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E-mail StoryLawyer arrested — then unarrested — in courtroom
| Friday, May 9 2008 4:13 PM
Last Updated: Monday, May 12 2008 7:38 AM
A Bakersfield attorney was arrested and handcuffed Friday after refusing to comply with a deputy’s orders in a courtroom, sheriff’s officials reported.
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But a supervisor decided to release the attorney with no charges filed, Kern County Sheriff Donny Youngblood said.
The incident happened when Deputy Steven Williams asked criminal defense attorney Robert Dowd to remove a file from within reach of inmates, Youngblood said.
Dowd either ignored or refused the first request, but he replied to the second request with “F-bombs,” Youngblood said.
That prompted Williams to arrest Dowd on a misdemeanor charge of resisting or obstructing, the sheriff said.
Dowd could not be reached for comment Friday afternoon.
The reason the deputy wanted the file removed is it might contain paper clips or other materials which could be used as weapons, Youngblood said.
Williams is the same deputy who was hit over the head with a paint roller last year by an 81-year-old pig farmer.
This time the situation ended without criminal charges.
After the deputy put Dowd in handcuffs, he contacted a supervisor.
The supervisor decided nothing would be gained by charging Dowd so he removed the handcuffs and instructed Williams to just write a report about the incident.
Youngblood said the deputy is in charge of security for the courtroom and was acting properly when he asked Dowd to remove the file.
In the pig farmer case, Louis Montgomery, was charged with two felonies but a jury last month reduced them to misdemeanors. The judge indicated he would like alternatives to jail for sentencing on May 21.