Court Security

Given 2 Years in Gun Case, Defendant Flees, Is Chased Down in Court Hall and Tackled by Prosecutor

Seth Uphoff’s experience as a former defensive back for the Eureka College football team came in handy on Thursday when a convicted defendant was sentenced to two years in a gun case Uphoff prosecuted in Peoria, Ill. Apparently hoping for probation, because he legally owned the assault rifle he shot…

Apr 13, 2012 4:00 PM CDT

Talked Into Giving Up Gun by South Fla. Judge, Man Gets 2 Years

A distraught litigant who held a gun to his own head in a South Florida courthouse last year before a judge talked him into giving up the weapon has been sentenced to two years in jail. Marin Stroia, 60, was found guilty in February of armed trespass and reckless display…

Mar 27, 2012 6:30 PM CDT

Judge Tackles Unruly Man Who Jumped Up on the Bench

A Honolulu judge tackled a man who caused a ruckus in his courtroom on Monday, according to bystanders and a police spokeswoman. Judge Lono Lee acted after the man entered Lee’s courtroom, jumped on the bench and broke a flagpole, according to Department of Public Safety spokeswoman Toni Schwartz. The…

Mar 22, 2012 12:31 PM CDT

Texas Lawyer Jailed After Courthouse Ruckus with Deputy; Accounts Differ re Who Was the Aggressor

A Texas attorney has been released from jail on $1,500 bond after being charged with a misdemeanor on accusations he instigated a ruckus with a Harris County sheriff’s deputy outside a courtroom. However, Gregory T. Josefsberg, 39, told the Houston Chronicle that it wasn’t he but the deputy who started…

Mar 21, 2012 6:47 PM CDT

Lawyer Who Witnessed Fatal Attack Outside Texas Courthouse Told Gunman ‘You Don’t Have to Kill Me’

Corrected: A Texas lawyer who was parked in front of the Jefferson County Courthouse yesterday around 11:15 a.m. not only witnessed a fatal shooting but, he says, came close to being shot himself by the gunman. Ted Johns was waiting for his brother, also an attorney, when a 41-year-old man…

Mar 15, 2012 10:20 AM CDT

One Killed, at Least Three Others Injured by Shots Fired Outside Texas Courthouse

One person was killed and at least three others, including a suspect now in custody, were injured today when a gunman opened fire at the Jefferson County Courthouse in Beaumont, Texas. An elderly woman was killed outside the courthouse, KFDM reports, and at least three others were shot. It appears…

Mar 14, 2012 6:20 PM CDT

Judge Warned in 2007 That Suspect Arrested Last Week in Wash. Courthouse Attack Could Be ‘A Threat’

A Washington state judge warned in a 2007 letter that a man arrested last week in an attack on another judge and a sheriff’s deputy “could become a threat.” Grays Harbor County District Court Stephen Brown wrote that Steven Daniel Kravetz, who was then a defendant in a domestic-violence assault…

Mar 13, 2012 6:48 PM CDT

Chicago Judge Removed from Bench After Altercation with Deputies at Security Checkpoint

Updated: After an altercation over a set of keys last week at a security checkpoint of a building housing numerous courtrooms, a Chicago judge has been removed from the bench by a committee of Cook County Circuit Court presiding judges. The committee said it took the action today against Cook…

Mar 12, 2012 10:56 PM CDT

Calls from Lawyer and Mom Lead to Arrest of Suspect in Wash. Courthouse Attack on Judge, Deputy

A suspect was arrested on Saturday following an attack Friday in a Washington state courthouse on a judge and a Grays Harbor County sheriff’s deputy. Steven Daniel Kravetz, 34, was turned in to authorities by his own mother after she realized he was wanted in the attack on Superior Court…

Mar 12, 2012 2:37 PM CDT

Judge Stabbed, Deputy Shot at Wash. State Courthouse; Judges’ Recent Suit Alleged Security Issues

Updated: A judge was stabbed and a sheriff’s deputy was shot around noon today in the Grays Harbor County Courthouse in Washington state, about 90 miles from Seattle. Both were transported to the hospital and are in satisfactory condition, the Seattle Times reports. The Seattle PI says Judge David Edwards…

Mar 9, 2012 9:57 PM CST

News Reports: Handcuffed Defendant in Leg Irons Knocked Down Court Officer as Trial Concluded

Although handcuffed and wearing leg irons, a Massachusetts criminal defendant reportedly swung his arms and knocked a court officer down on Monday afternoon as he was being led from Plymouth District Court into a holding cell, prompting a nine-car response from state, county and local police. The unidentified defendant and…

Mar 7, 2012 7:12 PM CST

Ex-Marine Gets 15 Years for Attacking Wife During Hearing in Judge’s Chambers

A man who fractured his wife’s nose and broke her jaw during an attack last year in a Florida judge’s chambers was sentenced Friday to a maximum 15-year prison term after pleading no contest to an aggravated battery charge. Paul Henry Gonzalez Jr., 29, apologized profusely and sought, with his…

Mar 6, 2012 7:44 PM CST

Judge Is Relocated for Safety After His Scolding of ‘Doofus’ Zombie Muhammad Goes Viral

A Pennsylvania judge has been relocated to a county courthouse for his safety after dismissing the case against a Muslim man accused of attacking an atheist dressed as “Zombie Muhammad” at a Halloween parade. An audio recording of Judge Mark Martin scolding the alleged victim at a December hearing went…

Feb 29, 2012 1:10 PM CST

Gun Issues Shut Down Fla. Courthouse Checkpoint Twice in One Morning

Gun incidents shut down a Florida courthouse checkpoint twice in one morning today as Hillsborough County sheriff’s deputies responded. In the first, which occurred at about 7:50 a.m., screeners at the county courthouse spotted a loaded Kel-Tec .32-caliber pistol in a backpack, reports the Tampa Bay Times. Michael Joseph Cardoso,…

Feb 21, 2012 7:45 PM CST

Gunman Who Fired Shot Outside Upstate NY Courtroom Is Killed

Updated: A gunman who opened fire near the entrance to city court in Middletown, N.Y., has been shot and killed, according to local news reports. The Times Herald-Record identifies the slain gunman as Tim Mulqueen, a former Middletown landlord with a grudge against Mayor Joe DeStefano. MidHudsonNews.com also reports the…

Feb 8, 2012 5:14 PM CST