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Another Day at the Courthouse -- Judge Chases Down Suspects

By William Vogeler, Esq. on October 25, 2018 | Last updated on March 21, 2019

By now, everybody knows you can't get away with much in Judge R.W. Buzzard's courtroom.

The judge literally chased down a man who tried to get away from his courtroom recently. Apparently, the inmate didn't like his sentence.

Too late. Judge Buzzard tackled him as he was going out the door.

The Judge Runs

The courthouse video tells the story. Two men bolt from the courtroom, and the judge runs after them.

They make it to the stairwell, down to an exit. One man gets away -- temporarily -- but the judge grabs the other in a bear hug.

"I was shocked at first," Buzzard told the local news. "I didn't know what to think."

It was instinct, seasoned by a previous encounter. The judge came down from the bench earlier this year and restrained a litigant who had punched an attorney.

Restrained a Litigant

In that civil case, the litigant took out his loss on the opposing counsel. Judge Buzzard, robes and all, leapt from the bench and took matters into his own hands.

Buzzard has learned from his experience. He said it was the first time in 14 years that someone got violent in his courtroom.

Now he takes off his robe before he leaves the bench. He also carries a weapon -- just in case.

"I mainly have my gun to walk from the parking lot to the building," he told the Chronicle. "I don't take it on the bench. I'm not roaming the halls with it."

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