float:right; By Thursday, the video was removed from the YouTube channel where Middleton streams official proceedings. If you would like to help our coverage scope grow, consider donating to Ballotpedia. Now people are blaming her, she says. Lindsey could be seen walking to the door and answering it, at which point her connection to the call dropped. The hearing was streamed live online and posted to Judge Jeffrey Middleton's court YouTube channel.. Harris was arrested after officers found him attending the Zoom hearing at the home of the woman, from whom he had been ordered to stay away. The woman confirmed that she and her then-boyfriend had argued and that the police had arrived but offered few details about why. The video even has her home address they made me say it twice.. Coby James Harris, 21, of Sturgis, faces an assault charge stemming from a Feb. 9 argument with his girlfriend, Mary Lindsey. display: block; At some point before he went off screen, the defendant's name tag changed to his actual name. As ordered by the Michigan Supreme Court at the time, YouTube live-streams began as a way to remain transparent during Zoom hearings, as public court hearings allow people to watch. At that moment, Davis told the court that police officers were knocking on the door of Lindseys apartment. Centreville is the county seat for St. Joseph County and about 30 miles south of Kalamazoo and 150 miles west of Detroit. With Harris and Lindsey tuning in from separate cameras, St. Joseph County prosecutor Deborah Davis asked Lindsey to state her address in Sturgis, Mich., a city of about 10,000 near the Indiana border. I have reason to believe that the defendant is in the same apartment as the complaining witness right now, and I am extremely scared for her safety. This is the first time to my knowledge, if he is in the same venue, that this has occurred.. "I'm sorry.". At the same time, Harris appeared to hit a button on his phone, at which point his screen went black for a few moments. } "Just like school board meetings or city council sessions, court hearings on YouTube keep the public informed and educated. .contact_office { font-size: 0.8 em; margin-top: 0.6em; margin-bottom: 0em;margin-right: 0.5em;} [1] On November 4, 2014, Middleton was re-elected unopposed for another six-year term commencing on January 1, 2015, and expiring on December 31, 2020. @media (max-width:600px) { Im sorry I lied to you. Middleton fined him $200, according to the records. Youre digging your hole you hit bottom and youre continuing to dig.. The group says it has contacted officials with concerns about victim privacy but got only one county to change its practices and remove videos after 24 hours. The other thing is, he missed his calling. (Judge Jeffrey Middleton/Youtube) At one point in the hearing, assistant district attorney . Learn about careers at Cox Media Group. font-weight: bold; The fact that shes looking off to the side and hes moving around, I want some confirmation that she is safe before we continue.. However, someday I will be telling my grandkids about Zoom court and its shenanigans. } .widget-row.Libertarian { Tell her she almost got you put in jail for contempt of court, Middleton said, eliciting another apology. youtube 362 120 120 comments Best Add a Comment AutoModerator 2 yr. ago Hello, u/thebigremark! Feel free to email herwith any tips, questions, or comments and follow her on Twitter (@Kathryn1). He later identified the person on the other end of the line as a police officer who went to Lindseys home. "This is entirely unacceptable, and we will be urging the Legislature and the governor in the coming weeks to amend the law to authorize the commission to revisit the issue of judicial salaries next year," Marks said. You a Fan? Advertisement Key Data Middleton demanded to know the address, which she gave him. Posted by 2 years ago. Wenn Sie Ihre Auswahl anpassen mchten, klicken Sie auf Datenschutzeinstellungen verwalten. Saxon was eventually brought back into the meeting where he explained to the judge that his sister set up his account, the name camefrom a bluetooth speaker and, "it's an inside joke. margin-top: 1px; [2] Michigan District Courts Perhaps youve heard of the latest Zoom court debacle. color: black; Judge Jeffrey Middleton was hearing a preliminary examination in the case of Coby James Harris, 21, who was accused of assault with intent to commit bodily harm. School districts | background-color: #f9f9f9; Judge Jeffrey Middleton called out the defendant for his unpaid fines, and yeah, he noted the whole appearing-in-court-from-the-drivers-seat-while-having-a-suspended-license thing: The one Im struggling with is the driving suspended. He should have been a stand-up comedian and I say that because hes emceed a lot of things hes very well spoken, and makes things happy and fun, Allen said. Oh, Zoom court! background-color: #f9f9f9; To advocates, however, the moment was