Lawyer Enters Courtroom Cocaine Plea, Defended Accused Murderer While on Bail
A Minnesota lawyer has pleaded “not innocent” to possessing cocaine in a courtroom while defending a client on terrorist threats.
The plea agreement calls for lawyer Chuck Ramsay, 43, to spend at most 30 days in jail, the Winona Daily News reports.
According to the story, Ramsay was charged in January 2009 after exhibiting “bizarre behavior” while defending murder defendant Jack Willis Nissalke on a related charge of terrorist threats. Police saw Ramsay leave the courthouse bathroom while “sniffing profusely” and wiping his nose, according to documents quoted in the story.
Ramsay was arrested and searched moments after his client entered a guilty plea in the threats case. Police found five grams of cocaine, the story says. It wasn’t the first time his courtroom behavior was questioned, the story adds. A judge in a prior case had scolded Ramsay for an opening statement that “freaked out” the jury.
Ramsay posted $10,000 bail on the cocaine charge and went on to defend Nissalke in the murder case. Nissalke was convicted and is appealing his life sentence.
