All language subtitles for Court - 1x02_track3_eng

Narrator: Courthouses
are supposed to be

Places of calm and dignity,

Where order is maintained
and justice is served,

But when stakes and emotions
are at their highest,

Cool heads don't
always prevail.

[ grunts ]

[ indistinct commotion ]

Coming up...

We, the jury, find the
defendant, daniel villegas...

Narrator: ...Fears and tears
as a man awaits his fate in

A third capital murder trial.

I believe that the tension,
you could cut it with a knife.

A callous killer faces
a father's fury.

[ indistinct commotion ]

And a judge leaps
through his courtroom

In a single bound.

I just wanted to get them.

Narrator: From superheroes
to a whiny mama's boy.

You're gonna make me stand up
my own mother,

My 83-year-old mother?

Narrator: With key insights
from our team of crime

And legal experts.

Stalkers are
notorious for making

Their victims
lives a living hell.

Narrator:
On "chaos in court."

♪♪

On November 5, 2018,
lisa balch passes out justice

For hartley t-shirts
outside a vancouver,

Washington, courthouse.

Five-year-old
hartley anderson

Was murdered just
three days earlier.

She was at our Halloween party
at work on Wednesday,

And I got my last
hug from her.

It's heartbreaking to see
somebody go through all this.

Narrator: Lisa balch is one of
the many hartley family

Supporters who gather
for the arraignment

Of the child's alleged killer,

37-year-old ryan burge.

Rendelman: In 2018,
burge had been dating

The mother of
this five-year-old child.

He was babysitting
for the child.

The mother returned home

And found the child
unresponsive and unconscious.

[ phone buttons beeping ]

Hartley's mother,
nataasha luchau,

Immediately calls 911.

Operator: 911.

Ryan burge says that
she has a temper tantrum,

And that she goes
into her room and starts

Banging her head
against the wall,

Ultimately
losing consciousness.

But other than that, he said
he had nothing to do with it.

He never touched her.

Narrator: Tragically, hartley
dies later at the hospital.

An autopsy reveals
severe head trauma,

And her death
is ruled a homicide.

This was a very severe beating
that caused her death,

And it just obviously couldn't
be explained away that

She hit her head.

It's not uncommon as police
officers, when we show up to

Calls where a child
has been hurt,

That someone will try to come
up with a very simple reason

Why the child was injured.

Oftentimes, those stories that
they give just don't match

The injuries.
-Bryant: It turns out,

Nataasha luchau,
the mother of little hartley,

Has been dating mr. Burge only
four months -- doesn't have

A real clear picture of his
background, which turns out to

Have included
a number of crimes.

Narrator: Ryan burge was
arrested in 2008 and spent

Six years in prison for

Setting fire to on apartment
building and trying to collect

The insurance money.

Now, the mom had no idea
about ryan's prison record.

So even though his criminal
history doesn't show that

He has any history of violence
toward anyone, much less kids,

The fact that
he's babysitting a child,

The child of the woman he's only
been dating for four months,

Could be a recipe for disaster.

Bryant: Nataasha luchau is
wrestling with so many emotions.

Yes, she's just
lost her child,

But she must probably also be
feeling some guilt.

Narrator:
At a candlelight vigil,

Hartley's mom speaks out.

The child's biological father,
peter anderson, is by her side.

Life will never be the same
without her again.

Hartley isn't here to tell you
how much all your love and care

Has meant, so I'll have to do it
[ voice breaking ] for her.

For her -- hartley, you'll
always be in our hearts.

I love you so much.

We will never stop fighting
for justice for you.

At burge's arraignment,
inside the courtroom,

The grief and tension is
excruciating as the family

Awaits burge's arrival.

This is only three days after
the murder of this little girl,

And everybody's heart
just goes out to the mother.

They all have t-shirts on
for hartley,

And they're packed
in this courtroom.

Narrator:
The stakes are extremely high,

As the family sees burge
for the first time since

The child's death.

