BILL TO ENHANCE PENALTIES FOR THREATENING COURT PERSONNEL BECOMES LAW
Gov. Ron DeSantis has signed HB 67, a bill that makes it a crime to threaten a justice, judicial assistant, and other court personnel with death or "serious bodily injury."
At the behest of a detective who was unable to charge a man suspected of making hundreds of harassing phone calls to 17th Judicial Circuit judges, Rep. Mike Gottlieb filed the measure.
The bill adds judges, judicial assistants, court clerks, and court clerk personnel - including their
respective family members - to a law that protects other public servants.
Set to take effect on October 1, 2023, the "Protection of Specified Personnel" bill also has a provision which creates a new first-degree misdemeanor offense for harassing a law enforcement officer, state attorney, assistant state attorney, firefighter, judge, justice, judicial assistant, court clerk, clerk personnel, or an elected official "with the intent to intimidate
or coerce" them into performing or not performing their lawful duty.
Gottlieb said the incident left court personnel and judicial assistants fearing for their safety and that "some of them were afraid to go across the street."
The former inmate who made the harassing calls used racial, antisemitic, and misogynistic slurs, but was careful not to directly threaten violence.
The suspect was eventually arrested after barging into a judge's chambers.
Broward Sheriff's Detective Joseph Kessling is a a 40-year law enforcement veteran assigned to Broward
County court facilities. He says he is looking forward to the bill becoming law and stated "I will probably be able to use it quite a bit," and also said "Hopefully, it will send a message."
For people who have been charged with a criminal offense, they know how difficult and stressful the experience can be.
If you are convicted of a criminal offense, your record and reputation can be severely damaged.
Depending on the charge and type of conviction, you could face huge fines and even stiff jail time.
It can also result in losing a job or having problems getting a job.
Take advantage of our FREE
consultation so we can discuss your case and give you a better understanding of what you’re facing. We can begin helping you right away.
OUR CRIMINAL DEFENSE ATTORNEYS ARE EXPERIENCED, DEDICATED AND
AGGRESSIVE.
At Fernandez Law Group, our Tampa criminal defense attorneys have
a lot of trial experience and are able to work effectively with prosecutors and judges to provide you the best defense possible.
