A Michigan judge took off his robes and left the bench to help a court officer take down a non-complaint defendant.
Said Judge John McBain in the incident captured on courtroom surveillance video, “Tase his a** right now.”
See video of the encounter embedded below which is partially NSFW because of language.
The judge was presiding over a hearing involving an alleged stalker and the woman who was seeking a person protective order from the court. In the exchange the judge clearly didn’t appreciate the defendant’s “bad attitude” in the Jackson County courtroom, which apparently included previous references to the judge’s daughter.
“It’s like ‘Fatal Attraction’ stuff that I warned you about last time, I told you to leave her alone,” the judge said about the alleged stalking of the woman in the courtroom. When the defendant said he wanted the alleged victim, a former high school classmate, to tell him directly to leave her alone, the judge replied that “You know what? I told you to leave her alone and apparently that didn’t come through loud and clear.”
A Michigan judge who threw off his robe and helped restrain a defiant man in his courtroom: https://t.co/e4bAbKtCpt
— WDTN (@WDTN) October 13, 2016
The judge’s original sentence was three days in jail, but when the backtalking man accused Judge McBain of being “buddy buddy” with the woman seeking the court order, the judge escalated the sentence to 45 days and then 93 days in jail. “One more word out of you and it will be a year” in the county jail, he told the man.
When the court officer tried to cuff the defendant, he appeared to resist, and that’s when the judge left the bench to provide backup in the scuffle and call upon his colleague to deploy the taser.
The courtroom incident apparently occurred last December, but the video has just surfaced.
According to MLive , the defendant violated the court order and now faces a felony charge of aggravated stalking. He is due back in court on December 2.
“There were no other officers or any sheriff’s deputies in the courtroom – they are not typically present unless there is a jailed person in court – and McBain said he assisted in getting control of Larson’s hands, arms and elbows. Schultz, a former police officer, said he was fortunate to have the judge as backup. Schultz said at one time he removed his Taser from its holster, but did not have to use it,” MLiv e added.
“McBain said it was the first time he could recall having to leave the bench to help restrain a defendant. He has since recused himself from the case as he could potentially be a witness in the stalking case,” the New York Post detailed .
As far as the “buddy buddy” accusation, “Though the judge’s daughter and the woman have some shared history, he said he knew neither [the defendant] nor the woman.”
According to the Jackson County chief judge , “A judge has the power to take whatever action is necessary to maintain order in the courtroom.” Judge McBain noted that he has zero tolerance for disruptions in his courtroom.
Judge McBain appears to be the same jurist who, in April 2014, told an apparently remorseless convicted killer that he hoped she dies in prison .
The woman, age 31 at the time, reportedly behaved in a disrespectful manner including rolling her eyes, laughing, yawning, and chiming in with “Is that it?” when loved ones of the man who was killed provided victim impact statements in the courtroom. This prompted the judge to threaten to duct tape her mouth if she didn’t pipe down. At the hearing, Judge McBain sentenced the woman to life imprisonment with no possibility of parole. Family members applauded when the judge announced his decision. He added that the case was “one of the worst cold-blooded murders” he’s ever seen.
[Featured Image by Billion Photos/ Shutterstock ]
