"Why did you not call the authorities after initial contact with the intruder?"

The People's first witness is the Michael Black case was Vickie Hawkins-Clanton, Russ Clanton's wife. When she testified in court, she was addressed as  Hawkins. She has testified in court before.

I have seen her in court for her husband's jury trials so the environment is not unfamiliar to her as it would be for most civilian witnesses.

She elaborated on the details in Deputy District Attorney A.J. Kamada's opening statement. She said "we mostly sleep in the treehouse." It is a two-story structure located "50 to 60 feet from the main residence." The gate to their property has a locked keypad so a tresspasser would have to "either break the lock or climb over the gate."

Hawkins said she had never been awakened before in this manner. "We saw a flashlight bobbing up and down the driveway. I could hear rap music."

She said her husband told her to stay in the treehouse and not leave under any circumstances. "Next thing I heard my husband yell was 'get on the ground' with some profanity. Five minutes later, he yelled for me to call 911. I was confused. Is he telling me this for the intruder's benefit or does he really want me to call 911?"

Hawkins said she and her husband hadn't slept in the treehouse since this incident and they now have a phone in the treehouse. She went to the main house and called 911. Dispatch told her to stay on the phone "until help arrived."

"At one point my husband yelled for me to get a shotgun. I couldn't remember the combination." Hawkins said she was "pretty anxious; pretty traumatized" by the incident. During parts of her direct testimony, she was crying on the stand.

When deputies arrived, one officer came in the house with Russ Clanton; one stayed outside.

Ms. Andrea Sullivan, Black's attorney started her cross examination by asking Hawkins, " Were you able to get a good look at the person who came on your property?"

"No," said Hawkins.

In response to a question, Hawkins said, "I heard my husband say, 'Stay on the ground'. I heard the intruder yell, "I am going to kill you. Other than that, I heard yelling. I heard Russ curse and say, 'Get the fuck down.'."

Hawkins said that her husband did not realize it was Black, until later.

A male juror, number 12, had a question. Judge Kaleb Cockrum asked Hawkins that question. "Why did you not call the authorities after initial contact with the intruder?"

"Because my husband said under no circumstances, leave the treehouse."

Mr. Kamada asked her, "When you were first awakened, did you discuss calling the police?"

"No. we felt it was probably safe to stay where we were," said Hawkins.

Ms. Sullivan said, "you heard yelling," then repeating what Hawkins said which was they saw a flashlight and saw the flashlight disappear. "At no point after the first time did anyone call 911?"

"No " said Hawkins.


Previous posts:

https://johnchiv.blogspot.com/2019/01/the-only-person-who-was-in-real-danger.html?m=1

https://johnchiv.blogspot.com/2019/01/all-he-does-is-talk-he-is-lawyer-and-he.html?m=1

https://johnchiv.blogspot.com/2019/01/russ-clanton-and-his-wife-testify-in.html?m=1