Rendelman:
So as the defendant walks out,

You can hear the audible cries
of the family members.

[ sobbing ]

You killed my baby.

Bove: This defendant is
brought into the courtroom

Wearing a suicide smock.

Apparently,
the security had found out

That he may be
a danger to himself.

The material made from
a suicide smock is material that

Just rips easy
so they can't hang themselves.

It gives you an inside
look into what the mindset

Or the emotional state
of ryan is.

Narrator: Before
the proceeding even begins,

Hartley's mother,
nataasha luchau,

Is overwhelmed with emotion
and collapses.

The mother of hartley
anderson, the woman that had

Actually brought this demon
into the family and had

Introduced him
to this five-year-old,

Was so devastated when she saw
him that she physically had to

Be lifted and taken out of
the courtroom.

Narrator: Peter anderson,
hartley's biological father,

Is just out of
the camera's view

In the corner of the courtroom.

Carrizales: To have to be in
a courtroom with the man who

Murdered your child is gonna
be difficult for anyone.

And that really became
the boiling point for

Hartley's father.

As a court officer, I know
from experience that dealing

With an infant
or a baby's death,

That the family is definitely
on edge,

And the father just lost it.

[ indistinct commotion ]

[ dramatic music ]

♪♪

Bove: They cuffed him
for safety purposes,

Not only for the court
officers, but also for himself.

This father did
what anybody might do,

But going after the defendant
really doesn't help anybody.

It just makes everybody
more upset, more tense,

And it does nothing to promote
getting justice for hartley,

And that's the ultimate goal.

Narrator: After order is
restored in the courtroom,

Ryan burge enters a plea
of not guilty,

Which only infuriates
hartley's family even more.

Outside,
they pray for justice.

One of the saddest aspects
is not just, you know,

The fact that
this child is gone,

But the grandfather comes out
of the courtroom and explains

How this defendant has robbed
them of this grandchild.

I'll never get to see her
graduate from high school,

Be married, or anything.

He took that from us.

He took the joy
we had with her away.

He -- I just hope the --
the system works.

Narrator:
His hope is soon realized.

On February 13, 2020,
ryan burge

Is convicted of
second-degree murder.

He is sentenced
to 40 years in prison.

He's gonna be in jail
for pretty much

The rest of his life.

[ indistinct commotion ]

[ gavel pounds ]

Narrator:
In youngstown, ohio,

62-year-old dale williams sr.
Is in

Court after pleading guilty to
gunning down his girlfriend,

46-year-old elizabeth pledger-
stewart, in cold blood.

Rendelman: Dale williams sr. Had
been with the victim for about

Four years.

They had a pretty tumultuous
relationship in which

He would often be jealous
of the victim.

Toward the end,
it was getting really bad.

In fact, the defendant sent her
a threatening text

The night before the murder

Saying the world would be
a better place without you.

She told the cops about it.

They didn't even
have the chance

To, like, turn it over
to the detectives

The next day because she was
already dead

By eight o'clock
in the morning.

[ camera shutter clicks ]

At least one of
the police officers

Saw the whole
thing happen.

He was taken directly downtown
to the detective division.

[ speaks indistinctly ]

[ gunshot blasts ]

Narrator:
With no prior criminal record,

Dale williams calmly admits
to detectives that he killed

Elizabeth because he believed
she was seeing someone else.

By his own admission, he says
he -- he was out there ready

To go. He knew her direction
of travel,

How and when she went to work.

He started at six o'clock
that morning,

And he sat behind
an empty restaurant,

Waiting for her car to pass.

He waits for her,
and as he sees her

Approaching in her vehicle,
literally crashes

His vehicle into hers.

[ glass breaking ]

Whitmore: She's pleading
for her life, and he looks her

In her eyes
and merely guns her down.

[ gunshot blasts ]

Narrator: Dale williams fires
ten shots at elizabeth

At point-blank range.

A street security
camera is rolling,

But just misses capturing
the brutal murder on tape.

