Court proceedings came to an abrupt halt Thursday after two sons of a slain woman reportedly decided to attack the man who admitted to gunning her down in 2017.
WKBN reported that relatives of Elizabeth Pledger-Stewart, 46, were about to provide their victim impact statements when Anthony Dees, 30, and Jerome Stewart, 23, decided to jump on her admitted killer and ex-boyfriend, Dale Williams, 62. Williams confessed to waiting nearly an hour for Pledger-Stewart to drive by him so he could cut her off and shoot her dead in Youngstown.
***WARNING: The video below depicts violence. Please use discretion.***
https://www.facebook.com/CBS42News/videos/346383876252892/
It took several moments for officers to corral the men, one who’s seen dragging Williams out of a chair and kicking him as his brother’s seen punching him in the head. Meanwhile, the victim’s relatives were spotted begging the men to cease the coordinated assault.
Officers reportedly tased one of the slain woman’s sons during the ordeal. Williams can be seen rubbing his face as he’s hauled out the courtroom.
“Our deputies there intervened. We had extra officers in the courtroom to begin with,” Mahoning County Sheriff Jerry Greene said in court Thursday, according to the news station. “I’m sure they knew that there were some tensions with this sentencing hearing. From everything I can see, the officers acted appropriately. In fact, did a pretty good job, in my opinion.”
WPTV reported that brothers were arrested on charges related to the courtroom brawl and will serve 30 days for Thursday’s attack.
Sentencing for Williams was postponed to Monday in light of the altercation.
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[Featured image: WIAT Facebook video screengrab]