R. Kelly judge holds woman held on contempt charge
May 23, 2008
Azam Ahmed - Chicago TribuneIssue date: 5/22/08 Section: Real News
CHICAGO _ You could tell by the look on Judge Vincent Gaughan's face as court began Thursday morning that something bad had already happened.
According to a brief hearing in the courtroom, as R. Kelly jurors arrived at the 5th floor of the Criminal Courts Building this morning, a woman yelled at them: "Free R. Kelly!"
Yelling something like that at a jury would be serious business in any case, but in this one, where Gaughan has instituted a strict decorum order, it's even more unfortunate.
The judge, not one to trifle with anything that could compromise the R&B singer's right to a fair trial, ordered the woman held on $50,000 bail, apparently on a contempt charge, until late next month when a hearing will be held to determine whether she should indeed be held in contempt of court and punished.
(Several months ago, the judge held a different woman in contempt for taking a picture on her cell phone in the courtroom, landing her in jail for the weekend.)
During today's hearing, Sgt. London Thomas, who is in charge of coordinating security personnel at the Criminal Courts Building, testified that as he exited the 5th-floor freight elevator with the jury at about 10:20 a.m. he observed 15 to 20 people standing around.
Two times, he said, he told the crowd to move. As the group began to respond, he saw the woman and heard her yell, "Free R. Kelly." He advanced on her, and in a quieter voice, he testified, she said it again. "I was looking directly at her when she yelled it," he told Gaughan.
A public defender assigned to represent the woman suggested that she had no way of knowing whether the jurors were connected to the R. Kelly case or some other case.
Prosecutors countered that to suggest it was a coincidence "belies common sense." The judge then set bail, adding that if the defendant makes bail, she would not be allowed to have any contact with the jury.
According to a brief hearing in the courtroom, as R. Kelly jurors arrived at the 5th floor of the Criminal Courts Building this morning, a woman yelled at them: "Free R. Kelly!"
Yelling something like that at a jury would be serious business in any case, but in this one, where Gaughan has instituted a strict decorum order, it's even more unfortunate.
The judge, not one to trifle with anything that could compromise the R&B singer's right to a fair trial, ordered the woman held on $50,000 bail, apparently on a contempt charge, until late next month when a hearing will be held to determine whether she should indeed be held in contempt of court and punished.
(Several months ago, the judge held a different woman in contempt for taking a picture on her cell phone in the courtroom, landing her in jail for the weekend.)
During today's hearing, Sgt. London Thomas, who is in charge of coordinating security personnel at the Criminal Courts Building, testified that as he exited the 5th-floor freight elevator with the jury at about 10:20 a.m. he observed 15 to 20 people standing around.
Two times, he said, he told the crowd to move. As the group began to respond, he saw the woman and heard her yell, "Free R. Kelly." He advanced on her, and in a quieter voice, he testified, she said it again. "I was looking directly at her when she yelled it," he told Gaughan.
A public defender assigned to represent the woman suggested that she had no way of knowing whether the jurors were connected to the R. Kelly case or some other case.
Prosecutors countered that to suggest it was a coincidence "belies common sense." The judge then set bail, adding that if the defendant makes bail, she would not be allowed to have any contact with the jury.
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