Cantalamessa: At least one of
the police officers

Saw the whole thing happen --
by the time he gets

Out of the car, approaches
with his weapon drawn,

Dale williams has already
dropped his weapon

And pretty much gives himself
up to the police.

We found no evidence
of miss stewart cheating on

The defendant. Um,
we looked at her phone,

We talked to the family,
and there was no evidence of

That happening.

Domestic homicide is one of
the most common types of

Homicide in
the united states today,

And about one-third, one-third,
of domestic violence victims

Will lose their life
to their male partners.

Narrator: Before williams is
sentenced at the mahoning county

Courthouse
for the horrific murder,

Judge maureen sweeney allows
elizabeth's family to give

Victim impact statements.

In the courtroom
is miss stewart's children,

Two sons and a daughter.

Her sons, anthony dees,

Is 30 years old, and jerome
stewart was 23 years old.

Narrator: This is a man
who's been part of

Their mother's life for
the last four years,

And for the grown children,

Seeing him in court is
excruciatingly painful.

I'm sure it was more than
her sons could bear.

[ music climbing ]

Narrator: Dale williams
has pled guilty to firing

Ten deadly shots into
his longtime girlfriend,

Elizabeth pledger-stewart
during a jealous rage.

Elizabeth's three grieving
children are in court

For his sentencing.

Dorsey:
And now they're sitting

Right behind the guy who
chased their mother

And hunted her like an animal,

Shot her as she begged
for her life,

And now it's all they can do
to contain themselves.

As the defendant is
sitting there waiting to hear

Victim impact statements
from the sons

And daughters of
the woman he killed,

All of a sudden,
all hell breaks loose.

[ indistinct commotion ]

Anthony dees,
he's in a black shirt,

He is the first one to go
after the defendant.

[ indistinct commotion ]

Bove: The first son
gets to the defendant,

Who's shackled and handcuffed,
and pulls him off the chair

Like a sack of potatoes
and start mopping the floor.

The second son,
who has jumped in the fray,

Is just throwing
haymakers at him.

He's in custody.

His welfare, his safety is
completely dependent on you.

So they do have
a responsibility to protect

Dale williams.

Cantalamessa: What we were
thinking is holy crap.

What's gonna happen?

The judge ducks
out the back door,

The other prosecutor and I kind
of ducked into the jury box,

Because there's nowhere
else for us to go,

And we weren't sure if
it was ever gonna end.

The deputies really couldn't
get it under control to

The extent
that they wanted to,

So they had to use
the taser.

[ indistinct commotion ]

Carrizales: The taser is going
to shoot 50,000 volts

Of electricity
into a person's body, which is

Going to incapacitate them
for a period of time,

But usually do not hurt them
to the point where they won't

Recover and basically gives

The officers the opportunity to
gain control of that subject,

Which is what they did.

Narrator:
For their violent outbursts,

Both the victim's sons,
brothers anthony and jerome,

Are arrested and charged with
obstructing official business.

Cantalamessa: They ended up
getting five days in jail,

90 days with
85 days suspended.

We, as judges, cannot allow
someone to impose

Justice on their own by having
a physical altercation.

Ultimately, dale williams was
sentenced to 23 years to

Life in prison for the murder
of elizabeth pledger-stewart.

[ indistinct commotion ]

♪♪

Mcbain: [bleep]
versus jacob larson.

24-year-old jacob larson
is no stranger

To judge john mcbain

And his jackson county,
michigan, courtroom.

Jacob larson had been
in court about four months

Before for stalking
this young woman,

A young woman that he knew
from high school.

Dawson: Judges take stalking
cases very seriously

Because serious harm
could be done to the victim.

He was slapped previously
with a restraining order

Against a victim that
he's been stalking.

Now the nature of what
a stalker is

Is that they don't stop.

They don't respect
the authority

A restraining order has.

Bryant: This young man,
for the last year,

Was accused of going to
this young woman's work,

Dropping off flowers at her
house, and leaving odd messages

On her various
social media accounts.

