[dramatic music]
♪ ♪
- Hi, everyone, I'm Dan Abrams, and this is "Court Cam."
- You should be ashamed of yourself.
- I want dude off my case. [spits]
♪ ♪
- Got a runner.
[people yelling]
- Get out!
- This is not TV court. This is for real.
♪ ♪
- First up, we go to Waukesha, Wisconsin,
for a bond status hearing.
♪ ♪
29-year-old Deonta Woods has been charged with possession
of THC, possession of drug paraphernalia,
and other drug-related charges.
♪ ♪
Five months earlier, Woods was arrested,
pled not guilty, and released on $4,000 bond.
But three months later, Woods violated his bond
when he was arrested in Milwaukee County
for alleged manufacturing of fentanyl
and possession of fentanyl and cocaine.
♪ ♪
Today, after posting a new $15,000 bond
in the Milwaukee County case, Woods appears before
Judge Paul Bugenhagen to discuss
his original bond status,
and when the judge announces he's raising his bond
to $20,000, Woods takes off.
♪ ♪
Woods, who's not in cuffs, runs for the exit
as a nearby member of his family
trips and falls to the floor
while seemingly trying to stop him.
Deputies quickly send an alert over the radio.
♪ ♪
- As Woods races down the hall
towards another exit...
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With deputies in hot pursuit, he heads down these stairs.
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- Woods makes it outside, but appears to be trapped.
- But he doesn't seem ready to give up yet
as deputies close in.
- After hopping the fence, Woods sprints
away from the building.
- He then heads toward the parking lot
and appears he might get away.
- But he's soon spotted less than a mile away,
near a manufacturing company.
- A few minutes later, deputies finally catch up
with Woods.
- The deputy uses a taser to subdue the defendant,
and officers take Woods back into custody.
Woods is charged with escape, four counts of bail jumping,
and obstructing an officer.
If convicted of these new charges,
he faces over 30 years in prison.
A judge set his new bond at $25,000,
and Woods, who pled not guilty to the charges,
remains in custody.
All of his cases are pending.
♪ ♪
Next, we're in Port Townsend, Washington
for an arraignment.
37-year-old Ariel Shultz Armijo
has been charged with two counts of assault
and disorderly conduct.
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A day earlier, police say
Shultz-Armijo, whose pronouns are they/them,
was at a gas station when they got into a confrontation
with two different people.
Police were called,
and Shultz Armijo was arrested.
♪ ♪
Today, Shultz Armijo appears from the county jail
before Judge Mindy Walker to hear if they'll make bond.
- Hello, Miss Shultz.
- They're without their lawyer,
but public defender Jack Range is present if needed.
- Miss Shultz, you should have received
a document from jail staff,
and at the top, it says "acknowledgment
of defendants' rights."
And it lists all the rights that you have as a defendant.
Do you see that form?
- OK, thank you.
Did you sign that form?
- I understand, Miss Shultz.
What I'm asking you is if you signed that form.
- And then I answered you.
I said I did not have that particular right,
and then I signed it.
♪ ♪
- All right, I've looked at the police report
that's associated with those particular allegations.
- So Mr. Range is in the courtroom today to--
Actually. - But he's here to--
- OK, Miss Shultz--
- Well, he's here to represent you today.
Mr. Range?
♪ ♪
- OK, thank you.
- It's OK.
You don't know me because we've never met.
♪ ♪
- I am finding probable cause
for all three of these allegations,
and I'm going to enter pleas of not guilty on your behalf.
- Also, the last time I was in jail,
the court handled a protection order for me.
And they did not pick up the intimate photos
that my husband has.
♪ ♪
And it was actually not handled at all,
and that was what I was supposed to handle before,
and I would actually like to bring that to your attention.
There is my husband out there, who's former special forces,
who sent me threatening text messages of things
he stole from my home.
- So that's something that you'll wanna talk--
- And that was brought up beforehand.
- Despite the defendant's unrelated and unsubstantiated
allegations regarding their divorce case,
the judge remains focused and checks in with the prosecutor.
- All right, so listen, right now,
it's Mr. Ashcraft's turn to talk,
and so I'm going to ask for conditions of release
from Mr. Ashcraft. - Hey, Your Honor.
At this point, the state's not asking for any bail.
We just ask that she give the court an address and--
- OK, Miss, I need you to not say anything
because we can only have one person talking at a time.
- OK, well, he-- he has been saying--
- I'm going to--
I'm going to have the jail mute you
if you cannot sit there quietly.
♪ ♪
- If the jail would please put the device on mute.
♪ ♪
- After muting Shultz Armijo,
the judge returns to the prosecutor.
- Conditions of release please.
Notify the court if there's a change in the address.
I have no further violations of the law,
and we're asking for anti-harassment orders.
