Text Size
Print
Email
National News
- Text Size
- Print
- Email
Dennis Brownstein's Extreme Court News
Court Ain't No Reality Show
A Rockford man is scheduled to be in Kane County court next month, to face charges that he recorded a Kane County court case.
Floydrick Suggs-Bay, 45, was charged with felony eavesdropping for recording a traffic courtroom with his HTC Smartphone, according to Kane County court records.
According to a search warrant filed in the case, on Feb. 28, Suggs-Bay was in court for two traffic tickets. Hampshire police charged Suggs-Bay with no insurance and driving on a suspended license.
A sheriff's deputy alerted two prosecutors that Suggs-Bay was audio recording the courtroom. Judge Katherine Moran asked Suggs-Bay if he was recording, and Suggs-Bay told the judge he was, the warrant says.
Moran told Suggs-Bay that he was not allowed to record courtrooms and ordered him to turn his phone over to courtroom personnel. When Suggs-Bay refused, Moran held him in criminal contempt of court, the warrant says.
Suggs-Bay began waving his arms and refusing to give up the phone, so he was taken to a holding cell, the warrant says. After being read his rights, Suggs-Bay admitted to recording the entire court proceeding, but refused to say any more to investigators, the warrant said. The warrant sought to recover the recording from Suggs-Bay's phone.
Suggs-Bay is scheduled to be in court again on May 9 for the eavesdropping charge. Suggs-Bay later pleaded guilty to driving on a suspended license and the no insurance charge was dropped.
Suggs-Bay's incident came just weeks after the Illinois Supreme Court announced it would allow still photography and video cameras into the courtrooms.
Currently, criminal and civil county courtrooms are open to the public, but no video cameras, still cameras or recording devices are allowed in. Illinois is one of only 14 states that has not allowed routine use of news cameras in courtrooms.
Under the new system, the state's 23 judicial circuits could petition the Supreme Court to allow media cameras in. Once a circuit is approved, individual trial judges would get the final call on cameras. Media members would have to apply for credentials prior to recording a court case.
The 16th Judicial Circuit recently formed a panel to study whether to allow cameras into the courtrooms in Kane, Kendall and DeKalb counties. The 16th Circuit will hold a public meeting at 2 p.m. May 2 to gather comment from the public and members of the media about the issue.
2025 The Background Investigator. All Rights Reserved.