Montgomery County Justice Court Judge set for trial
WINONA, Miss. (WCBI) – A Montgomery County Justice Court Judge will stand trial for a September 2025 case involving his funeral home.
And the daughter of a former Circuit Clerk was given another chance to get things right.
Justice Court Judge Keith Stokes Roberts will be in an unfamiliar seat in the courtroom in October.
Instead of being on the bench hearing the cases, Roberts will be in Circuit Court at the defendant’s table.
If convicted, he stands the chance of losing not only his seat on the bench, but also his freedom.
Roberts is charged with kidnapping. The charges stem from a September 2025 incident at his family’s business, Roberts and Sons Mortuary in Winona.
Reports state that a family was using the funeral home for their loved one’s final arrangements, and while there, one of the family members allegedly was not able to leave for a period of time.
But Roberts says he was only trying to finish up paperwork before the family left.
Roberts was reportedly expected to take a plea deal, but instead opted to go to trial.
If convicted, he could face between a year and 30 years in prison.
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Sheriff Jeff Tompkins says while this isn’t his case, it was investigated by the Winona Police Department, it shows that no one is above the law, no matter your position.
“Judge Roberts, now that’s a PD case. I know some of the officers that handled that, I’m confident in their work and we’ll let the courts decide. But in the end, nobody’s above the law,”
In another case, Laura Martin Ables, the daughter of former Montgomery County Circuit Clerk Lanelle Martin was also in court. She plead guilty to fraud after pocketing money from a GoFundMe she started, for the family of Montgomery County Deputy Circuit Clerk, Lesa Goldman.
Ables was non-adjudicated, meaning if she sticks to the requirements, pays all her fines, stays out of trouble and keeps her hands free and clear, the felony won’t be on her record.
It’s not what the state wanted. The state wanted Ables to serve five years on probation because it was the third time that she’s been accused of something of this nature.
“No, nobody’s above the law but also there’s gotta be a line drawn somewhere. You know, I’m all about helping somebody, giving somebody a second chance when necessary but you gotta draw a line somewhere.”
Ables was also ordered to pay a fine and all court costs and fees.
