Rowdiness sends man back to jail
A rowdy prisoner missed out on his day in court Tuesday when his preliminary hearing on robbery charges was held without him.
The defendant, Gary Johnson, 43, was taken back to his jail cell Tuesday afternoon following an outburst from the holding room in the rear of the courtroom. Johnson reportedly became angry when he learned his case was going to be the last heard Tuesday. At that point, Johnson began cursing loudly inside the holding room, disturbing court. When Johnson refused to settle down, he was taken back to jail and his case heard in absentia.
In his absence, Johnson was bound over to the grand jury on charges of aggravated robbery, robbery and theft. The charges come for a pair of strong-arm robberies, one involving a resident at a local apartment complex and the other involving an older man lawmen said Johnson had picked on in the past.
The case involving the 62-year-old victim was brought after Johnson allegedly beat the man when the victim did not hand over his money as ordered. Lawmen charge Johnson took the victim’s wallet as part of the strong-arm robbery.