Also, not go back to the Mobil station
on Sims Way, which is where all this appears to happen.
That's all, Your Honor. - OK, thank you.
I am going to go along with those conditions.
- As Shultz Armijo continues speaking
and gesturing to the camera, Judge Walker wraps things up.
- So that concludes your hearing today.
OK? [gavel bangs]
- Thank you.
- Shultz Armijo was later released
on their own recognizance.
Their case is pending.
- Next, we head to Ypsilanti, Michigan,
for a sentencing hearing.
♪ ♪
47-year-old Kevin LaCroix has been convicted
of unlawful imprisonment, domestic violence,
and assault with intent to do great bodily harm.
♪ ♪
Two years earlier, LaCroix, who was already on parole
for a number of violent offenses,
assaulted his domestic partner and was arrested.
He pled not guilty, but a jury convicted him on all charges.
♪ ♪
Today, LaCroix appears in the county jail
before Judge Patrick Conlin to hear his sentence.
But this is actually the court's second attempt
at the sentencing.
Two weeks earlier, the judge tried to sentence LaCroix
in a virtual hearing,
but LaCroix left the call before he could finish.
And later, LaCroix filed several motions
with the court, including requests to remove
the judge and his own attorney,
Sam Bernstein, from the case.
Before Judge Conlin gives LaCroix's sentencing
another try, he addresses the motions.
- The motion to disqualify the judge is denied.
The motion to discharge trial counsel is denied.
The motion for a new trial,
a judgment notwithstanding the verdict,
has been denied.
♪ ♪
But I am going to proceed to sentence on this matter.
- I move for immediate review of the motion
to disqualify by the chief judge
of the circuit court, Your Honor.
- OK, well, you don't have that option today,
but I am going to move to sentence you today.
- It seems LaCroix is not happy
with the judge's decision
and reprises his disappearing act.
♪ ♪
- OK, so what I'm going to ask,
if you will recall the last time
this happened, if Mr. LaCroix does not wish
to participate voluntarily, he may be removed to his cell,
and I would ask that you set up
a computer monitor outside of his cell,
and I'll proceed to sentence. OK?
I'm going to do this from now on to you--
to you, Judge, for being the way
that you're acting, the way that you are being improper.
When I make a motion for the chief judge
of the circuit to hear it, he's not allowed to say no.
♪ ♪
- OK. Well, pause for a moment.
We'll let-- we'll let you know when we're ready.
- After setting up a camera outside the defendant's cell,
Judge Conlin tries again.
♪ ♪
LaCroix refuses to cooperate.
- This time, I've directed staff at the jail to...
- Return him to his cell and to place a computer device
that Mr. LaCroix can hear and see.
I can see a person in his cell, although
there is covering over the window.
My assumption is that is the defendant,
and so at this time, we are ready to proceed.
- Prosecutor Jessica Blanch reminds the court
LaCroix has a lengthy criminal record.
- The defendant has 12 prior felonies,
25 prior misdemeanors, most of which
involves hurting other individuals.
He was on parole when he committed this offense.
He's taken no accountability for his actions.
He's been disrespectful to this court.
In fact, he walked off screen
when the victim was making an impact statement
two weeks ago.
Thank you. - OK.
Mr. Bernstein, do you wish to comment?
- Well, I can say Mr. LaCroix has done good in his life.
He served the Navy honorably,
and following that, he continued his service
by working with defense contractors and...
- Going all over the world to be
in different countries and serving
the purposes of our country.
- Mr. LaCroix, is there anything
you wish to state before I impose sentence today?
OK.
It is a sentence of the court that you serve 9 to 15 years
of a term of incarceration, concurrent to count
one, two, three, and four
and consecutive to the parole.
- LaCroix will be eligible for parole in 2032.
He'll be 56 years old.
♪ ♪
- Next, we're in El Dorado, Kansas, for a plea hearing.
♪ ♪
31-year-old Davon Usher has been charged with driving
with a suspended license and operating a vehicle
without registration.
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Today, free on a $500 bond, Usher appears remotely
before Judge Phyllis Webster.
He's represented by public defender Darren Patterson.
- Judge, if I may, I have a client who is messaging me
that he's in the airport about to board,
wanting to see if he could do his court hearing
before that would occur.
- Is that Davon Usher?
- Yes, Your Honor.
- You're in which airport?
- How are you doing, Your Honor?
I'm actually coming from St. Louis.
I had to go back to Maryland this weekend
for a family funeral on Saturday.
So I've been on, but I'm afraid to lose service
once we get in the air.
- All right, fair enough.
- Before Usher's flight takes off,
Patterson goes over the plea.
- Would announce at this time,
Mr. Usher is wanting to enter a plea of guilty
to driving while suspended.
State has agreed to dismiss the other case altogether.
- Mr. Usher, how do you plead to driving while suspended?
