORNEY GENERAL
- Charges:
- Felony Obtaining Money Under False Pretense >$500
- Welfare fraud >$500
- False documents to public officials/employees/agencies
- Case Event Schedule:
- PRE-ARRAIGNMENT DISP CONFERENC : 04-MAY-2009
- ARRAIGNMENT : 11-MAY-2009
- PRE-TRIAL CONFERENCE : 13-JUL-2009
- Docket Entries:
- 20-FEB-2009 : INITIAL CASE DATA ENTRY
- 14-APR-2009 : INFORMATION FILED
- 04-MAY-2009 : DEFT DOES NOT APPEAR
- 06-MAY-2009 : DATE DELETED
- 06-MAY-2009 : DATE DELETED
- 08-MAY-2009 : WARRANT ISSUED
Tuesday June 9th, 2009: Bill Walker left a Porc411 message stating that police were waiting for him at the restaurant after filing paperwork with the court. They were there to take Peter, Ivy’s son, and give him to his grandparents from Rhode Island. The grandparents were there at the restaurant. Shortly afterward Atlas confirmed the situation and clarified by J’raxis.
Wednesday June 10th, 2009: J’raxis calls Porc411 to announce that Ivy is scheduled to have a bail hearing Thursday June 11th, 2009 at Laconia District Court at 1pm. In addition there is a custody hearing for Ivy’s son Peter Monday June 15th, 2009 at Plymouth Family Court at 3pm.
Thursday June 11th, 2009: J’raxis calling Porc411 reported Ivy was released with a $500 bail. The original judge had misread the law and there was bail possible for the charges against her.
Monday June 15th, 2009: The court hearing regarding the custody of Ivy’s son Peter went in her favor. The grandparents were given until Tuesday June 16th, 2009 at 12pm to return him to her.
Tuesday August 25th, 2009: Ivy was extradited to Rhode Island.
Wednesday August 26th, 2009: Ivy has an arraignment regarding her RI charges at Providence Superior Court. She was released on personal recognizance bail.
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