Criminal courtroom site of wedding

Bride wears pink, groom wears jail scrubs and handcuffs

The groom wore handcuffs and jail scrubs. The bride, dressed in a pink skirt and striped blouse, entered the room without music.

Thorn Adderley and Constance Jenkins wanted a wedding, even if it had to be in a criminal courtroom.

So with the approval of the judge overseeing Adderley’s drug trafficking case, the unusual event happened on Aug. 15 at the county courthouse in West Palm Beach.

Circuit Judge Kirk Volker handled it like any other hearing in Courtroom 11G, with deputies and clerks present. A few lawyers also watched the longtime sweethearts tie the knot.

Volker sat at the bench during the ceremony, while the bride smiled and stood with her daughter and attorney Jack Fleischman in front of the defense table. Adderley remained standing in the jury box.

There were no groomsmen, bridesmaids, flowers or rings. But the couple exchanged vows and promised to be there for each other in good times and bad. The entire event took less than four minutes.

Adderley wasn’t allowed to kiss his bride. And the consummation of the marriage and the honeymoon will have to wait, perhaps for a very long time — Adderley is facing up to 111 years in prison.

“They had planned on getting married prior to Thorn being taken into custody and wanted to follow through regardless of the circumstances,” Fleischman said. “I had promised both I would get it done.”

Jailhouse weddings

While weddings in criminal courtrooms are largely unheard

of, nuptials inside jails and prisons across Florida happen with some regularity.

The criminal justice system typically will allow weddings, as long as the public doesn’t have to pay for the ceremony and there are no security and safety concerns.

At the Palm Beach County Jail, there are about two weddings each year that are held in a chapel and officiated by a chaplain, sheriff’s spokeswoman Teri Barbera said.

There are about 3,200 inmates and about 90 pending requests for wedding ceremonies at the jail.

Deputies may allow the bride and groom to kiss, but no other contact is permitted then or as long as the jailed spouse remains in custody, Barbera said.

The Florida Department of Corrections has extensive guidelines for prison marriages.

There are 96,000 inmates in the system, and 295 weddings were held last year, said Rob Klepper, deputy communications director.

The state rules, most recently updated in 2017, call for marriage requests to be reviewed first by a psychologist and correctional officer chief, and then final approval is up to the warden.

Requests are approved unless the warden determines there’s a threat to either the security of the inmate or the prison, or public safety.

Once a wedding is granted, the spouse who isn’t incarcerated is responsible for obtaining the marriage license and paying all costs. The warden chooses the location for the ceremony.

“In order to minimize the impact of the ceremony on security, marriage ceremonies shall be of a limited nature,” the rules state. “The extent of the individual ceremony shall be limited by the warden such that they would not negatively affect the security and welfare of the institution.”

A quick hug and kiss between the newlyweds are permitted, similar to typical family visitation guidelines.

Serious felony charges

Adderley and his bride had been together for several years, and they were together when he was arrested. She was driving, he was in the passenger seat, and their little girl was in the back seat.

Deputies pulled them over near Palm Beach Gardens at 1:30 p.m. on Dec. 28 because their 2011 white BMW sedan had improperly dark-tinted windows.

The deputies said they smelled marijuana. They found a joint on Adderley and a bag with $37,211 near the driver’s seat, according to his arrest report. Adderley told detectives he was unemployed.

But Adderley’s troubles were just starting. Detectives listened to his jail calls that day and widened their investigation. By 11 p.m., they obtained search warrants for a Chevrolet Silverado and a Lake Park apartment believed to be used by Adderley

Records show the items found in the apartment included: cocaine, marijuana, guns and ammunition, and plastic baggies. In the truck: heroin, pills, and a semiautomatic pistol.

Prosecutors filed eight felony charges, including fentanyl and oxycodone trafficking, and a misdemeanor marijuana charge. A hearing is set for Nov. 20 to pick a trial date.

After Judge Volker oversaw the wedding and signed the state marriage certificate, Adderley, 26, returned to his cell at Palm Beach County Jail. He can’t afford his $130,000 bond to go on house arrest while he awaits a trial.

Jenkins, 28, went back home to raise the couple’s toddler daughter, and wait for her spouse.

“It’s a serious case,” said Fleischman, Adderley’s lawyer. “But they remain upbeat and look forward to joining each other in the near future.”