Inmate punches public defender in the head during court hearings. Fingers are pointed.
A defendant sucker-punched a public defender in Broward County bond court Wednesday morning, prompting not a flurry of punches in the courtroom, but finger pointing between Broward’s Sheriff and Broward’s Public Defender Wednesday evening.
Broward Sheriff Gregory Tony said in an emailed statement, “Effective immediately, all inmates will be handcuffed during these proceedings as to reduce the ability of an inmate to cause similar harm or greater.”
The lawyer, a 14-year attorney and Nova Southeastern Law School graduate, wasn’t representing the puncher, William Green. Rather, Julie Chase was dealing with a client when Green rose from his seat, approached from behind and hit her with a left hook to the left side of her head. Detention deputies tackled Green.
Green’s Broward Main Jail entry puts him at 6-foot-2, 185 pounds. The 27-year-old Tamarac resident was awaiting a bond hearing on a single misdemeanor battery charge from an incident at Florida Medical Center mental health facility.
“Although the arresting deputy clearly noted that Mr. Green had attacked an individual from the back, he was allowed to approach and attack Attorney Chase from behind as she stood at the podium,” wrote Broward Public Defender Howard Finkelstein in a letter to Tony. “Not only did your deputies fail to stop and confront Mr. Green, their response to the attack was delayed.”
Tony, appointed by Gov. Ron DeSantis to replace Scott Israel after DeSantis suspended Israel, placed some of the blame back onto Finkelstein’s office.
“I learned that over the last several years, BSO has received numerous requests from the Public Defender’s Office asking for a more lax approach to our security procedures during magistrate hearings, which take place through a closed circuit television feed from inside the jail,” Tony said.
“Although I understand their concern that having deputies standing close to the inmates or having them wear handcuffs or shackles could imply guilt, they must in turn understand that their requests made it possible for this unusual situation to occur.”
Finkelstein strongly disagreed.
“This attack was the culmination of a series of failures by your deputies that resulted in a foreseeable and preventable act by a severely mentally ill person. I am outraged by what occurred and concerned about the future security of my employees and detainees.”
Finkelstein said Green meets the criteria of Baker Act evaluation, so by Florida law, after the battery at Florida Medical Center, he should have been transported to a receiving facility. Florida Medical Center is a receiving facility.
“The arresting officer violated the law when she transported Mr. Green to the county jail,” Finkelstein wrote. “He was arrested for a misdemeanor battery and was in a receiving facility at the time of his arrest. His transport was unlawful, exacerbated his condition and prevented him from receiving the crisis care he needed.
“The responding officer should have issued a notice to appear to Mr. Green instead of transporting him to jail. Had the officer followed the law and allowed Mr. Green to continue to receive treatment for his psychosis, this incident would not have occurred.”
The lawyer, meanwhile, was taken to the hospital, where she was treated and released.
This story was originally published March 27, 2019 at 10:31 AM.
