Judge throws out case against man allegedly plotting murder

Telling them all to get out of his courtroom and grow up before someone gets hurt or killed, General Sessions Judge Larry Ross threw out civil rights intimidation charges Tuesday against a man reportedly taped in a telephone conversation trying to acquire a gun to kill someone.

?I?ve sat here and listened to about all the ranting and raving I care to,? said Judge Ross after hearing the testimony of Bruce Campbell, who brought tapes of phone conversations he had secretly recorded with defendants Brandon D. Stembridge and Vivian Stembridge.

Judge Ross dismissed charges against both defendants after hearing a garbled tape in which Mr. Stembridge was allegedly trying to get a clean gun from Campbell so he could shoot a woman and her child following a domestic dispute with the woman. However, the reported intended victim later took the stand Tuesday to say she had listened to the tape herself and that there were no threats made against her as she was first led to believe. She said she did not want to prosecute Stembridge despite Campbell?s claim that she was to be the target of a death plot.

It was during the same hearing Judge Ross heard testimony that Mr. Stembridge was also threatened by someone in what appeared to be a tangled feud involving several people.

?People talking about blowing people?s heads off and such,? Ross said. ?Maybe some of you need to see what that looks like and you?ll see that it?s not so pretty and realize all this talk wasn?t so smart.?

Ross said his concern is that, with all the threats flying around, someone may actually get scared and take action.

?You need to all grow up and keep your mouths shut before someone jumps the gun,? Ross said, noting the next person to harass or confront the other would find themselves behind bars.