When a Linton man appeared in court this morning, he got upset and used unacceptable language directed at the judge. That did not go well for him.

James Randell Willoughby Jr., 34, Linton, appeared at 10:30 a.m. today, Thursday, March 18, before Judge Dena Martin in Greene Superior Court via two-way video connection between the Greene County Jail and the courtroom.

Willoughby was in court for his initial hearing on drug charges following his arrest on Monday night by Linton Police Officer Bobby Pierce.

Willoughby was charged with:

• Possession of methamphetamine, a Level 6 felony,

• Unlawful possession of syringe, a Level 6 felony,

• Possession of marijuana, a Class B misdemeanor, and

• Possession of paraphernalia, a Class C misdemeanor.

During the hearing, a public defender was appointed to represent Willoughby and his bond was set at $15,000 surety with ten percent cash allowed. After the hearing, Willoughby could have posted $1,500 cash and been released from jail. But that’s not possible now, due to his behavior during the hearing.

Willoughby is reported to have gotten upset and he became agitated. He allegedly characterized the judge using inappropriate language.

According to court records, “The defendant’s use of such language and disrespect will not be tolerated by this court. Immediate action is necessary to maintain respect for the dignity of the court.”

Willoughby was found to be in direct criminal contempt and he was sentenced to 30 days in the Greene County Jail with no good time credit allowed.

A story about Willougby’s arrest, along with another man, on Monday night, was posted on GreeneStreets yesterday. It is included below.

Story posted on GreeneStreets on Wednesday, March 18, 2021

Two arrested on drug charges during Monday night traffic stop

Two Linton men were arrested on drug charges after they were stopped in Linton because their vehicle drove left of center and had a headlight out.

James Randell Willoughby, Jr., 34, and Matthew Kyle Floyd, 22, both from Linton, were arrested by Officer Bobby Pierce of the Linton Police Department. They were both booked into the Greene County Jail between 1 and 1:30 a.m. yesterday, Tuesday, March 16, after a traffic stop late Monday, March 15.

A silver 2010 Dodge Charger was pulled over at the intersection of 11th Street NE and State Road 54 after it drove left of center and had a headlight out.

Floyd was the driver and Willoughby was a passenger along with two female passengers.

Officer Pierce was assisted on the scene by LPD Officers Joe Riley and Adam King.

Officer Pierce said he noticed a strong odor of marijuana coming from the vehicle and after all were out of the vehicle, Willoughby allegedly admitted he had marijuana in his pocket and he handed the deputy a burnt hand-rolled cigarette that smelled of burnt marijuana.

That gave the officers probable cause to search the vehicle and they found a pink bucket in the trunk with a jewelry box that contained a pouch with a cut pink straw and two Ziploc bags with a white crystal substance that field-tested positive as methamphetamine. They also found two smoking devices inside a toboggan that was inside the pink bucket. Willoughby later admitted that he had a “rig” or syringe in his pants and that he had used it to inject methamphetamine.

Deputy Pierce determined the items belonged to Floyd and Willoughby but not the two female passengers and Floyd and Willoughby were taken into custody and transported to jail where they were being held without bond pending court appearances.

Willoughby is facing preliminary charges of:

• Possession of methamphetamine, a Level 6 felony,

• Unlawful possession of syringe, a Level 6 felony,

• Possession of marijuana, a Class B misdemeanor, and

• Possession of paraphernalia, a Class C misdemeanor.

Floyd is facing preliminary charges of:

• Possession of methamphetamine, a Level 6 felony,

• Possession of marijuana, a Class B misdemeanor, and

• Possession of paraphernalia, a Class C misdemeanor.