Court Security

Man arrested in clerk's office as he was trying to file a federal suit pleads guilty in assault case

  •  
  •  
  •  
  • Print

Arrested nearly two years ago in the clerk’s office when he went to file a lawsuit at the federal courthouse in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., a pro se plaintiff has now pleaded guilty in the assault case that resulted.

A guard noticed when Larry Paul Delaney went through security at the courthouse on July 20, 2011 that he was wanted for failing to register as a convicted sex offender, the Sun Sentinel reports.

U.S. Marshals said that when they caught up with him in the clerk’s office, Delaney put up a fight, punching and kicking at least one of them.

Locked up ever since that day, he pleaded guilty Thursday to a charge of assaulting, resisting or impeding a federal officer and faces up to eight years and a $250,000 fine when he is sentenced at a later date.

The article doesn’t say whether Delaney got to file his suit before he was arrested. He appeared to be homeless at the time of his courthouse arrest and has apparent mental problems, the newspaper says.

In response to an earlier suit, U.S. District Judge Marcia Cooke wrote that the “complaint barely articulates an intelligible sentence” and said his claims were “meritless, factually and legally frivolous” and ” an unreasonable consumption of the court’s time and resources.”

Give us feedback, share a story tip or update, or report an error.