A quick-thinking prosecutor realizes that her witness is in danger.
During a Zoom court hearing, it doesn’t take the prosecutor long to realize that her witness may be in serious trouble.
The witness, Mary Lindsey, and the defendant, Coby Harris, 21, appear on the screen along with the judge, a police officer, Harris’s counsel, and the prosecutor, Deborah Davis.
According to Lindsay, her boyfriend Coby had assaulted her and Davis was questioning her about the accusation in front of the judge.
Mary’s life was in danger.
After Mary Lindsey was asked to describe what happened to her, Davis noticed she was minimizing the abuse allegations from the 911 call that led to Coby’s arrest.
Davis quickly realized that Coby was in the same room as Lindsey, which would mean he was intimidating the witness.
Davis was extremely scared for Mary’s life and brought her concerns up to the judge.
“Your Honor, I have reason to believe that the defendant is in the same apartment as the complaining witness right now and I’m extremely scared for her safety…the fact that she’s looking off to the side and he is moving around. I want some confirmation that she is safe before we continue and that wasn’t hearsay we will get to that in a few moments.” – Prosecutor, Deborah Davis
The judge proceeds to ask Mary what address she is at and then asks Coby the same question.
He wants Coby to go outside and show the address on Zoom so they can confirm his whereabouts.
“Mr. Lindsay where are you right now? Coby gets immediately agitated and starts to come up with a convenient excuse as to why he can’t show them the address. “Um, why? I don’t even think this phone has the charge for that it is like at 2%,” he says.
Davis then lets everyone on Zoom know that the police are at Mary Lindsey’s door and asks her to take her phone with her to answer the door so they know she is ok.
Coby knows he is caught.
Coby drops off the Zoom call and the meeting comes to an abrupt end until Coby reappears back on the screen apologizing for lying to the judge.
He speaks for Mary and tells the judge that they both want the ‘no contact’ dropped. The judge answers Coby with a speedy and stern reply.
“Mr. Harris, my advice would be don’t say anything else. Take the cigarette out of your mouth..the hearing is adjourned.”
He goes on to put the defendant in his place.
“Your bond is canceled. You have 10 million dollars you can’t bond out. In addition, the prosecutor is probably also going to charge you with obstruction of justice. It may be a situation where you want the bonds lifted, she does not. We are serious as a heart attack. It’s the first time I ever had anybody sitting in the next room potentially intimidating a witness. You hit bottom and you’re continuing to dig.” – Judge Middleton
Davis’ quick thinking and keen observation skills kept Mary safe that day.
If you or someone you know is in trouble, contact The National Domestic Abuse Hotline for confidential, free help 24/7. 1800-799-SAFE – thehotline.org
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