a grim window into the intimidation that domestic violence victims face constantly. For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser. At Least Your Colleague Spat Wasnt This Bad: Some things we just dont share with the class. A minute went by before the victim's Zoom box returned to the screen with Harris speaking to the judge as police appear to be handcuffing him inside the woman's apartment. A cigarette jutted from his lips as he addressed the court. But planned legislative pay hikes in 2020 and 2021 were scuttled by the state courts, which ruled the temporary committee exceeded its authority by tying those increases to a strict cap on lawmakers' pay for outside work. Harris faces a charge of assault with the intent to create great bodily harm, a felony that carries up to 10 years in prison. Lawrence Marks, who oversees the day-to-day operations of New York's judiciary as the state's chief administrative judge, said judges are "extremely disappointed" with the commission's decision. "A footnote in history, sure. What kind of idiot logs into court like that? Judge Jeffrey Middleton called out the defendant for his unpaid fines, and yeah, he noted the whole appearing-in-court-from-the-driver's-seat-while-having-a-suspended-license thing: Sponsored. Crystal Bonvillian, Cox Media Group National Content Desk, Zoom court hearing ends with defendant in handcuffs, Mans Zoom court hearing ends with handcuffs after hes found attending from victims home. Elections in 2023 | The move comes after State Court Administrator Tom Boyd called Middleton personally. Registration or use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. At the time, New York judges had seen their pay frozen for the prior 12 years. Absent that, judges won't get a raise until 2024 at the earliest. Top billing went to district court judge Jeff Middleton, who has been with the county 40 years. The defendant had a story about why it wasnt a blatant violation: The man told the judge he was sitting in his boss vehicle and that he didnt drive there. I knew the cops were outside. Lindsey said she put her daughter in the care of family after a nasty fight in December. That's when Davis interrupted the defense lawyer and told the court: Your honor, I have reason to believe that the defendant is in the same apartment as the complaining witness right now and Im extremely scared for her safety.". Cities | 3 comments. }, Jeffrey C. Middleton is a district court judge for the 3B District Court in Michigan. Speaking in front of a nondescript. ", "I'm embarrassed," he told the judge. [1] On November 4, 2014, Middleton was re-elected unopposed for another six-year term commencing on January 1, 2015, and expiring on December 31, 2020. County board chairman Dennis Allen introduced Middleton. Public policy. "No one asked them 'What do you think about being broadcasted on YouTube and having '1.5 million hits,' so that's the downside of this," explained Judge Middleton. General: He was unopposed in the general election on November 3, 2020.Cite error: Invalid tag; name cannot be a simple integer. Harris, who was arrested for violating his bond, appeared to deny attacking Lindsey during the February incident. Davis told Middleton she believed Harris and Lindsey were in the same location. } The referrals are a nice bonus too, Get to figuring your way around AI sooner rather than later, Enjoy. Sie knnen Ihre Einstellungen jederzeit ndern, indem Sie auf unseren Websites und Apps auf den Link Datenschutz-Dashboard klicken. .top_disclaimer { Thats the first time I ever had anybody sitting in the next room potentially intimidating a witness to assault.. Ultimately, the defendant was put on a payment plan to pay off his fines, and sentenced to a weekend in jail. Judge reads off charges, the crowd goes silent. The hearing included. .widget-row.value-only.black { Federal courts | [] Makes me think you havent gotten the message. Your Honor, I have reason to believe that the defendant is in the same apartment as the complaining witness right now, and Im extremely scared for her safety and the fact that shes looking off to the side and hes moving around, Davis said. As a writer on the internet, I admire the clicks the pair has generated. I know everybody thinks Im an idiot for staying in the relationship, said Lindsey, 31, tearful and struggling to speak at times in a Wednesday interview after her night shift as a waitress. A Michigan man reportedly made an ass of himself when he signed in for a virtual arraignment on Zoom using the screen name Buttfker 3000.. "Mr. Harris my advice is don't say anything else. Harris, who kept looking off-screen, also vanished from the call. Heres how Lexis Search Advantage | Transactional unites internal and external research to create better deals faster. The Global Legal News You Need, When You Need It. Thirty-three people with milestone anniversaries as St. Joseph County employees were recognized