He continued to harass her,
reach out to her,

And she became incredibly
concerned for her safety.

If an order is in place and
the person isn't following it,

Then you, the person who wants
the order, has to go back to

Court to get the court
to enforce it.

Unfortunately, it is very
common for adult victims of

Stalking to be in the same
courtroom as their tormentors.

Dawson: There's only one
bailiff in the courtroom.

I wouldn't even have
the victim at the table

And maybe not have the victim

In the room until it was time
for the victim

To even testify.

But that's not the case here.

Jacob and his victim
is sitting just

A few feet away
from each other.

Narrator: The woman being
stalked submits evidence

That larson has violated
the protection order

A whopping 22 times.

This is a bizarre scenario
because you're in court,

And the alleged stalker is
pointing to the alleged victim,

Saying it's her fault.

Carrizales: It is not unusual
for a stalker to believe that

He, in some way, has
a relationship with his victim.

She tried to be calm,
cool, and collected,

But larson
wanted to control her,

And he wanted
to control the situation.

Judge mcbain was not
having any of it.

The judge does not like
the mouthing off.

In fact, this is a judge
who's known to be no-nonsense.

Narrator: But jail time doesn't
go over well with larson,

And his back talk is about to
push this judge over the edge.

[ indistinct ]

Narrator: Accused stalker,
jacob larson,

Violated a personal
protection order

And is sitting just a few
feet away from his victim

In court.

He's furious when judge john
mcbain gives him three days in

Jail for mouthing off.

He has no idea what he's doing

Because the court
has tremendous power.

Bove: The security in
the courtroom should be on alert

That this defendant has
no regard for the judge,

What the judge is saying --
he's leaning back in his chair.

He has his hand in his pocket,

Which you never want someone
to do when they're up there.

You don't want them
to take out

An object and use it
as a weapon.

Stand up.

Come stand up.

The court officer begins
to handcuff jacob larson,

But jacob larson is not having
it, and he is not willing

To be handcuffed.

Good.

Why do you think
you're sitting there, dude?

She's been telling you
all along,

I don't want to see you,
but this stalker has

A whole different approach
to the problem.

Rendelman: This young woman,
who has been harassed

And stalked by this young man
must be

Absolutely terrified that
he could come over to her

At any point and hurt her.

Put your hands
behind your back.

Narrator: As he watches
the defendant struggle

With the court officer,

The judge rips off his robe
and comes to his rescue.

Let me tell you,
you don't want to get into

A battle or any type of tussle
wearing a robe.

Tase his ass,
right now! Do it now!

Rendelman: You cannot even
see the judge anymore,

As he is literally down
on the ground trying to

Hold jacob larson
as the court officer

Attempts to handcuff him.

They're trying to control
this guy, who has just turned

A simple stalking, three-day
sentence into a year in jail

For contempt.

Narrator: Luckily for larson,
he isn't tased, after all.

Rendelman: After this defendant
is finally handcuffed,

Finally brought under control,

He is removed from
the courtroom

And brought to jail.

Narrator: The judge
cools off and brings

His sentence
back down to 93 days.

But after serving his time,

Jacob larson goes right back
to stalking his victim.

This defendant was charged
with aggravated stalking,

Which is a felony,

And ultimately, he got five
years in jail for the crime.

Stalkers are notorious
for being unrelenting.

They find real pride in making

Their victims'
lives a living hell.

Put it down! That is
enough from you, all right?

♪♪

Narrator: On October 5, 2018,
the jury has

Reached a verdict in
the capital murder trial

Of 41-year-old
daniel villegas.

Daniel has been tried
three different times

For double homicide
in el paso, texas,

And has spent nearly
half his life in prison.

It's always gut-wrenching,
waiting for the verdict to

Be read, but can you imagine
this being the third time

For this man who's lived
in prison for 18 years?

Everything is gonna
happen in seconds.

Narrator: Daniel's nightmare
began back in 1993.

