Defendant Caught Intimidating Witnesses in Court Hallway — Judge Revokes Bond Immediately

Added: 2026-06-01

[00:00:00]Are you done shaking your head? You don't have to agree with a darn thing I'm saying, but I'll be darned if you're going to sit here and disrespect me in my courtroom like you did them in the hallway. That's not going to happen ever.

[00:00:14]>> Good afternoon, honor. Justin Z appearing on behalf of Dave Morgan City.

[00:00:17]>> Yep.

[00:00:18]>> Okay. All right. Where are we on this?

[00:00:23]>> I've had an opportunity to show defense council the video as well as audio that I referenced previously to the courts.

[00:00:29]My understanding that we are having a hearing on this bond violation. I do have the witness present and ready to begin whenever the court wants. That's correct. We're ready to proceed.

[00:00:37]>> All right. Go ahead. I'm ready.

[00:00:39]>> Stephanie Sings and please come forward and be sworn in.

[00:00:46]>> Good afternoon, Stephanie. How are you doing?

[00:00:49]>> Stephanie, how are you involved with this case?

[00:00:51]>> I am the guardian for Mress.

[00:00:55]>> And that's the named individual on the complaint. Is that correct?

[00:01:00]Where were you this morning at about 10:50 a.m.?

[00:01:04]>> Stay outside of the courtroom.

[00:01:06]>> Where? Outside the courtroom.

[00:01:08]>> Out these doors. I was on the bench on the left.

[00:01:12]>> Was anyone else out there with you?

[00:01:14]>> Guess the other witnesses. Remember Diane?

[00:01:19]>> Where were Where was Diane seated?

[00:01:21]>> She was saying if I'm facing out the window, she was on my right side. Was anyone else in the hallway with you? Or not with you, but was there anyone else in the hallway at that time?

[00:01:31]>> Who?

[00:01:32]>> The suspect was sitting on the bench right of the doors um with some other people that I know who they are.

[00:01:39]>> When you say the suspect, who are you referring to?

[00:01:42]>> Morgan. I'm >> Can you please point to that individual and identify them by an article clothing that they're wearing?

[00:01:49]>> Yeah. White shirt. I think it's got a nice Oh, I can't see it.

[00:01:54]>> Sorry. The record may reflect this witness has identified the defendant >> record reflect without objection.

[00:02:00]>> Was the defendant >> making comments in my direction.

[00:02:06]>> What sort of verbal comments?

[00:02:09]>> I believe it was a scre and then went on to a number of other things. Making comments about a [ __ ] and a hoe and that I wasn't going to get away with this. The gist of it was that she was going to keep stalling and taking it to trial and taking it to trial and taking it to trial. It just kept going for for about probably close to two minutes.

[00:02:31]>> Did you record any of that interaction?

[00:02:35]>> Going to pause it at 4 minutes 30 seconds. The last 30-ish seconds that certainly if the court wants to play it, I can.

[00:02:43]>> I'm going to just pause it here.

[00:02:46]>> Can we take off please?

[00:02:49]>> Thank you.

[00:02:50]Prior to the defendant making any comments to you, had you said anything to the defendant? Did you ever say anything to the defendant today?

[00:03:02]>> How did it make you feel when the defendant was saying these things to you?

[00:03:06]>> Intimidated. I think that she was trying to intimidate me.

[00:03:15]And just to clarify, ma'am, what is your understanding of why you were subpoenaed to testif or subpoena to be here today >> because of identity theft and I'm not sure of the exact charges, but what I believe were financial exploitation issues for a elderly vulnerable adult.

[00:03:34]>> And were you prepared to be a witness in that case? And were you prepared to testify today? If I can have one moment, please your honor.

[00:03:45]Nothing else at this time. Thank you.

[00:03:47]>> Examination.

[00:03:50]>> Just a few questions, ma'am. Um, we just watched that interaction on I believe exhibit B or two. Um, appear to be roughly five minutes. Anytime during that interaction, did Miss Morgan uh say your name or otherwise address you personally?

[00:04:09]I'm also known as a cranky sky ass cracker.

[00:04:13]>> I I'd asked the clerk to strike that from the record. I asked if she'd mention >> I think she answered your question.

[00:04:19]>> Um, at any point in time did you um observe Miss Morgan leave the bench that she was on and come towards your bench?

[00:04:29]And at any point in time did you uh see Miss Morgan uh gesture uh either with her hands or otherwise towards you in any way?

[00:04:39]>> Okay. And what exactly did she do in order to gesture towards you?

