Woman Arrested After Disrespecting the Judge in Court

Around 2:58 PM on October 1, 2024, Patrolman Michael Hutman with the Lacey Township Police Department was inside the courtroom of the Lacey Township Municipal Court waiting for an unrelated matter to be heard. The Honorable Judge Benjamin H. Mabie III was hearing a plea agreement for 24-year-old Alissa, and she expressed her displeasure towards Judge Mabie. Judge Mabie instructed Alissa to be seated so that she could collect her emotions prior to accepting the plea agreement. She continued to use profane language in the courtroom, and Judge Mabie asked the officers to remove Alissa from the courtroom to “cool off” because she was disrupting other proceedings. Patrolman Hutman and Patrolman Damian Morrone approached Alissa and guided her to the lobby of the front lobby of the Lacey Township Municipal Building. Alissa seated herself in a chair and continued to use profane language. The officers attempted to deescalate the situation, but Alissa indicated that she would “rather be dead” and “rather just die.” Whether or not she meant what she was saying, the officers informed Alissa that at this point they were obligated to take her to the hospital for a PESS evaluation. Patrolman Hutman asked Patrolman Brian Holt to ask Judge Mabie if he needed to see her prior to Alissa’s transport to the hospital. As Patrolman Holt was speaking with the Judge, Alissa continued to grow irate and Patrolman Hutman decided to place her in handcuffs for the officers’ safety. At this time, Alissa attempted to pull away, so she was informed that she was under arrest. There was a brief struggle, and Patrolman Hutman’s body worn camera was knocked to the floor as they attempted to place handcuffs on her. Patrolman Holt exited the courtroom and he advised Alissa to stop resisting as he assisted the other 2 officers. Alissa was eventually escorted to the patrol car and transported to police headquarters by Patrolmen Hutman and Morrone without incident. At headquarters, she advised the officers that her 2 children were under the care of her grandmother. An officer advised the father of her children that Alissa was going to be transported to Community Medical Center based on the remarks that she had made earlier. After they were finished processing Alissa at the Lacey Township Police Department, she was transported to Community Medical Center for further evaluation. A Use of Force report was completed and Alissa was charged with the following: Obstruction of justice, resisting arrest, and disorderly conduct ---------------------------------------------- Please LIKE, SUBSCRIBE, and consider supporting this channel (email us for more information). Our content is shared for educational and news gathering purposes. We are in compliance with YouTube's Fair Use Policy because we edit several long clips into a concise story. This is similar to other law enforcement channels on YouTube. All videos and case documents were obtained pursuant to the New Jersey Open Public Records Act, N.J.S.A. 47:1A-1 et seq. (P.L. 2024, c.16). Defendants are considered innocent until proven guilty. The New Jersey Supreme Court has previously affirmed in Salzano v. North Jersey Media Group, 993 A.2d 778 (2010) that “The fair-report privilege reflects the judgment that the need, in a self-governing society, for free-flowing information about matters of public interest outweighs concerns over the uncompensated injury to a person's reputation.” This video advances a compelling public interest. The summary of events was based on records that are “open to public view through open access to public records” as defined in the Salzano case. In Ramos v. Flowers, 429 N.J. Super. 13, the Appellate Division of the Superior Court has also affirmed the right to film law enforcement interactions.