Report: Prosecutor’s cold medicine joke causes anthrax scare at courthouse

A colleague reportedly tried to play a joke on a New York City prosecutor who had been complaining about respiratory symptoms by sending him cold medicine in the mail. But the pills were pulverized at some point during the mailing process, and the powdery white substance that arrived at the…

Sep 25, 2013 7:12 PM CDT

6 arrested, 11 court officers hurt when families argue at murder arraignment, then take it outside

When a dispute erupted Friday during a murder arraignment at a Long Island, N.Y., courthouse, court officials shepherded arguing family members of the 20-year-old defendant, Pedro Merchant and the 17-year-old victim, Dante Quinones, into the hallway. But the battle escalated and eventually spilled out into the street in front of…

Sep 23, 2013 5:55 PM CDT

Daughter of courthouse shooter held without bail in ‘unique’ cyberstalking case

The daughter of a man who reportedly shot his former daughter-in-law and another woman to death at a Delaware courthouse before committing suicide earlier this year is being held without bail in what a lawyer for another defendant has called a “unique” cyberstalking case. Amy Gonzalez, 41, was denied bail…

Sep 17, 2013 5:10 PM CDT

Court escapee who cuffed deputy and took his uniform was captured after 14-hour manhunt, police say

A prisoner brought Monday to a downtown Detroit courthouse for sentencing in an armed robbery and carjacking case was on the run for 14 hours after authorities say he overpowered and handcuffed a Wayne County sheriff’s deputy, put on part of his uniform, walked out of the building and carjacked…

Sep 10, 2013 3:10 PM CDT

Suspect stabbed sheriff’s deputy, took his uniform, fled courthouse in carjacked vehicle, police say

A downtown Detroit courthouse was on lockdown for much of the morning after a 25-year-old man about to be sentenced in an armed robbery and carjacking case made a dramatic escape Monday, police say. Wayne County Sheriff Benny Napoleon said Derreck White stabbed a deputy with a sharpened plastic comb…

Sep 9, 2013 6:15 PM CDT

Attorney can’t bring his dog to work at courthouse, says AG’s opinion backing county’s ban

A county commission can’t legally bar service animals from the courthouse. But it can nix the county attorney’s practice of bringing his pet dog to his office there, the Texas attorney general has ruled in a written opinion. Titus County Attorney John Mark Cobern said he isn’t happy about the…

Aug 30, 2013 1:50 PM CDT

Special judge will decide courthouse vault cocaine case against ex-employee, top court rules

Louisiana’s top court has put an end to a bitter dispute over the judge assigned to hear a courthouse vault cocaine-smuggling case against a former court clerk’s office employee who is also the son of another local jurist. The Louisiana Supreme Court has recused not only the civil judge assigned…

Aug 29, 2013 4:15 PM CDT

Reports: Prison gang threatened judge in connection with probe of superintendent’s slaying

A Colorado judge who signed search warrants to be used in an ongoing probe of the slaying of the state’s prison superintendent went into hiding for at least two weeks after allegedly being threatened by 211 Crew gang members, investigators say. El Paso County Judge Jonathan Walker resumed the bench…

Aug 27, 2013 9:40 PM CDT

Inquiry board says Chicago judge acquitted in courthouse battery case can’t do job without treatment

An Illinois judge who was found not guilty by reason of insanity in February in a criminal battery case over an altercation with sheriff’s deputies at a courthouse security checkpoint in Chicago is now facing a legal ethics complaint. Cook County Circuit Judge Cynthia Brim, who has been diagnosed with…

Aug 13, 2013 7:32 PM CDT

Son of courthouse shooter is held without bail after ‘unique’ cyberstalking indictment

Appearing in court on Monday in what the public defender called a “unique” cyberstalking case against multiple family members accused of playing a role in a fatal Delaware courthouse shooting earlier this year, David Matusiewicz was ordered held without bail. A prosecutor in the Wilmington case called him a flight…

Aug 12, 2013 4:25 PM CDT

3 relatives of courthouse shooter indicted, feds say cyberstalking resulted in death of victim

The wife, son and daughter of a man who fatally shot two women at a Delaware courthouse earlier this year as they arrived for a child-support hearing have been federally indicted, charged with cyberstalking that resulted in the death of a victim, reports the News Journal. The shooter himself committed…

Aug 8, 2013 5:39 PM CDT

Witness harassment has gone digital, and the justice system is playing catch-up

Aug 1, 2013 9:40 AM CDT

See the video: Inmate in court for hearing makes grab at deputy’s gun

An inmate seated in a Florida courtroom awaiting a hearing Tuesday made a grab for a sheriff deputy’s gun, but was quickly restrained. Robert Lewis Bridges, 24, was in Hillsborough Circuit Court for a hearing in a criminal case in which he faces burglary and grand theft charges. A video…

Jul 31, 2013 9:14 PM CDT

Inmate drove from courthouse in truck he found with keys in ignition, authorities say

An inmate charged with felony battery escaped from custody outside a Georgia courthouse on Tuesday as he was being transferred to a law enforcement vehicle, along with other inmates, after a court hearing. Authorities in Hall County say they believe James Edward Cantrell, 46, concealed himself in an alcove of…

Jul 17, 2013 7:00 PM CDT

Decades after ex-attorney killed 2 lawyers, shot judges in Texas courtroom, fatal conflicts continue

A fatal attack in a Texas appellate courtroom almost exactly 21 years ago is remembered as a milestone in Tarrant County history that led to a new focus on keeping lawyers, judges and litigants safe. Yet such conflicts continue today, there and elsewhere, despite the increased awareness and new security…

Jul 11, 2013 4:40 PM CDT