[00:04:43]>> So if you can see on the video I I did not turn to look at this I Can you clarify Miss Morgan? Is that okay? Miss Morgan. Um, I did not turn and look at Miss Morgan this way, but periodically I looked toward the window and I could see her gesturing toward, you know, turning around and gesturing and >> Okay.

[00:05:03]>> So, so towards this direction, but could you confirm whether it was towards you or down the hallway?

[00:05:07]>> Uh, it it was toward Diane and me.

[00:05:10]>> Okay. Um, were you aware where her counsel was myself where I was positioned at this time during that fiveminute interaction?

[00:05:18]>> Courtroom.

[00:05:18]>> Okay. And at any point in time, did you see me head down that hallway? I believe at one point. Yes.

[00:05:23]>> Okay. And so when you saw Miss Morgan gesture towards that way, how were you able to discern that she was pointing at you versus talking about her counsel?

[00:05:32]>> I'll see you down in the hallway.

[00:05:34]>> Okay. Um and it's my understanding that there were a couple other women on her bench.

[00:05:41]Is that correct? And um would you agree with me that at some point in time she was conversing with those other women?

[00:05:49]And it sounds like you were able to hear some of what they were talking about. Is that fair to say?

[00:05:55]>> I I'm assuming they were based on the video, but I could not hear what they were saying.

[00:05:59]>> Understood. But you could hear what Miss Morgan was saying. And so um did did you did you observe Miss Morgan uh interacting or otherwise conversing with these women?

[00:06:12]>> Okay. Were you able to hear Miss Morgan addressing any statements or making any statements towards those women?

[00:06:19]Okay. When you heard the statements that Miss Morgan were making, how would you know whether she was talking about her case to these women versus addressing them to you?

[00:06:28]>> She was turning and facing me and and turning her arm toward me.

[00:06:31]>> And you were able to only observe that when you periodically looked at the window, >> tell that she was the way she was positioning turning around the video that I'm looking down, but I could see the way she was turning around.

[00:06:44]>> Okay. But when she was making the statements that you were able to hear and periodically see, could you confirm whether or not she was actually making those statements to the women that were on the bench with her?

[00:06:56]>> Can I give you an example?

[00:06:59]>> I'm just asking that >> if I turn and talk to this person over here, is there a way to know that I'm talking to you or to this person over here? So, because she was turning and looking at me, I was making the assumption based on the commentary and the threats about going after me. Okay.

[00:07:15]>> Trial and taking this to trial and threatening me to get an attorney that the comments were being made to me.

[00:07:20]>> Okay. So, you you were making the assumption that it was addressed to you because it was about this case, >> correct?

[00:07:25]>> Okay. That and did uh do you know if Miss Morgan was ever instructed by the court or otherwise not to be on that bench out there?

[00:07:36]>> I don't know if this witness would know the court's >> Were you Were you aware of any court order that she wasn't allowed to sit in that area? injection is a lack of foundation for the question. Go ahead.

[00:07:46]>> Okay. Um, did you ever hear anyone tell Miss Morgan that she's not allowed to sit there?

[00:07:52]>> Okay.

[00:07:57]And did you ever hear Miss Morgan uh address the other individual that was sitting next to you by name? And did she ever did you ever observe Miss Morgan get up from her bench and come and address that other individual? Okay.

[00:08:11]And outside of this interaction that was depicted on the video, uh, is it your testimony today that Miss Morgan made any other statements directly to you?

[00:08:21]>> Okay, that's all I had on.

[00:08:24]Any redirect?

[00:08:25]>> No, your honor, I >> just one question. Was that Miss Plameumber that was se seated next to you?

[00:08:30]>> No, the woman sitting next to me was Diane who's sitting next to Detective Quinn. Gotcha. is one of the witnesses that's testify today.

[00:08:42]>> Hold on just a moment.

[00:08:46]>> Gotcha. Okay. All right.

[00:08:50]>> All right. You may step down. Thank you, ma'am.

[00:08:53]Any additional witnesses?

[00:08:55]>> No, your honor.

[00:08:56]>> All right. Any witnesses for defense?

[00:09:04]All right. Thank you for your honor. I would ask I would ask that the court find the defendant violated the conditions of her bond, namely the no contact or I believe she's ordered not to have contact with Stephanie Sink. Believe she was also ordered not to have any new criminal conduct. I'm not sure if it was ordered.

[00:09:28]I believe you have had a range of on the pre-trial release order, but typically there's condition not to have any assault, intimidating, threatening, or harassing behavior. If that is an order, I believe would be a violation of that order as well. The court saw the video and heard the recording that the defendant was making some pretty serious derogatory remarks about witnesses in this case, calling them [ __ ] and hoes.

