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Topics: News, US News, Court, Crime, Social Media
Kit Roberts
A judge sentenced a man to 558 days in prison after he repeatedly swore at him during a court hearing for a separate offence.
Darrell Jarrell had been in court on a charge of misdemeanour trespassing when he began hurling abuse at Judge Cedric Simpson.
Judge Simpson had been about to wrap up the matter in Washtenaw County, Michigan, when Jarrell screamed at him to 'kiss my a*s'.
Jarrell had previously been arraigned on July 24, with an original court date of August 7.
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Simpson had attempted to explain that attorney's representing Jarrell had not been able to speak to him regarding his case, which had led to the delay.
Jarrell responded by saying he wanted to leave Michigan before swearing repeatedly at the judge.
Beginning his ill-judged tirade, Jarrell said: "I’m tired of this state, I’m ready to leave this state as soon as possible," adding: "You guys can kiss my a*s."
Simpson immediately began reprimanding Jarrell for the outburst, saying: "You know what? No no no. You don't come in here…"
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But Jarrell was not deterred, interrupting Judge Simpson to scream 'f*ck you!' at him in front of the shocked court.
Simpson replied by saying that the swearing incurred a 93 day jail sentence for contempt of court.
But Jarrell was seemingly still not getting it, repeating the profanity at the judge, who then added another 93 days to his sentence.
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You might imagine that twice would be enough to get the message across that continuing to swear at a judge in court is unwise.
But Jarrell went on to swear a further four times at the judge, racking up a total of six 93 sentences to be served consecutively for a total of 558 days.
Jarrell shouted some of the profanities even as he was being led from the court.
A video of the incident went viral on social media, and some people believed that the judge overreacted.
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One wrote: "Judge probably over reacted", while a second said: "Seems excessive."
A third posted: "Well this seems like a bit of an overreaction."
But another pointed out that maintaining a sense of respect in a court is crucial to upholding its authority.
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They wrote: "If courtroom civility is eroded then the justice system evaporates, The penalty is harsh, although his behaviour was unacceptable."
Another commented: "That's a pretty serious consequence for disrespecting the court. It's important to always show respect, especially in a legal setting."
Others pointed out that Jarrell had continued to talk even after being reprimanded, with one writing: "Ahh that’s a long time in jail dang, best to keep your mouth shut in these situations."
Another wrote simply: "Show some dam respect man."
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Judge Simpson had previously gone viral after a man barred from driving dialled in on a Zoom court appearance while driving a car.