A Michigan man was taken into custody for violating a no-contact order against his girlfriend. Coby Harris, 21, was required to appear in court to face allegations that he assaulted her back in February. Because of the coronavirus, the court hearing was held virtually on Zoom.
Harris and his victim both appeared and were supposed to be in different locations. During the hearing, the prosecutor, Deborah Davis, noticed the victim looking away from the camera and suspected that Harris was there with her.
"Your honor, I have reason to believe that the defendant is in the same apartment as the complaining witness right now and I'm extremely scared for her safety," Davis said.
She asked Harris and his alleged victim where they were, and both provided a different address. Davis was not satisfied with their answers and asked Harris to step outside and prove he wasn't lying.
"Umm, why? I don't even think that this phone has the charge for that, sir," Harris said. "I'm at 2 percent right now."
While Harris argued with the prosecutor, police entered the woman's home and took Harris into custody.
When Harris rejoined the court hearing, he apologized to the judge for lying about his location.
"Your honor, we both don't want the no-contact order," Harris said. "I asked that it be dropped. I'm sorry I lied to you. I knew the cops were outside. I don't know why I lied to you."
Harris is facing charges of assault and obstruction of justice. He faces up to 15 years behind bars on the assault charge because he is a repeat offender.
Photo: St. Joseph County District Court