[00:09:52]The court saw the video could see that the defendant was apparently looking at and making a conversation directly to these witnesses while they were in the hallway together. Certain honor, whenever anyone comes to the court, I believe that there's an expectation that they be treated with dignity and respect and that we should not uh be afraid to come to court or be harassed while at court. And I think that what the defendant has done is in clear violation of her bond. I would again ask the court find she has violated her bond for both.

[00:10:22]>> Your honor, we would certainly uh ask the court to consider continuing her bond. Um while I may take issue with the choice words that were played within that video and certainly would agree that there should be a level of integrity and dignity with confines of this courthouse. I don't believe that it is a violation of her bond conditions to use those choice heard testimony today that would indicate that Miss Morgan intentionally directed those statements towards the witnesses as opposed to um expressing her frustration. Where then was she looking?

[00:11:03]>> Well, hold on. Hold on. I think that the video speaks for itself that she definitely turned her head at some point in times towards that direction. But I I think when you review the video in totality, she's she's positioned this way to talk to the two women next to her talking about her case, expressing the frustrations that she has about the case. And while I I I think you heard that there was an assumption that those statements were directed towards these other individuals and at no point in time did I see in the video my client stand up or otherwise point at these two people or otherwise use their name to mention them. I mean we we know who the witnesses are put her hand out like this. What was that for?

[00:11:46]Your honor, when she when she puts out her hand like this, I'm assuming what she's saying is talking about the case, the the the whether it's me as her attorney, whether it's the judge, whether it's the witnesses speaking about her case. She's saying that she disagrees with where the case is procedurally and how it's going. I think that if she had the intention of intimidating these witnesses, at any point in time, she could have stood up and said something to them, turned around and pointed at them, used their names as she know knew who the witnesses were. there there was no intentional direct direction towards these two witnesses uh to try to intimidate them not to speak when we already knew that they were here to speak and and and so if that was going to happen, your honor, it would have happened the last time that they were here in order to testify at the preliminary exam. She's shown up at every single hearing. These witnesses have been there before. before that five-minute window. After that five-minute window, there was no clearly no uh nothing that would show or otherwise indicate that she's trying to intimidate them. They were here at the last hearing. Obviously, she was she knew that they would be here again. And at that point in time, without I mean getting into it, but kind of getting into it is that we had already decided that we're waving the the moving forward. So any uh effort to intimidate and otherwise uh uh uh encourage the witness not to to testify would have been moved because we were waving the exam and moving forward with the case up in circuit court. What we decided to do at that point in time remains to be seen. But for today's purposes, there was no effort to intimidate those witnesses because we had already made the decision to move forward and there was not going to be an exam today.

[00:13:22]So intimidation if it were occurring would only be for this limited date.

[00:13:30]>> No, but I think when you're looking at the totality, the circumstances for today to determine from the video, from the recording, from the testimony you heard. council, you going to tell me that when I look at that video and that aerial view that your client is facing in the direction of her sinks and the words that are being spewed from her mouth aren't directed at her.

[00:13:58]>> Well, I I I wasn't there myself, your honor. I can go off.

[00:14:02]>> Council council, don't play word games, Joseph. You see, you heard the recording.

[00:14:10]>> Yes.

[00:14:12]>> You see the posture of your client as she's sitting on the bench.

[00:14:18]And are you arguing before me that that was not intended at the two witnesses inclusive of Miss Sings as they're sitting there?

[00:14:28]>> No, I'm not trying to insult the intelligence of the court. you saw what I saw speaks for itself. So, I'm not going to sit up here and say that. What I would indicate is that I think that my client's expressing a general frustration about her case as opposed to trying utilizing those words to try to intimidate them not to testify. That's what I would indicate to the court.

[00:14:46]>> What is >> briefly, your honor, if it were just the language and the derogatory terms, I think maybe that argument might hold weight. But I think that consider that the defendant also stated after this is over I'm going to get lawyers and come after you or something to that effect. I don't remember the exact language. I think that that clearly shows.

[00:15:12]Yeah. Hold on a second.

[00:15:15]Tom, you've interrupted Mr. No, do not do it again. Otherwise, I don't have to deal with it.

[00:15:23]>> Go ahead, Mr. Cook.

[00:15:24]>> Thank you, your honor. I believe that that language clearly shows that intent that this is directed at these witnesses and it clearly as the court heard had the effect of making these witnesses feel afraid. I would again ask the court revoke bond.

