Chapter 17 - Vanessa Faces Criminal Assault Charges For The Wine Glass
Judge Harrison focused his judicial attention squarely on Vanessa regarding the violent Easter dinner altercation. "Mrs. Coleman, you are formally bound over for trial on charges of second-degree felonious assault and property conspiracy," the judge announced.
Vanessa burst into loud, hysterical tears, burying her face in her hands as her defense attorney whispered urgently beside her. "I didn't mean to cut her! It was a heat-of-the-moment argument!" Vanessa sobbed across the courtroom.
"Your actions on Easter Sunday crossed the line from a family disagreement into violent criminal territory," Judge Harrison stated coldly. Bail was set at fifty thousand dollars cash bond, an amount neither Vanessa nor her struggling parents could afford to pay.
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Sheriff deputies stepped forward, slipping heavy steel handcuffs around Vanessa's wrists and leading her away through the holding doors. She cast one last desperate, pleading look toward Daniel, but Daniel kept his eyes stubbornly glued to the wooden floor.
The illusion of their united front had evaporated the moment concrete legal consequences landed on their shoulders. They were selfish cowards who only looked out for themselves when the fire finally reached their doorstep.
