Hearing continued, defendant in hospital

The Seneca judge put a stop to a contempt hearing when he found out the defendant was in the hospital.   The city wanted to proceed today, but Judge Danny Singleton was uncomfortable by the absence of the Rev. Efford Haynes.  Seneca has been pushing for an order requiring Haynes to bring to building code his large building downtown that sits directly across the street from city offices.  As Seneca attorney Lane Davis said, it’s now an issue of public safety.  Davis said Haynes’s actions over the last five years have shown “utter disregard,” and he further accused the elderly minister of gamesmanship over a period in which four previous court orders were violated.  Judge Danny Singleton admitted he has sympathy for the position of city government, but he said the delays in resolving the long-running dispute were not all the fault of Haynes.  The Seneca lawyer contends that Haynes received an insurance settlement of $400 thousand that should have been applied to the building repairs.   Although Singleton rejected Seneca’s arguments to go forward today, he granted a second motion that, potentially, could award the city damages if Haynes later can’t justify the reasons for his absence today.