- Judge William Vernon: [at the hearing] Will the defendant Carl Dibble please rise?
- [Carl stands up]
- Judge William Vernon: And Mrs. Dibble, if you too, please.
- [she stands up]
- Judge William Vernon: Carl Dibble, as a result of your change of plea to nolo contendere er no contest to the lesser charge of hit-and-run driving, it is the recommendation of Dr. Jim Cuyler, the victim, to whom this court applied for such recommendation, that you hereby be declared the ward to this court, that your care, custody, and control be placed under the supervision of a county probation officer for a period of one year. In addition, you will pay $250 immediately and your driver's license is hereby suspended for six months. I need hardly remind you what a very lucky young man you are and what a great debt of gratitude you owe to the compassion of Dr. Cuyler. You may be seated.
- [Carl and Mrs. Dibble sit down]
- Judge William Vernon: Will the defendant Ronald Werner please rise, also his parents?
- [they stand up]
- Judge William Vernon: And Vance Chandler and his parents, will they rise?
- [they stand up]
- Judge William Vernon: Ronald Werner and Vance Chandler, in the light of Carl Dibble's change of plea, this court has no choice but to dismiss the charges against you. In other words, by shouldering the responsibility for the act itself, your friend has just taken you two off the hook. To be, that is not a fortunate circumstance. Mr. and Mrs. Chandler, and Mr. and Mrs. Werner, your sons, though they have escaped retribution for the time being, are in deep, deep trouble! You know it and I know it! And if you don't take hold and do something about it, soon, these boys are gonna wind up in prison some day! However, the law has given both parents and children a second chance and I sincerely trust that you will make the most of it.
- Judge William Vernon: [annoyed that both Werner and Chandler's parents are not present at the hearing] It was specifically urged that the parents of these boys be present for this hearing.
- [to Werner's attorney]
- Judge William Vernon: Did you gentlemen make that quite clear to the parents concerned, Mr. Farady?
- Ron Werner's Attorney: [stands up] Mr. and Mrs. Werner are presently vacationing in the Caribbean, your honor. However, I was able to contact them by telephone and they both express their faith in their son's innocence and their confidence in my ability to convey that innocence to the court.
- Judge William Vernon: I see. And why are neither of the Chandler boy's parents here?
- Vance Chandler's Attorney: [stands up] Your honor, Vance's father is a builder. He was compelled to be present at a construction site in the Palm Desert area, today.
- Judge William Vernon: What about the mother?
- Vance Chandler's Attorney: Mrs. Chandler wasn't feeling well and it was my judgement, your honor, that her presence here, today, could serve no useful purpose.
- Judge William Vernon: She must have feeling very poorly, indeed, to have wished herself absent from a hearing so vitally important for her son.
- Vance Chandler's Attorney: Yes, sir.
- [sits down]
- Judge William Vernon: You begin to see, I think, gentlemen, the root of the problem that we're dealing with here. Parents absolve themselves from all responsibility for their sons by giving them material things instead of guidance! Now, I am going to postpone this hearing until September the 15th at 8:30 AM, in this department, and I want one parent for each of these boys present. Now, is that understood? And if they don't come here voluntarily, by heaven, I'll subpoena them!