Municipal jail prisoners who are repeatedly locked up for public drunkenness are often referred to as runarounds. These are prisoners who are not escape risks and can be trusted to perform janitorial duties around the jail.

Terrance was a runaround over 20 years in the Midlands.

His home was in western North Carolina, but he said his mother and father told him "you’re no longer welcome in this house." The case was sad, because most of the officers who knew Terrance liked him.

Back to Terrance’s story. So experienced is he at the criminal justice routine for "public drunk," that standing in city court one morning he says to the judge, "Your honor, you’ve sentenced me so many times that I can do it by myself and save you all that trouble."

With a twinkle in his eye, the judge replies, "Very well." The judge then tells the arresting officer to bring Terrance up to the bench and let him preside over the case.

Terrance is now sober after a night in the slammer. He looks around the courtroom and in an authoritative voice says, "Terrance, how long have you been coming before this court?"

Terrance responds in his meek voice, "For a long time, your honor — maybe 15 years."

"Exactly my point," says Judge Terrance. "You have cost the taxpayers countless dollars for your incarceration. You serve your sentence and within a few weeks you’re back in this courtroom. What am I to do with you?"

"I don’t rightly know, your honor," says meek Terrance.

"Very well," Terrance responds to himself, "you leave me no alternative but to sentence you to 90 days in the city jail."

At that point, the real judge steps forward saying, "Consider it done," and raps the gavel!

Oddly, this was the last time that Terrance appeared in court in the Midlands. It was rumored among other inmates that Terrance was found frozen to death in a cardboard box under a bridge somewhere north of here.