by the county board this week. The reported victim in that attack is Mary Lindsey. ", Middleton scolded him and said, "I'll put you in the waiting room, you can sit in limbo for a while and think about what you call yourself online.". .widget-row.Democratic { Middleton said that even if both Harris and Lindsey want the bond conditions lifted, prosecutors do not. margin-bottom: 0; As of April 1, 2019, state Supreme Court justices were paid the same amount as U.S. District Court judges $210,900 while county court judges earn 95% of that and city court judges outside New York city earn 90%. color: white; KIRO 7 News Seattle facebook feed(Opens a new window), KIRO 7 News Seattle twitter feed(Opens a new window), KIRO 7 News Seattle youtube feed(Opens a new window), streamed on the judges courtroom YouTube channel, Multiple western Washington residents indicted in connection to coast-to-coast drug ring, Seattle firefighters battle massive Lake City building fire for hours, Court finds Federal Way gun store in contempt of court, Powerball jackpot winner identified as longtime Boeing employee, Puyallup police officer charged with rape makes first court appearance. Middleton chalked up the episode to another oddity of life in a pandemic. The state Legislature's 213 members received their first pay raise since 1999 at the start of this year, bumping their pay up from $79,500 to $110,000. He said the board always makes decisions that support the countys courts system. Middleton revoked bail and told Harris to stop talking, for his own good. } Different courts have taken different approaches, but in many places, mundane proceedings have never been so widely accessible and primed for sharing, and that has created a trade-off between transparency and privacy. And to Mary Lindsey, the complainant, the hearing from earlier this month was a new trauma, as her struggle to answer questions about alleged violence from her then-boyfriend became headlines. J: "12 months of probation." The murmurs get louder. According to court records, Saxton was set to appear before the judge on a charge of possessing drug paraphernalia. In a statement, three committee members Robert Megna, Peter Madonia and Seymour Lachman said they couldn't support increasing judicial salaries while it's still uncertain how Cuomo and lawmakers will close the budget hole. Harris was arrested after officers found him attending the hearing at the home of his alleged assault victim, from whom he had been ordered to stay away. Use a descriptive title. But as a repeat offender, Harris is looking at up to 15 years behind bars. Live-streams of court proceedings have been critically important to maintaining public access to the judiciary while court buildings have been closed to protect public health. Allen said Middleton has always had and continues to have a strong memory. The balance of rights under the law absolutely does not require this, she said. It was not immediately clear what additional charges he will face following the court hearing. When Judge Middleton noted that the fine for this offence is normally $200, Saxton appeared to change his mind, admitting to being in possession of the syringe and other paraphernalia. Is Your Firm Keeping Pace With The Advancements In eDiscovery? STURGIS, Mich. A Michigan court defendant finds himself in even more trouble after he got caught attending a Zoom hearing from his alleged victims home last week. Both Harris and Lindsey were attending a livestream court hearing March 2, along with attorneys and Judge Jeffrey Middleton. On the driving with a suspended license charge, he was given two days in jail (to be served on the weekend). The referrals are a nice bonus too! .widget-key { 124 North Main Street Box 130 Three Rivers, MI 49093. The prosecutor and Harris' attorney could not be immediately reached for comment on Thursday. J: "A fine of $600." Chants of "Jail-em Jeffrey!" can be heard. Telephone: 269-279-7488 Fax: 269-279-6007 General email: info@threeriversnews.com: info@threeriversnews.com . Then came the court hearing. She said she had looked through the comments on news articles: A lot of people are saying, well, its her fault., It was just really frustrating to me that everyone was watching, she said. Video of the March 2 hearing is publicly available on Judge Jeffrey Middleton's YouTube channel. WATCH: Assault suspect caught violating restraining order during virtual court hearing. "It's the first time I ever had anybody sitting in the next room, potentially intimidating a witness," Middleton said. padding-left: 10px; Middleton immediately asked Harris and the woman where they were appearing from and both gave different addresses. Hon. "Unfortunately, challenging fiscal times require thoughtful approaches to multi-year commitments when spending scarce tax dollars," the three members wrote. Shortly after the woman let officers inside, her box on Zoom vanished and Harris' did, too.