Changes

Judge Craig sentenced James Everett Watson to twenty years imprisonment for having in 2010 sold $50 worth of [[methamphetamine]]s to an undercover police officer. Watson appealed to the Louisiana Court of Appeal for the Second Circuit in Shreveport on grounds that the sentence was "excessive," that his age of sixty years at the time called for a lighter punishment, and that his most recent [[felony]] had been a decade earlier. The appeals court sided with Judge Craig on the premise that the sentence "does not shock the sense of justice. ... and is not excessive for a [[defendant]] with his horrendous track record."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.law.justia.com/cases/louisiana/second-circuit-court-of-appeal/2011/46-572-ka-1.html|title=Appeal of State of Louisiana v. James Everett Watson|date=2011|publisher=law.justia.com|accessdate=May 29, 2020}}</ref>  

Judge Craig sentenced James Everett Watson to twenty years imprisonment for having in 2010 sold $50 worth of [[methamphetamine]]s to an undercover police officer. Watson appealed to the Louisiana Court of Appeal for the Second Circuit in Shreveport on grounds that the sentence was "excessive," that his age of sixty years at the time called for a lighter punishment, and that his most recent [[felony]] had been a decade earlier. The appeals court sided with Judge Craig on the premise that the sentence "does not shock the sense of justice. ... and is not excessive for a [[defendant]] with his horrendous track record."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.law.justia.com/cases/louisiana/second-circuit-court-of-appeal/2011/46-572-ka-1.html|title=Appeal of State of Louisiana v. James Everett Watson|date=2011|publisher=law.justia.com|accessdate=May 29, 2020}}</ref>  

In 2012, Judge Craig and his colleague Jeff Cox and several other court officials were defendants in an unusual suit for unspecified [[grievance]]s brought by Gary Anthony Bailey, a prisoner in the Bossier Parish minimum security prison in Plain Dealing, before the [[United States District Court for the Western District of Louisiana]] in Shreveport. Bailey sought a change of venue on grounds that he was suing his captors and could not expect a fair trial at the district court level. The federal court, however, stood with Bossier Parish officials and the matter of original jurisdiction: "Contrary to petitioner's mistaken belief, this court holds no supervisory power over state judicial proceedings and may intervene only to correct errors of constitutional dimensions."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://leagle.com/decision/In%20FDCO%2020121001361/BAILEY%20v.%20JOHNSTON|title=Bailev v. Johnston et al|publisher=leagle.com|accessdate=July 20, 2015}}</ref>  

In 2012, Judge Craig and his colleague Jeff Cox and several other court officials were defendants in an unusual suit for unspecified [[grievance]]s brought by Gary Anthony Bailey, a prisoner in the Bossier Parish minimum security prison in Plain Dealing, before the United States District Court for the Western District of Louisiana in Shreveport. Bailey sought a change of venue on grounds that he was suing his captors and could not expect a fair trial at the district court level. The federal court, however, stood with Bossier Parish officials and the matter of original jurisdiction: "Contrary to petitioner's mistaken belief, this court holds no supervisory power over state judicial proceedings and may intervene only to correct errors of constitutional dimensions."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://leagle.com/decision/In%20FDCO%2020121001361/BAILEY%20v.%20JOHNSTON|title=Bailev v. Johnston et al|publisher=leagle.com|accessdate=July 20, 2015}}</ref>  

Judge Craig's decision for the defendant in ''Petchak v. The Bossier Parish Police Jury'' was overturned in 2010 by the state appeals court. Steve and Melanie Petchak sued the police jury, the parish governing board, regarding drainage, structural problems, and a sinkhole which developed on their residential property in Country Place subdivision. While Craig found no public liability on the part of the police jury in part because of a two-year statute of limitations in such matters, the appeals court sided with the [[plaintiff]]s and ordered the case remanded to Judge Craig, who was instructed to direct the police jury to make repairs to the couple's property and to pay undetermined damages. The appeals court said that the police jury had followed its statutory authority to maintain drainage on three previous occasions by filling the sinkholes reported by a previous owner and then the Petchaks. Because the police jury accepted the subdivision plat and then undertook to correct the drainage-related problems, the court held that the police jury assumed the responsibility for the defective drainage.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://casetext.com/case/petchak-v-bossier-parish-police-jury-45705-laapp-2-cir-112410|title=Petchak v. Bossier Parish Police Jury|publisher=casetext.com|date=November 24, 2010|accessdate=July 20, 2015}}</ref>

