Flomaton man is escorted out of court
A Flomaton man arrested on multiple theft charges had to be escorted out of his bond hearing by sheriff's deputies after claiming he was not guilty and accusing deputies of assaulting him and "snatching' him around while inside the courtroom.
Emanuel Rabun Bethea, 35, who said he lived on Palafox St., in Flomaton, was jailed on $250,000 bond on charges of burglary III, receiving stolen property II and two counts of theft of property IV.
During a bond hearing last Thursday before District Judge Eric Coale, Bethea refused to sign any documents presented to him by the judge.
Assistant District Attorney Joe Whitt explained the charges that included Bethea entering property in Flomaton where he had already been issued a no trespassing order and entering a shed and taking several items that included money.
Bethea was later found in possession of a 2004 Ford F-150 pickup truck that was reported stolen in Brewton. Whitt also said Bethea was a convicted felon out of Florida and was on probation.
Bethea told the judge he did not go on that property.
"None of that's true," he said. "None of these things. I should already have a lawyer."
Bethea refused to sign an affidavit of hardship to allow the judge to appoint a lawyer and refused to sign the documents that explained his charges.
"I'm not worried about it," Bethea said.
When asked if he had a telephone number, Bethea said the last cell phone he had was stolen.
"The people who made up these charges stole my phone," Bethea said. "Are you going to press charges against them?"
Bethea said he wasn't going to sign anything until he had a chance to read the documents and Judge Coale told Bethea to sit down and read the documents.
As a deputy escorted Bethea back to his chair, Bethea told the deputy to take his hands off of him.
"He's molesting me," Bethea said. "Quit snatching me around."
Circuit Judge Jeff White entered the courtroom to preside over another case and Bethea kept saying the deputies were molesting him as they tried to keep him in the chair.
Judge White then told the deputies to escort Bethea out of the courtroom.