He was a good kid who'd never

Been in trouble
with the law before.

But in a twist of fate,
a silly,

Stupid joke changed the course
of daniel's life.

He was accused of killing
two teenagers in

A drive-by shooting
when he was 16 years old.

Narrator:
On April 10, 1993,

Four teenage boys
are walking home

From a house party when a car
pulls up alongside them.

Suddenly, multiple shots are
fired from the passenger side.

Bryant: Robert England
is shot in the head,

And he drops to the ground.

17-year-old
armando lazo is hit

In the abdomen and leg
and also dies.

Juan medina and jesse
hernandez managed to escape.

They ran away unharmed.

Narrator:
The two surviving boys tell

Police they can't
identify the shooter.

There's a lot of pressure
on police to solve this case.

Over a week had gone by,
and they had

No leads
on this case whatsoever.

But one night, daniel villegas,
trying to be cool,

Jokingly tells his cousin,
david rangel,

That he is the shooter.

And then he goes,
you're kidding.

And then daniel
starts laughing.

He goes, yeah,
I was [bleep].

Narrator: Nearly two weeks
after the murders,

Police bring in a number of
teenagers from el paso's

Northeast side
for questioning,

Including
daniel villegas's cousin,

17-year-old david rangel.

He is fingered as
the trigger man by his cousin.

He said,
"well, he was just kidding."

He goes,
"well what did he tell you?"

Then he tells them the story.

So the cops haul
daniel villegas in.

Remember, he's 16.

They throw him in a chair,
interrogate him.

No attorney.

What was running through
my 16-year-old mind at that time

Was I was scared as [bleep].
And I didn't know who the hell

These you guys were. You know,
all the respect to the victims,

I didn't know who they were.

Carrizales:
Daniel was denied his basic

Constitutional right
during his interrogation.

Not only did he not have his
parents present, but he didn't

Have an attorney present
when he was interrogated,

Handcuffed to a chair, and
threatened to be assaulted by

These police officers if he did
not provide a confession.

It is not uncommon,
and, in fact,

It's used all the time, where
detectives are going to tell

A lie, they're going to try and
trick you up a little bit to

Gain a confession,
and this is allowed.

But officers are not allowed
to take part in any type of

Coercive techniques,
meaning threats, intimidation.

They cannot treat
a suspect that they're

Interrogating in any kind of
inhumane way.

Whitmore: So after hours of all
this pressure and questioning

And interrogation and forcing
this individual to be here

And to answer these questions,
with all of these layers of

Pressure and the fear
he was facing,

Villegas
actually confesses.

The fact is that,
a few hours later,

He recants, and he says,
"no, that's not what happened."

It doesn't matter.
The cops have what they want.

This guy's going to trial.

I just could not conceive
in my head that

This was reality.

You know, I couldn't conceive
it in my head.

This is america.

Narrator: Daniel's alibi?
That he was with friends

Babysitting the night of
the murders.

On December 5, 1994,

Daniel's trial begins.

Jaime olivas is
his defense lawyer.

And he actually put on
a decent defense.

He raised the alibi defense,

Called many witnesses that
were able to corroborate that

Daniel was babysitting.

Narrator: But daniel's
coerced confession was

Still part of
the state's evidence.

Is he gonna go to jail for
the rest of his life?

Narrator: Daniel villegas is
just 17 years old when he goes

On trial for the murders of
two teenage boys in 1993.

Villegas initially confessed
to the drive-by shootings

But later changed his story,

Saying he'd been coerced
during a police interrogation.

Even though daniel villegas
recanted his confession

To the detectives,

That confession was used
by prosecutors against him.

Narrator: In December of 1994,
the first trial ends in

A hung jury, deadlocked 11 to 1
in favor of conviction.

Spencer: One of the jurors just
did not believe that daniel

Had committed the offense,

And they stuck
to their conviction,

And we had a mistrial,
so we had a second trial.