[00:15:38]With respect to that statement, my clients previously indicated to me when we listened to the recording and talked about that that she's telling those two girls on the on the bench next to her that that's what she intends to do. And so while the court can certainly interpret it that those statements are directed towards them as a threat, she's saying she made those assertions towards the people next to her, that that's what she wants to do as a matter of recourse for this case.

[00:16:00]>> All right.

[00:16:02]Court has heard the audio. The court has viewed the video in this case.

[00:16:09]Um, I realize sometimes lawyers are put into circumstances where they certainly have to argue on behalf of their client. I don't fault them for that. That's what lawyers do exclusive of myself when I was a lawyer. Um, and you can only But when I listen to that recording, then I look at the defendant's posture, the way she's looking. There's a period of time where she's looking either straight ahead or toward the people that are sitting on the bench with her, which would have been to her right, but then intentionally is turning and looking in the direction of Miss Sinks and the other woman on the bench. That's when those statements are being made. I don't You know what? You want to keep shaking your head? I'll wait because I got all day.

[00:17:15]Are you done shaking your head? You don't have to agree with a darn thing I'm saying. But I'll be darned if you're going to sit here and disrespect me in my courtroom like you did them in the hallway. That's not going to happen ever.

[00:17:32]Am I under?

[00:17:38]But it was very clear that she's looking in the direction of instincts. Well, and making those some of the parts of it just sort of god-awful statement with an attempt clearly in this court's mind to intimidate Miss Sinks and the other witness and to testify so that we're real clear in terms of her bond conditions.

[00:18:05]She is not to have any direct or indirect contact with the following persons and that includes Stephanie Sinks. That is condition S on the bond form.

[00:18:24]That is just clear she's not to have contact.

[00:18:29]That is a very big long hallway.

[00:18:34]The courtroom is a reasonably good size.

[00:18:38]This defendant could have come and sat in the courtroom at any given point in time. She knew who Miss Sinks was. She knew exactly who she was talking to in the hallway. She could have come. Miss Sinks wouldn't move. She could have come and sat in here and that's her obligation is to avoid contact with Miss Sinks either directly or indirectly. She purposely did that. I think she did it.

[00:19:04]You know, when people come to court, whether it be a defendant, whether it be a victim in a case, whether it be a witness, they are not to be intimidated into doing whatever they're doing, whatever stage it's at. If miss thinks just to address council's point that while the decision may have been made to proceed in a particular direction, it isn't the issue of whether or not there was going to be testimony and whether or not it was the defendant's intent to stop Miss Sinks from testifying. That's not the issue. She's not to have any contact direct or indirect with Miss Sinks. If Miss Sinks decided to just come down to this courthouse and just sit in that hallway, I don't know why she would, but that's fine. If she just wanted to come down and sit in the hallway, this defendant has to remain out of contact with her.

[00:20:02]She didn't do that.

[00:20:04]In fact, she was attempting to try to, in my opinion, in looking at that and listening to the recording, she was attempting to try to engage Miss Sinks to say those things to intimidate Miss Sinks, not only for today, but I think in terms of further proceedings because this case isn't over. That's the defendant's obligation.

[00:20:28]Miss Sinks is not under the jurisdiction of this court to do anything.

[00:20:34]This defendant is the court after listening and seeing all of that having heard argument is going to find that the defendant was involved in the yelling and inappropriate phrasing at protected parties to the case um in the 1481 hallway. and that the court does believe is was an attempt to intimidate the witnesses. This behavior not tolerated today. It will never be tolerated in this courthouse and so that we won't have a return of this at all. Defendant's bond is hereby ordered revoked. Defendant is remanded to the Wash County Jail.

[00:21:24]got really quick matters. I apologize. I neglected to mention earlier. I would also as the no contact order include uh the other witnesses that were present today that were set to testify. I can provide that court now or I can provide that in writing at a later date and time if the court would prefer. Um, if you could somehow or another get those other names on an order for the court to sign, I will add those individually.

[00:21:49]>> And then may I sign the information I've been able to do today?

[00:21:53]>> The courtroom erupted after prosecutors accused Morgan of violating her bond by intimidating witnesses in the hallway outside court. Witness Stephanie Sinks testified that Morgan directed insulting and threatening remarks toward her while discussing the case. Prosecutors supported the claim with audio recordings and hallway surveillance video showing Morgan repeatedly turning toward the witnesses while making aggressive comments. The defense argued she was only venting frustration, not directly threatening anyone, but the judge rejected that explanation immediately. After reviewing the footage, the judge ruled Morgan intentionally intimidated protected witnesses, violated her no contact bond conditions, revoked her bond, and ordered her taken to jail instantly. me.