17-year-old Andre Baldwin was on trial, accused of dealing cocaine in his Dania Beach neighborhood. His two sisters were in the gallery on Tuesday when Broward Sheriff's Deputy Sam Wagers was testifying against Baldwin.
That's about all that's totally clear.
According to the sisters and the Public Defender's office, on his way out of the courtroom, Wagers paused at the door and said something, supposedly in an intimidating way, to the women.
"He was like, 'was that a good enough question for you, cuz?' Like, racial, really, " said Leterra Moore, one of Baldwin's sisters who was sitting in the courtroom.
The incident was partially captured by a courtroom video system. You can see the deputy leave the witness stand, and then pause by the door, before the system switches to a different camera. You can hear a commotion, the judge asking for order, but you can't hear exactly what Wagers said. Whatever it was, Circuit Judge Merrilee Ehrlich wasn't pleased. She angrily told the prosecutor to admonish the deputy, saying his conduct was "unprofessional" and not acceptable in her courtroom.
"It's ridiculous, it should not have been, any altercation should not take place at the courthouse like that," said Baldwin's mom, Lekita Drisdom. "It just proves the point, if he acts that way in front of his peers and co-workers, you can only imagine how he acts on the streets."
Baldwin was acquitted of the cocaine distribution charge, saying the whole thing was a case of mistaken identity by a deputy he'd never seen before, and says he was surprised by the courtroom incident.
"It wasn't really called for, I guess he was thinking that he was losing the case, and he really snapped and couldn't handle it," Baldwin said.
The Public Defender's office sent BSO an official complaint letter, but no one at BSO will talk about the incident because the letter hasn't been officially received yet, and investigators haven't had a chance to review the video or talk to deputy Wagers to get his side of the story.