Narrator: Just two months before
the second trial is set to begin

In August 1995, villegas is
given a court-appointed

Defense attorney.

Carrizales: There was no dna
from daniel villegas.

There was never
a firearm located.

There was never
any forensic evidence

Linking daniel villegas
to this crime.

Narrator: But none of that
seems to matter

In daniel's case,

There's no doubt that once
you get a confession,

It's so powerful.

No matter what
the circumstances are

In getting that confession,

It can lead to a conviction
when there's almost

No other evidence.

Narrator: And in 1995,
daniel villegas is convicted of

Capital murder and sentenced
to life in prison.

Bryant: Daniel villegas
goes to prison at age 18,

And he spends the next 18 years
of his life behind bars.

Narrator: By August 2012,
villegas has a new

Legal team, led by attorney
joe spencer.

He successfully petitions
the appellate court for

A new trial based on
ineffective counsel.

The court of appeals did
allow the case to be presented

Back to the court so that
all the other information,

And all the other evidence
could be presented in a way

That was fair to the defendant.

Narrator:
After spending 18 years,

Half his life behind bars,

Daniel is released
on bond pending a third trial.

But it's not an acquittal.

They have to go through
the trial process again.

Narrator: This time, villegas's
attorneys move to suppress

His 1993 confession,
and the move works.

Judge sam medrano rules
the confession to be

Inadmissible as evidence,

Saying it was obtained by
coercive conduct by

Police officers.

While the police officers
were never charged

With any improper conduct,

Daniel gets a second chance
at life with a new trial.

Rendelman:
He was out for four years,

Raised a family during
the time he was awaiting

His third trial to happen.

Every system is different.

In this particular case,

This case has spanned
across four years.

Narrator:
Daniel's third trial begins

On October 1, 2018,
and without the confession,

The prosecution doesn't have
much of a case.

State's putting on their case,

They were not getting anybody

That was
incriminating daniel.

They were not getting
any evidence in that

I thought was hurting us.

Narrator:
After the prosecution rests,

The defense doesn't call
a single witness.

We've got everybody
in a small room

And said okay,
everybody knows this case.

They didn't prove anything.

And we made a decision
in that room

Not to put on any evidence
because we just didn't feel

We needed to.

So the day of verdict comes,
and in the courtroom, you can

Imagine the intensity
of the emotion,

What the family
members are feeling,

What he's feeling
on the inside.

Spencer:
Daniel looks at me,

And he starts
hyperventilating.

He starts collapsing.

He starts telling me,
tell my kids

I'm sorry,
tell my kids I love them.

I know they're gonna
convict me.

I know they're not gonna --
I'm not gonna

See 'em again,
and he starts panicking.

He knows everything
he has fought for

Over the last 22 years,

18 of them in prison,
is now coming to a head.

Everything is gonna happen
in seconds.

We, the jury,
find the defendant,

Daniel villegas
not guilty of...

[ cheering ]

Rendelman: You can hear outburst
from everybody in the courtroom,

And daniel villegas
is barely able to stand.

He's so emotional, crying into
the arms of his attorney.

Spencer:
I was very happy for daniel.

Tremendous sigh of
relief for daniel,

That we were able
to give him justice

That he'd been -- eluded
him for a quarter of a century.

[ singing indistinctly ]

Daniel villegas and his wife
have chosen to take

This horrible experience in
their life and use it for

Something positive.

There now advocates for other
individuals who've been

Wrongfully convicted,

So kudos to both of them
for doing that.

It takes an incredible spirit
to be

Able to rise
from something like this.

[ cheering and screaming ]

♪♪

Narrator: Sometimes, courtroom
chaos is caused by people

Whose job it is
to keep things orderly.

We're on for --
it's a motion for contempt

By the commonwealth,
is that right?

Narrator:
52-year-old robert fleck,

The assistant
jefferson county prosecutor,

Is in a hearing before
judge sandra mclaughlin.

So we're in the louisville
courtroom with what would

Normally be considered
a pretty simple matter.

