Court Security

Ex-lawyer killed 2 at Texas courthouse in ‘92: Should lawyers now be able to bypass security there?

Angry about a divorce and child-custody battle in which he was a party and facing criminal charges in another state concerning claimed abuse of a relative, a former Texas lawyer took a 9 mm semiautomatic Glock to the Tarrant County courthouse in July 1992 and started shooting. Two lawyers were…

Jul 17, 2015 12:10 PM CDT

Jury convicts ‘sovereign citizen’ of filing false liens against federal judge and prosecutor

A federal jury in Houston on Wednesday convicted a Texas man of filing fraudulent liens against a federal judge and prosecutor in retaliation for their work on an earlier criminal case in which he was convicted. Tyrone Eugene Jordan, 44, is described as a “sovereign citizen” in a press release…

Jul 15, 2015 4:55 PM CDT

Federal courthouse security was not breached, says US Marshal in wake of steamy photos

Concerned about an apparent security breach at the federal courthouse in Harrisburg, a Pennsylvania apartment dweller took photos of a man and woman having sex on the roof and sent them to a local television station. But not to worry: The situation wasn’t an example of a courthouse security breach,…

Jul 14, 2015 10:45 AM CDT

Ex-judge likely to serve only 30 days for stealing drug evidence from courthouse

A retired Pennsylvania judge was sentenced Monday to as much as 23½ months behind bars for stealing cocaine from evidence from the courthouse in which he formerly worked. But Paul Pozonsky probably will serve only 30 days, followed by two years of probation, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports. The former Washington…

Jul 13, 2015 12:10 PM CDT

Man charged in law office bombing case is having a hard time finding defense counsel

A man accused of sending letter bombs to two Canadian law offices and an auto repair shop where his ex-wife works is having a hard time finding an attorney to represent him in his criminal case. Guido Amsel, 49, said at a Thursday court hearing he hadn’t been able to…

Jul 10, 2015 1:05 PM CDT

Courthouse shooter’s relatives convicted of cyberstalking, face possible life prison terms

A federal jury in Wilmington, Delaware, has convicted three family members of a courthouse shooter of cyberstalking causing death. Lenore Matusiewicz and her children, David Matusiewicz and Amy Gonzalez, now face possible life prison terms when they are sentenced in October in the landmark case. Prosecutors say this is the…

Jul 10, 2015 11:40 AM CDT

Court closed after shot accidentally fired by security officer; reporter arrested in meeting melee

An Ohio courthouse was put on lockdown Thursday morning and closed to the public for the rest of the day after a shot was fired during a dispute at a meeting in the Richland County commissioners’ office. A security guard reportedly fired his gun by accident, and another man, Ashland…

Jul 10, 2015 10:05 AM CDT

Man punches his lawyer in court melee after being found not guilty of murder at trial

A 31-year-old man initially thought he would be freed on Wednesday after winning a verdict in a murder trial of not guilty by reason of insanity, although he was determined to have committed manslaughter. When his lawyer told him he was headed to the hospital following the Manhattan jury verdict,…

Jul 2, 2015 3:55 PM CDT

Grenade-shaped perfume bottle caused evacuation at Ohio courthouse

It was shaped like a World War II-era pineapple grenade and even had a cap and a pin. A bomb-sniffing dog alerted to its unusual scent. But the suspicious object in a suitcase that closed an Ohio courthouse for most of the day on Tuesday was actually a perfume bottle,…

Jul 1, 2015 4:15 PM CDT

Man accused of jury threat, biting court officer in 2010 gets mistrial after lawyer punch

A man charged with disrupting his initial Massachusetts murder trial by threatening the jury and a witness and biting a Worcester Superior Court officer, will not have to proceed with a retrial. The 35-year-old defendant, Janleer Povez, reportedly punched his own defense lawyer in the mouth in court Monday. Although…

Jun 30, 2015 1:15 PM CDT

New court service alerts property owners when deeds or other documents are filed

For those willing to forge documents, stealing someone else’s home may not be difficult. Anyone who wishes to generally can file a document at the county courthouse, and most property owners likely would have no idea that a fraudulent claim to ownership had been made. However, some court officials are…

Jun 16, 2015 2:45 PM CDT

TV reporters covering Hastert case cited for breaking federal courthouse rules

Two veteran network news reporters were cited last week for allegedly violating Chicago federal courthouse media rules (PDF) while covering the arraignment of former U.S. House speaker Dennis Hastert. Both Brian Ross of ABC News and Gabe Gutierrez of NBC Nightly News were accused of attempting to interview Hastert outside…

Jun 15, 2015 4:25 PM CDT

Murderer who sent razor blade to judge won’t be charged; it was an accident

When a Utah judge received a razor blade in April along with a pro se filing from convicted murderer Ramon Somoza, an investigation ensued. But the 35-year-old won’t be charged with any new crime, prosecuting attorney Chad Grunander told the Salt Lake Tribune, because mailing the razor blade to 4th…

Jun 12, 2015 1:45 PM CDT

Judge suffers bite wounds in court battle

A Washington state judge suffered bite wounds, authorities said, after getting involved in a courtroom clash Thursday between a defendant and a prosecutor and a courtroom deputy. According to video footage, defendant Roberto Diaz-Lara, 49, who had just been convicted in a Clark County Superior Court child-molestation trial, tried to…

Jun 12, 2015 12:50 PM CDT

Federal cyberstalking trial blames courthouse shooter’s widow, son and daughter for slaying of woman

There’s no dispute that former police officer Thomas Matusiewicz shot two women to death at a Delaware courthouse on Feb. 11, 2013, as they were headed to a child-support hearing, and then committed suicide. But an unusual federal cyberstalking trial now underway in Delaware also seeks to hold his widow,…

Jun 12, 2015 11:10 AM CDT