Bailiff Suspended After Handcuffing Well-Known Defense Lawyer

Asked to move—twice—by an Ocala court bailiff when he sat down in two separate areas reserved for inmates, a well-known Florida defense attorney apparently became a bit cranky.

Henry Ferro uttered what the Star-Banner describes as "a curse word" and left the courtroom. But the bailiff followed him out, telling Ferro that you "can't disrespect the court like that"—and handcuffed him and put him in a secure holding area at the Marion County Courthouse, the newspaper reports, relying on information from a sheriff's office spokesman.

Ferro was released a short time later by the bailiff's supervisors and returned to the courtroom, where he represented a client in a probation violation case. He declined to comment.

The judge wasn't in the courtroom during the incident with the bailiff, who has been suspended with pay while an investigation is conducted. Meanwhile, the sheriff's office has apologized to Ferro.

A former Miami-Dade Circuit Judge, Ferro has run unsuccessfully for the jobs of state attorney general and the Marion County circuit's state's attorney. He is in his mid-50s.