Ex-clerk known as ‘Judge Whitney’ takes plea in case over unauthorized access to court records

A former deputy court clerk has taken a plea in a criminal case over her claimed unauthorized access to Missouri court and law enforcement database records. Whitney Tyler, 28, pleaded guilty to some of the misdemeanor charges and no contest to others, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports. If she successfully…

Jan 22, 2014 12:25 AM CST

Woman is charged in courthouse theft of lawyer’s briefcase

A lawyer whose briefcase was stolen at a Louisville, Ky., courthouse on Friday morning got it back after authorities identified a suspect on surveillance camera footage. They contacted the suspect, Melissa Lynn Eaton, 32, through a friend who had accompanied her to court. She later returned the briefcase and its…

Jan 13, 2014 10:40 PM CST

Inmate convicted in attempted murder-for-hire plot against federal judge

After less than an hour of deliberation, a federal jury in Fort Worth on Wednesday found a tax protester guilty of attempting to solicit the murder-for-hire of a federal judge in Texas. The defense said Phillip Monroe Ballard, 72, didn’t really intend to target District Judge John McBryde, who formerly…

Dec 11, 2013 10:55 PM CST

Facebook chat about ‘hit’ on judges adds to court problems for 2 defendants

Tipped that a Maryland man had tried to buy a rifle because he wanted to kill a judge, police didn’t have to look far to find supporting evidence. On a Facebook page, their suspect, Zachary Ryan Mitchell, and another man, Justin Ray Ferrell, complained about the Anne Arundel County judges…

Dec 3, 2013 10:45 PM CST

Funding cuts threaten federal courts’ ability to do their work, ABA cautions Congress

Dec 1, 2013 7:40 AM CST

Man gets 35 years for murder of ex, plus another 15 for similar attack on his lawyer, in open court

Justice was delayed, but not denied, after a California man stabbed his defense attorney in the face in open court with a makeshift weapon on the final day of his murder trial last year. A mistrial resulted, due to the attack on attorney John Shepard. However, Rafael Mendoza, 30, pleaded…

Nov 21, 2013 5:45 PM CST

Appellate lawyer decked in court by handcuffed death-row client sues county for damages

A Pennsylvania lawyer who was decked in court by a handcuffed death-row inmate while working as a contract appellate lawyer earlier this year has sued Blair County for damages. Plaintiff Timothy S. Burns, 40, lost consciousness briefly when he was knocked to the floor by his client at the counsel…

Nov 19, 2013 9:50 PM CST

Accused of threat to witness, convicted drug dealer exits federal courthouse when judge revokes bond

Accused of threatening a witness Sunday, a convicted drug dealer freed on bond pending sentencing showed up at the federal courthouse in Chicago on Tuesday to respond to a prosecution motion asking that he be taken into custody. But after U.S. District Judge Harry Leinenweber did, in fact, revoke bond…

Nov 15, 2013 7:35 PM CST

Lawyer charged with using attorney credential in attempt to deliver drug to courthouse lockup

A Massachusetts lawyer has been criminally charged, accused of using his attorney credential to gain access to the Chelsea District Courthouse lockup without a search in order to attempt to deliver a prescription drug to a woman being held in the building’s lockup. Michael R. Lustig, 45, is listed on…

Nov 14, 2013 7:00 PM CST

Propane-tank IED blows up at DA’s office, closing offices and courts for much of day

Updated: An improvised explosive device utilizing a propane tank broke windows and caused a fire when it blew up outside an entrance to the district attorney’s office for Jackson County, Ore., early Wednesday. However, the damage that resulted could have been much worse if the device had fully detonated, the…

Nov 13, 2013 6:20 PM CST

Rattlesnakes add extra oomph to courthouse keep-off-the-grass signs

Keep-off-the-grass signs at a Texas courthouse really meant business this week: Rattlesnakes had been spotted basking in the sun on the lawn near tall ornamental grass. Photos taken by attorneys and others show some of the snakes in the grass at the Galveston County Courthouse were at least a foot…

Nov 8, 2013 6:00 PM CST

Prison gang helped escapees get fake court orders granting early release, official says

It wasn’t just phony court orders reducing their Florida prison sentences that helped Joseph Jenkins and Charles Walker escape recently. A contraband cellphone also was found in the Orange County prison cell in which one of the two men had been housed, reports the Orlando Sentinel. But officials don’t believe…

Nov 6, 2013 5:30 PM CST

Man beats rap on courthouse-restroom vandalism case after 55 days in jail

A man who had been jailed for nearly two months awaiting trial in a felony case over damage to two Washington state courthouse restrooms beat the rap on Oct. 21, when a judge dismissed the case at the prosecution’s request because the government hadn’t shown damage exceeding $750. Within hours,…

Nov 5, 2013 5:20 PM CST

Assistant DA finds out what can go wrong when admiring a colleague’s gun

A prosecutor in Texas got a lesson in weapons safety on Monday while admiring what he believed to be an unloaded gun. First Assistant District Attorney Michael Jarrett aimed the gun at an office window at the McLennan County courthouse complex and pulled the trigger, News Channel 25 and the…

Nov 5, 2013 2:07 PM CST

Courthouse escapee leads police on high-speed chase, is captured after crash

An unidentified 29-year-old Chicago man reportedly led Wisconsin authorities on a high-speed chase Monday after fleeing the Sheboygan County Courthouse on foot after a court appearance. News reports do not make clear whether the court appearance also occurred Monday, or was at an earlier date. The suspect, who was wanted…

Nov 4, 2013 11:25 PM CST