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Notes:
As the judge was sentencing a male defendant and it was clear he was going to have to serve a short active sentence, the defendant's girlfriend got up, stormed out of the courtroom, slamming open the door and yelling loudly, "F*** You!"
The judge immediately stopped his sentencing and asked the bailiff to go get that woman and bring her back in. He stated she can serve time along with the defendant. The bailiff went and out and returned shortly escorting the female. The bailiff told her to sit on the front row. The judge fininshed the sentencing on her boyfriend and he was handcuffed and taken to jail.
The judge asked the woman to approach the table.
He asked her to state her name and then said, "During sentencing your threw the door open and yelled something loud enough that I needed to stop sentencing. Would you tell me what it was you said?"
She said she could not remember.
The judge, after a brief discussion of her inappropriate behavior, told her to have a seat and think about it and see if she could remember what she yelled on her way out. She sat down while the judge called up other cases.
The defense attorney in court came over to her on several occasions to give her some advice.
After all cases were heard, the judge called the woman to the bench and again expressed his displeasure with her behavior. She admitted that she had used the profanity stated above because she was upset that her boyfriend was sentenced and she was unsure how she was going to get home and her 10 month old baby was in the courthouse daycare.
The car they came in was parked on the street and she had the keys, but did not have a license.
The judge explained that her behavior calls for her to serve time in jail for contempt of court and he, originally, was going to have her serve several days in jail. He also stated that at least half of his colleagues would rule the same.
Because of the child, and ONLY because fo the child, he was not going to have her stay in custody but would give her a $75 fine to be paid no later than 2 weeks.
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