It's a dui hearing.

The prosecutor is there,

The defendant is there, and his
defense attorney is there.

That's when things
go a little bizarre.

The goal today for
the defender, mr. Braunbeck,

Is to get his client's

Dui, driving under
the influence, deferred.

Narrator: But the prosecutor
argues that the defendant,

Rickie mcallister,
should get

180 days in jail
for contempt after skipping

His court-ordered
alcohol education classes

Eight times over
the past three years.

I know why
he has failed to comply.

He's failed to comply because
he doesn't want to do it.

We've had no evidence
whatsoever here today,

So, I mean,
that's where we are.

In the midst of that defense,

The prosecutor feels
insulted by statements

From the defense attorney,

And they begin to go back
and forth.

Now, do I have to prove
why he willfully failed

To appear in court?
No, of course not.

Because he didn't.

-We don't --
-and that's why --

I'm talking here!

Bryant: In this case,
you've got a relatively young

Defense attorney.

And on the other side
a more experienced prosecutor.

So it's time to go at it.

And if he's got
a problem with it,

He can file a motion to rule
this as unconstitutional.

I'm sorry if mr. Fleck is
arguing things

That he doesn't know --
mr. Fleck is arguing --

I'm arguing things
I don't know?

I've forgotten more than you
will ever know, buddy boy.

Mclaughlin: Mr. Fleck.

Narrator: Coming up,
the childish behavior

Goes from bad to worse.

For the record,
I think this is bull[bleep].

And that's why --
I'm talking here!

Narrator: A veteran prosecutor
and a young attorney,

Are sparring in court
over a simple dui case.

I'm arguing things
I don't know?!

-I've forgotten more than
-mr. Fleck.

You will ever know, buddy boy.
-Mr. Fleck.

Prosecutors
and defense attorneys have

Intense competition.

It's no different
than the nba.

You're either playing
offense or you're defense,

And you're going to
want to win,

Regardless of what side
you're on,

But you have to keep
it professional,

And you have to keep it
under wraps just

By the very nature
of the law you practice.

I object to that!

I -- I take great umbrage of
somebody coming in here

And trying to disparage
my knowledge

And my reputation when he is
still wet behind the ears.

-Mr. Fleck, have a seat.
-...On this planet.

Okay, have a seat.
Thank you very much.

All right, we're gonna
recess until one o'clock.

We'll see you back
at one o'clock.

And the judge, at that point,
had had it.

She's like, okay,
we need to take a break.

But there's a whole 'nother
wrinkle here with mr. Fleck.

Seems he was going
to have lunch

With his 83-year-old mother.

You want me to call
my mom and tell her

I'm gonna
stand her up for lunch

Because of mr. Mcallister?

You're gonna make me
stand up my own mother,

My 83-year-old mother, who's
waiting at a restaurant for me

To show up?

Whitmore: And the judge is like,
"we need to take a break,

Who, whoa, whoa,"
and he's --

I need to have lunch
with my mommy.

In this case, it seemed
to get very personal for

The prosecutor,

And he lost total control
in this situation.

For the record,
I think this is bull[bleep].

We'll start when you are
back here,

So enjoy your lunch
with your mother.

So they break for lunch,
and they come back,

And by this time, mr. Fleck,
he -- he has calmed a bit,

And he's realized that
he needs to apologize

To the court.

Mr. Fleck, did you want
to make a statement?

I'd like to apologize
for my outburst.

I think I was being needled
by counsel incessantly,

And the very thought of me
standing up my mother --

Let me stop you right there.

The judge steps in
again and says,

"either say you're sorry,
or don't say you're sorry."

I would apologize
for my behavior,

My outburst, um, the thought
of my mother being stood up

For lunch, I had no way
to get a hold of her.

She does not have
a cellphone,

Deeply apologetic for
what I said and did.

In this situation,

The judge didn't
hold him in contempt.

The judge didn't put him in
jail, because we can do that,

But instead, his bosses said,
"enough is enough."

