Judge Pulls Gun In Courtroom: David Barrett Under Investigation In North Georgia

Some judges pack a gavel -- this judge was packing heat.

A Georgia judge is under fire after he allegedly pulled his pistol in a courtroom in an apparent attempt to drive a point home to a sexual assault victim.

Lumpkin County Superior Court Judge David Barrett wasn't angry, but making "a poor rhetorical point" when he flashed the piece this week, District Attorney Jeff Langley told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Barrett was presiding over a sexual assault case in which a woman brought charges of rape and aggravated assault against Scott Sugarman, a former Hall County sheriff's deputy.

But when the victim took the stand to testify, Barrett told her that she was "killing her case" -- allegedly because she wasn't cooperating -- pulled out his gat and pretended to hand it her way.

"[Barrett said] 'You might as well shoot your lawyer,'" Langley told the paper.

The woman -- whose name is being withheld because she may be the victim of a sexual crime -- wasn't shocked and "thought it was a test" by Barrett to gauge her reaction. Langley claims that he objected and approached the bench to tell Barrett to put the gun down.

Now Barrett is under investigation by the state Judicial Qualifications Commission, which probes judge misconduct, the Associated Press reported. Georgia law allows judges to carry concealed handguns in the courtroom, but it's a crime to point a gun at another person if there's no reason to do so.

Comments

[thegriffinite]

12:54 AM on 03/09/2012

How in a million years did that seem like a good idea? Stupid hillbilly judge makes Georgia look bad.

[LaughingSkullLounge]

01:24 PM on 03/06/2012

www.LaughingSkullLounge.com is located in GA... I am not surprised at all that a judge from here pulled out a gun during court proceedings...

[Mailman]

09:30 PM on 03/04/2012

Really, seriously?

[GaryNOVA]

03:15 AM on 03/04/2012

Did the person who wrote the headline for this on the front page actually type the word 'gat' or am I imagining things?

*facepalm*

[Kenley Eaglestone]

11:49 AM on 03/02/2012

If you have ever wondered how to drive home a (poor) point while simultaneously killing your career in under 5 seconds, this judge may have just given you your answer.

[wisdom4you]

01:45 AM on 03/02/2012

ahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahah

judge said for her to shoot her attorney???? ahahahahahaahahahahahah

betcha that attorney yelled 'OBJECTION' damn quick :-)

[Norge]

03:34 AM on 03/02/2012

wisdom4you

Black humor from a completely different culture where guns and verbal abuse are not tollerated in the court room and judges cannot infringe on the human rights of lawyers, plaintifs or observers.

I have very little experience in court rooms though do have enough common sense to know what is exceptable behavior and that which is not.
Perhaps I do seem to serious, though court rooms are serious places where peoples' lives can end in hell or heaven. And the less I see of those places the more at peace I am.

Have it well my friend and look upon my comment as black humor from a different culture where police do not carry guns in the Streets-:).

Norge

[wisdom4you]

06:41 AM on 03/02/2012

Norge .. I had forgotten that you live in a different culture, but you know I would never lie to you and I speak from my personal experience and knowledge, being, in the USA all judges have guns under their robes.. we also have court marshalls who are also always in the courtroom, who are armed but they are concealed to prevent the naive citizens from being scared. Most of our appellate judges also are armed.

I have been in a lot of courtrooms, but on 'motion days' where there are no clients present, I may assure you there is a lot of verbal abuse .. we are an arguementive lot .... however, sense I am my own attorney I have never once had that problem .. my consideration is simply, that is the judge's ball park and he is the boss.

Due to our common respect, I humbly withdraw my former post. wis

[Norge]

01:28 AM on 03/02/2012

There are foolish infringers of the law and then there are foolish judges with undisiplined tongues
with nuron communication disorders.

[Joel Mendez]

09:10 AM on 03/01/2012

it's georgia.

[Antifish]

11:53 AM on 03/01/2012

How profound.

[Joel Mendez]

08:09 PM on 03/01/2012

indeed.

[sallybutt45]

05:25 AM on 03/01/2012

This one just takes the cake!!!

[jteschke]

03:49 AM on 03/01/2012

This inadvertently reveals the true nature of the US legal system.

[Joshua Kaanaana]

02:28 AM on 03/01/2012

From the outside looking in he seems like an idiot. I wonder he seems like from the inside looking out.

[Republibaggers]

10:29 PM on 02/29/2012

If Bush were in the White House he'd get a SCOTUS appointment just for doing that alone

[Stephanie Beavers]

09:18 PM on 02/29/2012

Yeah, it takes a brave man to pull out a gun in a courtroom with all his buddies and one sexual assault victim who for some reason was "uncooperative" with the legal system after having been assaulted by their buddy.

How does that even bring reality to the court? I'm sure this woman has had enough reality in her life, and the judge being an idiot hardly helps. If he really wanted to make that point he could have just, you know, SAID IT WITHOUT WAVING A GUN AROUND.

[Tsvi1]

02:36 AM on 03/01/2012

Its ok, Im pissed off too. But what kind of comment can we expect from a guy using the pic of a smoking baby?

[wisdom4you]

01:50 AM on 03/02/2012

Stephanie ... no, she was flat assed lying and the judge knew it ... you missed the point the judge said to shoot her attorney, probably for even bring that case into court.

[Joel Mendez]

09:11 AM on 03/01/2012

also brought crime. and more to the point, you're confusing 'bravery' with 'stupidity'. there's a difference.

[Tyler Austin]

07:35 PM on 02/29/2012

Well his carreer is over. Pass the salad.

[XS VENOM]

07:30 PM on 02/29/2012

He is a " judge " and he should know better. State needs to " follow the law " and do what the law says to do in this instance. Enjoy going to court judge. And no, you are not untouchable after all.