UPDATE:
Joe Brown was released from jail on his own recognizance Monday night after being sentenced to five days in jail for five separate charges of contempt in court. His bail was originally denied by Judge Horne, whom earlier in the day he got into an argument with.
Listen to the courtroom argument thanks to our television partner Fox 26 here:
TV’s Judge Joe Brown was been sentenced to five days in jail after being held in contempt of court five times by a Tennessee judge.
Brown, 66, was in court to represent a client for a child-support case when he became “pretty raucous” and “challenged the authority” of Judge Harold “Hal” Horne, said Dan Michael, chief magistrate judge of the Shelby County Juvenile Court.
“He darn near caused a riot in the courtroom, he had people so inflamed,” Michael said about the former TV judge. Judge Horne is reportedly a “a real laid-back guy” and gave Brown several chances to relax before being hauled out of the courtroom.
Brown was held in contempt five times “before they were able to get him out of the courtroom,” Michael added. Everyone in the courtroom was reportedly “floored” by Brown’s behavior, adding that the former TV judge was yelling and repeatedly challenging Judge Horne’s authority. After being hauled out of the courtroom on Monday, Brown has booked into the Shelby County jail in Memphis.
He is currently running for district attorney of Shelby County, where he used to be a judge. Brown’s nationally syndicated television show was cancelled last March after 15 years on the air.
Joe Brown (Courtesy of Shelby County Sheriff’s Office)
Pingback: 9 Shocking Courtroom Outbursts « Fribliss