New Mexico courtroom devolves into brawl
ALBUQUERQUE, Feb 8: A hearing in a New Mexico courtroom devolved into chaos when three people rushed the defendant in a homicide case, setting off a brawl with flying fists and kicks.
Courtroom video cameras recorded the Jan. 31 melee, which subsided as a law enforcement officer drew a stun gun and protected the defendant from further attack.
Felony charges were filed against two men: battery and assault on a public official. They apparently rushed the defendant in a fit of rage over the killing of a relative.
A woman was also arrested on the same charges, Albuquerque TV station KRQE reported Thursday. The courtroom video showed her hitting the defendant and an officer with a chair.
The presence of corrections officers and other security details in courtrooms does not always keep the peace. Last year a defendant in a felony battery case in Nevada flung himself over a judge’s bench and grabbed her hair, sparking a bloody brawl with court officials.
Katina Watson, court executive officer at New Mexico’s Second Judicial District, told KRQE that “these are the types of things that we see regularly.” She praised an officer for reacting to ensure safety, without mention of potential security enhancements. (AP)
Snakes removed from Australian yard will make you shudder
MELBOURNE, Feb 8: A man described feeling “the shudders” as more than 100 venomous red-bellied black snakes were removed from a pile of mulch in his Sydney backyard. David Stein called Reptile Relocation Sydney last week after watching around six snakes slither into the mulch. He learned from an internet search that pregnant, known as gravid, red-belly blacks pile on top of each other before they give birth.
Snake catcher Dylan Cooper arrived that afternoon. Stein helped rake away mulch as Cooper bagged 102 pregnant and newborn snakes.
“Just seeing that amount in one group, it gives you a bit of the shudders,” Stein said on Friday.
Reptile Relocation Sydney owner Cory Kerewaro said two of the captured adults gave birth to a total of 29 snakes in the bag while Cooper was still sifting through mulch catching more. The final tally was five adults and 97 offspring caught, Kerewaro said. (AP)