- I plead guilty, Your Honor.
- Did this happen October 11 of 2022?
♪ ♪
- Hang on.
I think we're misunderstanding each other.
Are you actually on the airplane,
getting ready to leave?
- We didn't take off yet.
♪ ♪
- OK, but now looking back on it, you believe
your license was suspended at the time you were driving?
♪ ♪
- No.
♪ ♪
- Then why are you pleading guilty?
- 'Cause I'm not from Kansas,
so I just want to hurry up and get the case over with,
defended, so I won't, like, miss any dates
or anything like that.
I'm just trying to, you know, just get it--
just get it taken care of.
- Mr. Patterson--
- Sounds like Usher's flight is getting ready to depart.
- Do you need to turn off your phone for departure, Mr. Usher?
- So even though you may be not guilty,
you think you still want to enter a plea?
♪ ♪
- If it helps the case get over with, then yes.
- Well, if the case gets over, you have a class B misdemeanor
conviction on your record.
♪ ♪
- OK, so I'm not-- not going to do it then.
But, I mean, if they say my license was suspended,
then it must have been suspended.
I didn't know.
I drove from Maryland to Kansas to move here.
- OK, well, I think we better kind of put the brakes
on this plea and-- - OK.
♪ ♪
- Because I think you need to talk to your attorney
more about this one. - OK.
OK, I will.
- I would suggest you call Mr. Patterson in his office
between now and then.
- It appears Usher has a visitor.
- I'll be in touch with you. - OK.
- I don't want to get in trouble.
- I don't want you get in trouble
or delay your flight.
[quirky music]
Mr. Usher, I'm letting--
- Mr. Usher, go.
Get off the phone. You're excused.
- Thank you. - You're welcome.
Get off your phone. - Lady, you could've told me--
- He's in trouble.
♪ ♪
OK.
Mr. Patterson, I trust you'll look after him.
- I will do my best, Judge. - OK.
- Judge Webster rescheduled the hearing,
and three months later, Usher pled guilty
to the registration charge, while the suspended
license charge was dismissed.
He was sentenced to 30 days jail suspended
and six months probation.
- Next, we head to Centreville, Michigan,
for a sentencing hearing.
♪ ♪
50-year-old Norbert Herbert Schroeder has pled guilty
to operating while impaired.
♪ ♪
Schroeder, who has multiple drunk driving convictions,
including a pending case in Indiana,
is facing a sentence of anywhere
from probation to five years in prison.
Today, he appears before Judge Jeffrey Middleton
to hear his sentence.
He's represented by attorney Paul Gibson.
- Mr. Gibson, what would you like me to know?
- The defendant is asking for something
as an alternative to jail time, whether it be
probation, community service.
But he's asking for leniency here.
And he-- I'm sure he has things to add.
Thank you.
- All right, Mr. Schroeder, what would you like me to know?
- Well, I-- you know, I'm going through a divorce,
and that kind of hit me real hard after the holidays.
You know, I know that's not really an excuse,
but, yeah, it hit me hard.
- So you had one, two, three, four
in the 2000s...
♪ ♪
And then in 2014, you got another drunk driving
in Knox City, Indiana. - Yes.
- So this is your sixth offense.
You had a very high blood alcohol level.
You were driving very badly. You crashed into a mailbox.
♪ ♪
I don't really want you on probation.
You got a charge pending in Indiana.
♪ ♪
Saying that you had a rough Christmas,
then don't drive a car.
♪ ♪
- All right, you can go with the officers.
♪ ♪
- Schroeder says goodbye to a loved one
before bailiffs take him to jail to serve his 43 days,
but a few minutes later, a bailiff returns
with some information for the judge.
♪ ♪
- All right. Well, we got him, so...
- Well, if he's over, then--
make sure they do.
If he's over .08, we may have to redo everything.
- I'll make sure that they do it.
- All right.
- After bailiffs conduct a breathalyzer test,
Judge Middleton has Schroeder dial in from the jail.
- Mr. Schroeder, I ask that you come back.
The bailiff indicated that he felt you had been drinking.
They gave you a preliminary breath test at the jail,
and the result was 0.16.
♪ ♪
So I can't sentence you while you're intoxicated,
so I find that you're in contempt
and order five days jail.
I'm going to reset sentence
for July 13 at 2:00 p.m.
I could've let it stand,
but the fact that you're intoxicated
takes away the fact that this was a knowing and voluntary
and understanding proceeding.
♪ ♪
- Schroeder served five days for contempt
and then was resentenced to 43 days in jail
for his latest OWI charge.
As for his charge in Indiana,
he pled guilty to operating while intoxicated
and was sentenced to 60 days in jail,
with 55 days suspended plus one year probation.
And that's it for this edition of "Court Cam."
I'm Dan Abrams. Thanks for watching.
♪ ♪