Court Security

Attorney who defended himself at trial found guilty of trying to put contract hit on wife

A former bankruptcy practitioner in one of the collar counties outside Chicago has been convicted after a bench trial of unsuccessfully attempting to arrange a contract hit on his then-wife. Rejecting an argument by Robert Gold-Smith, who defended himself at trial, that a jailhouse “snitch” had faked a recording in…

Mar 9, 2016 2:50 PM CST

Man accused of threatening lives of federal judge and FBI on Twitter gets probation

After being held nearly three months behind bars without bail, a Minnesota man accused of threatening the lives of a federal judge and FBI agents on Twitter took a plea Tuesday morning as his case was about to go to trial. Originally charged with felonies that could have put him…

Mar 8, 2016 2:30 PM CST

Passersby douse courthouse flames with building fire extinguishers; police seek arson suspect

A Thursday morning fire at a courthouse on Hawaii’s Big Island had already been doused by passersby with fire extinguishers by the time police and firefighters arrived. But an investigation is now underway to determine who is responsible for the arson at or near the doorway of Kona’s drug court,…

Mar 4, 2016 3:25 PM CST

From loaded pistols to garden shears and Sharpie pens, court security officers have seen it all

Most people bring weapons and other contraband into Delaware courthouses by mistake, security officers say. “They truly do not remember the extra-large pair of gardening shears”—or loaded pistols or other possible weapons—“that are in the bottom of the purse,” chief John Horsman of the Delaware Capitol Police tells the Wilmington…

Mar 4, 2016 2:05 PM CST

Judge sequesters jury after courthouse hallway fight, then declares mistrial

An action-packed four days of trial in an Omaha, Nebraska, double-murder case came to an abrupt conclusion Friday morning when the judge declared a mistrial at the request of the defense. However, the prosecution did not object, following a difficult day on Thursday when a key government witness against Charles…

Mar 4, 2016 12:10 PM CST

Man convicted of first-degree murder in shooting of defendant outside Mississippi courthouse

A former firefighter accused of fatally shooting a drug case defendant outside a Mississippi courthouse last year, in the presence of the victim’s lawyer, has been convicted of first-degree murder. In closing arguments, lawyers for William Wells admitted that he killed Kendrick Armond Brown outside the Madison County Courthouse but…

Feb 23, 2016 5:00 PM CST

Widow, son and daughter of courthouse shooter get life terms in cyberstalking case

The widow, son and daughter of a man who fatally shot two women at a Delaware courthouse in 2013 have been sentenced to life terms in a first-of-its-kind federal cyberstalking case. Lenore Matusiewicz, David Matusiewicz and Amy Gonzalez were convicted by a Wilmington jury last year of cyberstalking causing death.…

Feb 19, 2016 10:15 AM CST

Gun comment backfires on court attendee, who is both held in contempt and criminally charged

Unhappy over the denial of his motion in a North Carolina child-support court, 51-year-old James Michael Robinette allegedly made a comment that made the situation considerably worse. “I guess I’ll just have to go get my gun,” he said, according to a news release by the Lincoln County sheriff’s department.…

Feb 18, 2016 5:00 PM CST

Defective door lock helps man who mistook courthouse for hotel avoid prosecution

An Oklahoma Sooners fan who made an after-hours visit to the McLennan County Courthouse in Texas last year—mistakenly believing the facility to be the Waco Hilton—and fell asleep in a third-floor courtroom has been accepted into a pretrial intervention program. Harold Anthony Schroeder “is an Oklahoma fan and came to…

Feb 17, 2016 4:20 PM CST

Defense seeks mistrial due to enhanced courtroom security in federal drug case

Following claims of witness intimidation, security has been enhanced as three defendants are tried in a federal court in Buffalo, New York, in a drug-trafficking case. Six U.S. marshals are near the three defendants, two are stationed at the courtroom door and another is patrolling the hallway, reports the Buffalo…

Feb 4, 2016 10:50 AM CST

Attorney defends himself at trial in murder-for-hire case

Things have gone from bad to worse over the last five years for a suburban Chicago attorney accused of physically abusing his wife. In 2010, after a divorce hearing in Will County, Robert Gold-Smith attacked her as they were exiting the Joliet courtroom, knocking her to the floor, according to…

Feb 2, 2016 4:30 PM CST

Defendant attacks prosecutor after conviction on sex-abuse charge

A New Mexico man faces new charges after attacking a prosecutor in a courtroom immediately following his conviction on a charge of criminal sexual contact of a minor under the age of 13. Michael T. Cox Jr., 31, can be seen on a courtroom video jumping out of his chair…

Jan 25, 2016 2:45 PM CST

Sting in drug court parking lot leads to arrest of man charged in heroin-distribution case

Reports that some defendants in a Maryland drug court not only had failed to kick the habit but were also taking drugs into the courtroom led to a sting operation last week in the Cecil County Circuit Court parking lot in Elkton. The sting resulted the arrest on Jan. 15…

Jan 22, 2016 11:00 AM CST

Texas courthouse gun bans are being reconsidered based on state AG’s opinions

Recent opinions by the attorney general of Texas has officials in charge of courthouses around the state rethinking gun bans. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has written several recent opinions relating to the state’s gun laws. Under a 2003 state law, firearms are prohibited in “the premises of any government…

Jan 21, 2016 2:00 PM CST

Chief judge wants more security at courthouse where shooting occurred during government meeting

More than a year after an armed man fired a shot during a meeting at an Iowa courthouse and then killed himself during an ensuing struggle, the Jackson County courthouse still has no armed bailiff regularly on duty. But Chief 7th Judicial District Judge Marlita Greve hopes that will soon…

Jan 15, 2016 2:05 PM CST