A witness in the Marcus Wilson case in Bulloch County is serving jail time for contempt of court, court records show.
Mason Edward Glisson was the driver of the truck in 2020 when the confrontation between parties in Glisson’s truck and Wilson’s vehicle escalated and led to the death of 17-year-old Haley Hutcheson. Glisson testified over the course of two days during the trial, but what he did when he went home after the first day is what landed him in court this week.
Glisson appeared before Judge Ronnie Thompson on Wednesday for a hearing to show cause as to why he should not be held in contempt for disobeying a direct order of the court.
In Georgia, contempt of court means a ‘willful or intentional violation of a court order.’ The order does not have to be written to be enforceable and criminal contempt is punishable by up to $1,000 in fines, up to 20 days in jail, or both.
According to the Citation to Show Cause filed in Bulloch County Superior Court, “Mason Glisson, appeared before the Court on August 25, 2022, as a witness…After providing testimony, Glisson was not released from his subpoena, and was instructed by the Court not to discuss the case or his testimony with anyone. Thereafter, Glisson posted a message on Facebook concerning this case.”
Court documents filed in October also refer to the timing as ‘shortly after being instructed’ and ‘while still under subpoena.’ He was issued a Citation to Show Cause the same day and given a hearing date of October 19 and notice of his right to counsel.
Following the hearing, Thompson ordered Glisson to serve four days in jail. From the court order on Glisson’s four days:
“Mr. Glisson was given an opportunity to explain his conduct before an appropriate sanction was considered. He admitted to disobeying the court’s instructions but was somewhat evasive and showed a lack of understanding the severity of the offense and its bearing on the conduct of a criminal trial. The court attributes this to his young age, nervousness and the emotions surrounding the case. The court finds by clear and convincing evidence that he is guilty of contempt.”
Glisson was taken into custody at 9:15 a.m. on October 19 and will remain there until October 23, 2022 at 9:15 a.m.
