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Thursday, September 18, 2008

Ind. Courts - Allen Court tickets phone-ban violators

Rebecca S. Green reports today in the Fort Wayne Journal Gazette:

If you bring a cell phone or other electronic device – and you haven’t noticed the 19-month-old ban – into the Allen County Courthouse, you might get a ticket.

And please understand, this is not some claim ticket for you to pick up your phone, your iPod, your electronic gizmo on your way back out of the building. This is an actual ticket, like appear-before-the-judge-and-pay-a-fine kind of ticket. And if you get that ticket, technically a contempt citation, you can kiss that electronic device goodbye.

The ticket books go along with the big, bright red signs that are unambiguous in announcing the prohibition on electronic devices in the Courthouse.

In the two months since Courthouse security officers have had the tickets, they haven’t had to use them yet, said Sgt. Brian Sandberg of the Allen County Sherriff’s Department, who heads up the court security arm of the department’s civil division.

Since the Allen County judges came up with the order banning all electronic devices – such as cell phones, mp3 players and cameras – beginning Jan. 1, 2007, there have still been a few scofflaws.

Some stash the items in the bushes outside, taking a chance no one saw them put the devices there. Others, when caught, will take the items back to their cars or wherever.

But there have been a few who pushed the issue and smuggled the devices into the building.

Those people have not been happy. In most cases, their phones have been seized by court officers and later destroyed, in spite of passionate pleas to the judges for the electronics’ safe return.

Sandberg said those caught smuggling the devices into the building will be given a choice – they can either sign a “consent to destroy” form or they can chose to go before a judge on the contempt citation.

If they fail to prove they are not in contempt of court, the phone will likely be destroyed.

Posted by Marcia Oddi on September 18, 2008 10:31 AM
Posted to Indiana Courts