Rendelman: The prosecutor's
office actually fires mr. Fleck

Because of
his unprofessional conduct.

And lo and behold,
what does mr. Fleck become?

He becomes a criminal
defense attorney.

I think this is bull[bleep].

♪♪

Narrator:
In chehalis, washington,

28-year-old kodey howard
and 22-year-old

Tanner jacobson
are at a bail hearing

In judge r. W. Buzzard's
courtroom.

Howard is facing charges

Of burglary and trafficking
in stolen property.

Jacobson is arrested
for reckless driving

And operating a vehicle
with a suspended license.

The courtroom is
really pretty quiet.

You've got the attorneys
on each side.

You've got the judge,
you got a clerk,

You've got a bailiff,
and you have a few inmates.

And you have these two
individuals that are being

Accused of misdemeanors,
not felonies,

Not murders,
but two misdemeanors.

Narrator:
Also in the courtroom

Are two other inmates who have
just appeared before

Judge buzzard.

It was my birthday, and, yeah,
it was very normal day.

Every day at, uh, the same time,
we see in-custody inmates

That have been picked up
or arrested the day before.

Bove: But all of a sudden,
one guy jumps up,

Bolts, and his buddy
sitting next to him

Says, "well, if he's gonna
go, I might as well go."

The first thing I think to
myself is this really can't be

Happening,
and then the second thing

As they reach the public
doorway is I sure hope

They don't hurt anyone as they
try and get out of here.

Neither of these defendants
are there for serious charges.

So one could only guess

What is in the mind of
these two individuals.

The judge had to do
something to stop him.

Buzzard: I thought it was
necessary for them to be

At least pursued to find out
where they were going.

Dawson: So just like clark kent
turning into superman,

This judge decides to rip off
his robe and run after

The defendants.
-Buzzard: I took my robe off

Because they are hard
to maneuver in.

I just wanted to get them.

You can see the two
individuals running,

And as they're running,
one of them actually

Trips, um, and loses what --
it's almost like

A cinderella moment.

He loses one of his shoes
and then keeps on going.

Bryant: These two guys are
working their way down

The stairwell.

As I was running after them
down the stairs,

All I was thinking was,
I hope they stop.

I hope they don't run
into anyone.

I hope they don't hurt
anyone going down

The stairs or out
into the public area.

It's pretty unusual,
but I have to

Give him credit
because he was pretty fast.

Bryant: One of them
makes it outside,

And the judge makes
his last-ditch effort.

In true superman fashion,

The judge decided to make that
last-minute leap, as he lunged

At the defendant to make sure
he didn't make it out the door.

Buzzard: I was in arm's reach
of mr. Howard,

Reached out to kind of stop
his progress, and grabbed him in

A bear hug
and tumbled out the door.

Bryant: The second guy
does not evade

The long arm
of the law this time.

One of the funniest parts of
this story is that

The first guy runs,

Gets a couple blocks, and then
realizes he's in prison garb

With handcuffs
and has nowhere to go.

After four short blocks,
tanner has an epiphany.

You know,
he realizes I'm an idiot.

I should not be doing this.

I am not helping myself,
and he basically

Gives up and is taken
back into custody.

Here's two guys who had
misdemeanor charges,

Charges where it would be more
than likely they would have

Walked out themselves from
the courtroom, and instead,

Because of their absolutely
stupid, ridiculous behavior,

End up with additional
felony charges.

Narrator: After the incident,
tanner jacobson

Is sentenced to one year

And one day for a single count
of second-degree escape.

Kodey howard's punishment
for bolting?

He gets an additional
36 months

Behind bars, along with
his original charges.

The way it worked out
for judge buzzard,

He comes off as a hero.

But, you know,
it could have ended badly.

Buzzard: My colleagues
and co-employees'

Reaction to my reaction of

Chasing them
was from good job to

What in the world
were you thinking?

Now that's determination,
and that's called

Keeping the chaos
out of your courtroom.