Court Security

More suspects at large in kidnapping of prosecutor’s dad, federal prosecutor says

Five individuals facing charges, along with an imprisoned reputed gang leader, in the kidnapping of a North Carolina prosecutor’s father will remain in custody, a federal judge in Atlanta ruled Tuesday. The victim, Frank Arthur Janssen, 63, was rescued in Atlanta last week by an elite FBI team. Assistant U.S.…

Apr 15, 2014 9:25 PM CDT

Imprisoned street gang leader used smuggled cellphone to plot kidnap of prosecutor’s dad, DOJ says

A leader of a street gang serving a life sentence in maximum security at a North Carolina prison was federally charged Friday with using a smuggled cellphone to orchestrate the kidnapping of the father of the Wake County prosecutor who convicted him, the federal Department of Justice says. Kelvin Melton,…

Apr 14, 2014 5:20 PM CDT

Respirators will be worn by judge, court staff and attendees at hearing in tuberculosis case

Everyone in the courtroom Friday, except the subject of a special hearing, is expected to wear respirators, and other special precautions also will be taken to avoid the spread of tuberculosis, an Illinois health official says. The hearing concerns a man with active pulmonary tuberculosis who has not cooperated with…

Apr 11, 2014 8:05 PM CDT

Courthouse security workers face charges over security-screening thefts

Three contract security workers face criminal charges over separate security-screening thefts at a Texas courthouse. Priscilla Ana Lewis is accused of taking an iPad at the Harris County criminal courthouse in January. Sharmichael Easter is accused of taking a hair-styling implement in February. And Mary Armstrong allegedly altered a logbook…

Apr 11, 2014 3:30 PM CDT

Elite FBI team rescues prosecutor’s dad from kidnappers in Atlanta

Updated: The father of a North Carolina prosecutor was abducted from his Wake Forest home last week in retaliation for her work on a prison inmate’s case, authorities say. Frank Arthur Janssen, 63, was rescued Wednesday night in Atlanta by an elite FBI team after being held for five days.…

Apr 10, 2014 4:50 PM CDT

Courthouse bomb-threat charges result from Wal-Mart surveillance footage of cellphone purchase

Security camera footage at a Wal-Mart where a cellphone was purchased led to charges against two men in connection with a bomb threat at a Washington state courthouse last week. Tony Deason, 43, and Steven Alan Fortman Sr., 49, were arrested by Port Angeles police in an investigation of threats…

Apr 3, 2014 5:59 PM CDT

Barefoot gunman gets 23 years in shooting outside courthouse that injured 2

The barefoot gunman in a 2012 shooting outside an Oklahoma courthouse was sentenced Monday to a little over 23 years in prison, Tulsa World reports. His family said Andrew Joseph “Joe” Dennehy, 25, is a paranoid schizophrenic and he pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity. However, a jury convicted…

Mar 31, 2014 9:55 PM CDT

Defendant’s siblings, girlfriend charged in courtroom fracas that followed his murder conviction

What authorities are describing as a courtroom melee Thursday after a second-degree murder verdict in Staten Island, N.Y., has resulted in criminal charges against the girlfriend, sister and brother of the convicted defendant. A criminal complaint says chaos erupted in Stapleton Criminal Court after Tyrell Smith, 27, was found guilty…

Mar 28, 2014 10:25 PM CDT

Police officer critically wounded, suspect dead in shooting that locked down Canadian courthouse

A police officer was critically wounded Friday in a shooting near the entrance of a Canadian courthouse located in a suburb of Toronto. Those in the A. Grenville and William Davis Courthouse in Brampton scrambled as shots were heard, and lawyers, judges and others were locked into courtrooms as police…

Mar 28, 2014 4:30 PM CDT

Man fleeing police with juvenile detention escapee crashed into courthouse, news reports say

A police chase in Louisiana ended abruptly Thursday when the vehicle officers were pursuing crashed into the Vermilion Parish Courthouse. Police said the driver suffered a broken leg in the crash, and the courthouse sustained minor damage when the vehicle caught fire after it crashed into a column on the…

Mar 27, 2014 9:35 PM CDT

Gun incident in courtroom prompts officials to consider a firearms ban, new security measures

Updated: A reported gun incident Monday in an Iowa courtroom is prompting officials to reconsider an unusual policy that allows authorized individuals to bring firearms into the courthouse. Sentenced to a 10-year prison term for possession of methamphetamine with intent to deliver, Cory Lee Daugherty, 29, argued with his attorney…

Mar 26, 2014 9:45 PM CDT

Tax protester gets 20-year max in attempted murder-for-hire plot against federal judge

Convicted last year of attempting to solicit the murder-for-hire of a federal judge in Fort Worth, a Texas man has been sentenced to a 20-year prison term, the maximum for the offense. Phillip Monroe Ballard, 72, was found guilty by a jury in December of offering $100,000 to an undercover…

Mar 19, 2014 3:50 PM CDT

Charged under federal cyberstalking law, relatives of courthouse shooter call case unconstitutional

Relatives of a Delaware courthouse shooter could get as much as life in prison if they are convicted in an unusual federal cyberstalking case that has been brought against them. But the case shouldn’t proceed because the cyberstalking law is unconstitutional, the three defendants are arguing, the News Journal reports.…

Mar 17, 2014 10:45 PM CDT

Top county prosecutor tackles fleeing defendant

As an “amped up” defendant was being sentenced in Thursday to 86 months for violating his probation in a drug-possession case, prosecutor Philip Miller stepped out of the courtroom to look for another bailiff. Then he saw the defendant, Dontae Marcus Frazier, running towards him down the hallway of the…

Mar 14, 2014 5:55 PM CDT

3 plead guilty in attempt to pay $1.2M bribe to federal judge in cartel money-laundering case

Three Mexican citizens have pleaded guilty in a failed attempt to pay a $1.2 million bribe to a federal judge hearing a drug cartel money-laundering case in Austin, Texas. Court documents say Judge Sam Sparks didn’t know about the attempted bribe before he sentenced Francisco Colorado Cessa in September, because…

Mar 12, 2014 6:19 PM CDT