Judge Craig's decision for the defendant in ''Petchak v. The Bossier Parish Police Jury'' was overturned in 2010 by the state appeals court. Steve and Melanie Petchak sued the police jury, the parish governing board, regarding drainage, structural problems, and a sinkhole which developed on their residential property in Country Place subdivision. While Craig found no public liability on the part of the police jury in part because of a two-year statute of limitations in such matters, the appeals court sided with the [[plaintiff]]s and ordered the case remanded to Judge Craig, who was instructed to direct the police jury to make repairs to the couple's property and to pay undetermined damages. The appeals court said that the police jury had followed its statutory authority to maintain drainage on three previous occasions by filling the sinkholes reported by a previous owner and then the Petchaks. Because the police jury accepted the subdivision plat and then undertook to correct the drainage-related problems, the court held that the police jury assumed the responsibility for the defective drainage.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://casetext.com/case/petchak-v-bossier-parish-police-jury-45705-laapp-2-cir-112410|title=Petchak v. Bossier Parish Police Jury|publisher=casetext.com|date=November 24, 2010|accessdate=July 20, 2015}}</ref>

In 2015, Judge Craig ordered the reinstatement of a Minden municipal police officer, Timothy Martin "Tim" Morris (born June 1971), who had run against the chief, Steven Wayne Cropper (born December 1952),<ref>{{cite web|url=https://voterportal.sos.la.gov/Home/Home?uid=3398292|title=Steven Cropper, December 1952|publisher=Louisiana Secretary of State|accessdate=July 20, 2015}}</ref> in the nonpartisan blanket primary held on November 4, 2014. Cropper polled more than 80 percent of the ballots cast; both candidates ran as [[Independent voter||Independent]]s.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://staticresults.sos.la.gov/11042014/11042014_60.html|title=Election Results|date=November 4, 2014|publisher=Louisiana Secretary of State|accessdate=July 20, 2015}}</ref> Craig said that the termination of Morris in 2013 was too stiff of a punishment for the charge leveled against him: that he had violated policy regarding a case involving missing children. The Minden City Council had upheld the termination by a 4-1 vote. Morris claimed that he was terminated without a proper investigation and that the appeals process was biased against him.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://press-herald.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/3262015paper.pdf|title=Judge reverses officer's firing|author=Bonnie Culverhouse|publisher=''[[Minden Press-Herald]]''|date=March 26, 2015|pages=1, 3|accessdate=July 20, 2015}}</ref>

In 2015, Judge Craig ordered the reinstatement of a Minden municipal police officer, Timothy Martin "Tim" Morris (born June 1971), who had run against the chief, Steven Wayne Cropper (born December 1952),<ref>{{cite web|url=https://voterportal.sos.la.gov/Home/Home?uid=3398292|title=Steven Cropper, December 1952|publisher=Louisiana Secretary of State|accessdate=July 20, 2015}}</ref> in the nonpartisan blanket primary held on November 4, 2014. Cropper polled more than 80 percent of the ballots cast; both candidates ran as [[Independent voter||Independent]]s.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://staticresults.sos.la.gov/11042014/11042014_60.html|title=Election Results|date=November 4, 2014|publisher=Louisiana Secretary of State|accessdate=July 20, 2015}}</ref> Craig said that the termination of Morris in 2013 was too stiff of a punishment for the charge leveled against him: that he had violated policy regarding a case involving missing children. The Minden City Council had upheld the termination by a 4-1 vote. Morris claimed that he was terminated without a proper investigation and that the appeals process was biased against him.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://press-herald.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/3262015paper.pdf|title=Judge reverses officer's firing|author=Bonnie Culverhouse|publisher=''[[Minden Press-Herald]]''|date=March 26, 2015|pages=1, 3|accessdate=July 20, 2015}}</ref>

In 2015, Judge Craig heard a case in 2015 stemming from the longstanding M6 artillery propellant issue at Camp Minden near the Bossier/Webster parish line. David Smith of Winchester, [[Kentucky]], and David Fincher of Burns, [[Tennessee]], employed by Explo Systems, Inc., faced ten charges, including reckless use of explosives, stemming from their having left behind seven thousand tons of propellant at Camp Minden. Through their attorney, Smith and Fincher petitioned Judge Craig to throw out the charges on the premise that state law does not classify the propellant as an explosive.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://press-herald.com/explo-systems-inc-owners-ask-state-judge-to-toss-charges/|title=Explo Systems Inc. owners ask state judge to toss charges|date=June 2, 2015|publisher=''Minden Press-Herald''|accessdate=July 20, 2015}}</ref>

In 2015, Judge Craig heard a case stemming from the longstanding M6 artillery propellant at Camp Minden near the Bossier/Webster parish line. David Smith of Winchester, [[Kentucky]], and David Fincher of Burns, [[Tennessee]], the owners of Explo Systems, Inc., faced ten charges, including reckless use of explosives stemming from their having left behind seven thousand tons of propellant at Camp Minden. Through their attorney, Smith and Fincher petitioned Judge Craig to throw out the charges on the premise that state law does not classify the propellant as an explosive.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://press-herald.com/explo-systems-inc-owners-ask-state-judge-to-toss-charges/|title=Explo Systems Inc. owners ask state judge to toss charges|date=June 2, 2015|publisher=''Minden Press-Herald''|accessdate=May 29, 2020}}</ref>

==References==

==References==