Court Security

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

Defendant flees courtroom after not-guilty plea, pursued by security officers and his mother

After pleading not guilty to charges of armed violence and burglary on Monday, a defendant fled a suburban Chicago courtroom with security officers and his own mother in hot pursuit. Dylan E. Draut, 39, didn’t get far in his orange jail attire and flip-flops. Although he hadn’t even escaped the…

Jul 10, 2013 10:45 AM CDT

Courtroom suicide should be a wake-up call that security is needed at rural courthouse, says sheriff

Following the apparent courtroom suicide on June 29 of a man who had just been convicted of a crime for which he could have been sentenced to a maximum of 7 years, it looks like a courthouse in rural Missouri is going to amp up security measures. Officials met on…

Jul 9, 2013 4:30 PM CDT

Convicted in case with 7-year max, man took cyanide in courtroom and died

Convicted of a sex crime and facing a possible maximum prison sentence of seven years, a Missouri man took cyanide in court and died minutes after the verdict was announced last week. Steve Parsons, 48, was the well-known owner of a St. Joseph, Mo., area tire shop, but also had…

Jul 2, 2013 5:10 PM CDT

Man who attacked deputy US marshal while trying to file pro se federal suit gets 2 years

Noting that Larry Paul Delaney had a history of assaulting law enforcement officers, the U.S. Marshal’s office sent four deputies to arrest him on an outstanding warrant at a federal courthouse in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., two years ago. The warrant came to their attention when Delaney went through security en…

Jul 1, 2013 6:30 PM CDT

Juror jailed after deputies say he stole iPhone and cash from courthouse

A Florida man called to serve on a jury used a break in the proceedings to steal an iPhone and $200 in cash from the state witness center in the Brevard County Courthouse, investigators said. Within a day after beginning work as a juror, Kyle Powell was in jail as…

Jun 27, 2013 3:40 PM CDT

Lawyer decked at court hearing is still unable to work 6 weeks later; client charged in assault

Ordered to rest as he recuperates from being struck in the head during a May 13 court hearing, Ebensburg, Pa., attorney Tim Burns was not present Tuesday at a preliminary hearing on new charges now faced by death-row inmate Andre Staton over the incident. But Blair County District Attorney Richard…

Jun 26, 2013 5:39 PM CDT

Shot fired into federal judge’s home

At least one shot shattered a window and glass door of a federal judge’s home in Jacksonville, Fla., on Sunday, authorities say. U.S. District Judge Timothy Corrigan was sitting in the family room of his home with another person on Sunday when they heard a loud bang. No one was…

Jun 25, 2013 8:09 PM CDT

‘Ratzilla’ problem at historic courthouse solved by adopted cat

At first, those in charge of the maintenance at the historic Henderson County, N.C., courthouse tried poison to resolve an out-of-control rodent population. But when a dead “Ratzilla” began decomposing in the walls of a county commissioner’s office, they decided there had to be a better solution to the problem.…

Jun 19, 2013 4:35 PM CDT

Car bomb kills 17, injures 39 outside Afghanistan’s top court; Taliban says judges were targets

A car bomb detonated Tuesday outside the Afghanistan Supreme Court killed at least 17 people and injured 39. Most of the victims are believed to be civilian court workers getting ready to board buses outside the court’s entrance and head home. However, in written statements emailed to news organizations, the…

Jun 11, 2013 6:50 PM CDT

Cuffed murder defendant bolts from courthouse, is captured; judge says trial will continue

Already serving a 54-year federal sentence over prior robberies, Keith Lauchon Jackson apparently felt he had little to lose by bolting Monday afternoon from the North Carolina courthouse where he is being tried on a first-degree murder charge. After a lunch break, the 24-year-old defendant slipped out of his leg…

Jun 11, 2013 5:12 PM CDT

Disbarred lawyer gets 30 years in attempted prosecutor hit, plus 8 in racketeering case plea

A disbarred Florida lawyer had a busy day in court on Monday. First James Tipler, 62, was sentenced to 30 years in prison after his conviction last month by an Okaloosa County jury on two counts of solicitation to commit first-degree murder, according to WJHG and the Pensacola News Journal.…

Jun 4, 2013 10:10 PM CDT

Man charged with sending letter tainted with deadly poison to federal judge

A Washington state man has been indicted and arrested, accused of sending a ricin-tainted letter to a federal judge in Spokane. Matthew Ryan Buquet, 37, was in federal court in Spokane on Wednesday, charged with mailing threatening communications. Authorities say the deadly poison in the letter mailed to senior U.S.…

May 23, 2013 1:25 PM CDT

Man jailed for 10th DUI is convicted for soliciting murder of judge, prosecutor and his ex-wife

Corrected: Sentenced to an additional 16-year prison term after being convicted–for the 10th time–of driving under the influence, Gordon Vanderark allegedly tried to get back at the Illinois prosecutor and judge who put him there. He tried to arrange with a fellow inmate for them to be killed, along with…

May 16, 2013 4:20 PM CDT