we're not going to enforce any mask mandate in the courtroom or anywhere else okay I appreciate that chair let me let me just say this we're not going to enforce any mask mandate in the courtroom or anywhere else okay I appreciate that sure all right so we got a call from the courthouse saying send send help Urgent Response we didn't know if it was an active shooter or what so you came prepared for an active shooter like for real they didn't know they didn't tell us anything other than get here as fast as you can well the way they dispatched it yes sorry just did it right Bennett told the secretary get me help now and then it escalated when it got the dispatch well by the time we got it like oh hell it's breaking loose that's why so you came code three absolutely okay all right all right hey it's good to see you all right you too guys it was a gentleman came in my courtroom refused the mask up [Music] uh-huh [Music] so you didn't ask for them to arrest me or bring me back for contempt [Music] I feel the need to preface this story by telling you that the seventh Judicial District Court is in Torrance County but that the county has absolutely no control over the court they are completely separate entities while the court has been absolutely horrible Torrance County has been wonderful for me to work with over the years and makes an incredible effort to respect individual liberty like you and I they're not perfect but Torrance County management makes an incredible effort to immediately fix problems when they're brought to their attention rather than digging their heels in when they're wrong multiple deputies and the elected Sheriff himself have made an effort to stick their necks out to stand for the people of this County and do what's right potentially upsetting The Establishment and even risking their own livelihood by not playing along on January 27 2023 I was running some errands and drove past the 7th Judicial Court in Torrance County which shares a building with the Torrance County Sheriff's Office the parking lot here is usually pretty empty but on this day there were a lot of cars there so I stopped by to see what government was doing when I entered the building I found that Court was in session all Court hearings and trials are public and any member of the public can attend and observe any public hearing or trial at any time this is an important part of a free Society it makes it so that the courts can't operate in secret which is supposed to help keep them accountable while I attended quite a few Court hearings via Zoom during the scandemic I hadn't attended any in person since before the scandemic began so I thought it'd be interesting to just sit in on this hearing I made absolutely no attempt to record the hearing simply because I know that they often get crazy over that even though they shouldn't and I was just trying to walk around and observe some things not make a video my phone was silenced and in my pocket so as not to disrupt the hearing as soon as I entered the courtroom I was addressed by a man later identified as Gordon Bennett a hearing officer he asked who I was I told him I'm a member of the public just here to observe the public hearing he told me that I have to wear a mask I was genuinely quite shocked and even speechless didn't know how to respond mind you this is 2023 long after the scandemic has been declared to have been ended by every single expert and official worldwide I told him no thank you I'll just sit back here and quietly observe and took my seat in the back corner he continued barking at me to wear a muzzle I quickly realized that this unstable man wasn't going to give up the issue and believed that he may even lie about the events that actually transpired to try to have me thrown in jail at this point in order to make sure that there would be an accurate record of the truth I took my phone out from my pocket and began recording our interaction in law enforcement with you so if you're not going to mask up you can leave my courtroom if you want to stay in my courtroom you can mask up I'm 30 feet away from everybody sir what's your name what is it I can't see it from here my name is Gordon Bennett I'm the hearing officer in this matter and this is my courtroom okay well I'll just sit here quietly please proceed foreign or what I will have you escorted out by who we are off the Record hearing officer Gordon Bennett left the courtroom to tell his court staff to call for immediate police assistance but refused to tell them exactly why just that it was urgent Torrance can you just need dispatch hi this is Rayleigh District Court we have our hearing officer with a domestic violence hearing and he's requesting police in the courtroom immediately is it a disturbance I don't know he didn't that's why he just wanted he wanted so in the courtroom immediately or as soon as possible okay I'll go ahead and send them that way alrighty thank you is this a good copy yes okay for perfect I'll have them on the way shortly okay thank you of course but what are you doing Miss Steph oh you know hey can you get um an officer to district court for courtroom two they need security ASAP okay I think someone just called in that for courtroom two security yeah any idea what's going on yeah Gordon said how fast can you get me a call okay all right I didn't give it I'm sorry just trying to expect it public hearing nothing more nothing less I can appreciate we're here you're not going to violate the rules which rules are those oh you want me to put a mask on tell you what if you threaten me with a rest I'll just leave I'm not threatening anything I'm telling you that if you do not abide by the rules of my courtroom you will leave if you choose not to leave with your own Court you will be escorted would I would I be arrested or charged with anything well you continue okay so there's a threat of arrest then if I don't do what you say right now would you happen to have your phone out recording this I mean if there's a threat if there's a threat of arrest I'll just leave are you recording this conversation the court is there's a camera there you're right the court is in there rule I have allowed required to record well by Statute I'll tell you what son I'll just get a bigger team and we'll come back sweetheart all right we'll be back I headed over to the Sheriff's Office to talk to newly elected David Frazee to ask if him or his Department would be enforcing this mask mandate at the time I had no idea that three units had already been dispatched to the courthouse and were on their way code three lights and Sirens due to the way that the call was put out intentionally vague and then dispatched the responding officers believed that they were likely responding to some type of active shooter or hostage situation is the sheriff here okay or any of the deputies honestly any what's that James Freeman Sheriff David Frazee immediately invited me back to his office to chat he didn't mind if I recorded the conversation but I did turn the camera off anyways I asked him if he would enforce the mask mandate he said absolutely not I asked what he would do if they called in the State Police to enforce it he said hopefully it wouldn't come to that but they would have to look into kicking the state police out of the county if that happened meanwhile outside his deputies were entering the building believing that they were walking into a dangerous and violent situation should I get the shield you never know yeah dude yeah that's ridiculous they need to tell us something let's go okay two are you guys good yeah this is Erica Smith she works for the court and she knows exactly what's going on but instead of informing the deputies she allows them to go into the courtroom with guns drawn into what they believe may be a potential hostage situation awesome yeah you bet sorry but I mean take you over your courtroom but it was a gentleman who came into my courtroom refused to mask up okay and started recording me in the courtroom okay we started cause of disturbance which way did he go allegedly okay it was just limited information so we don't know if you guys are being held hostage or what so that's why we came in hard we'll go find him uh-huh [Music] judge judge yeah we'll do it we can yeah oh we know James yeah I know I know James personally okay [Music] anyway everything okay yeah everyone is fine wonderful did you guys come for me yeah turned into a mess I'm sorry I'm gonna turn the video but is it back on I can go out there if you want but I got video back on just in case no no no you do think well what so we go to Cole from the courthouse saying send send help Urgent Response we didn't know if it was an active shooter or what so you're being prepared for an active shooter like for real you know they didn't tell us anything other than get here as fast as you can well the way they dispatched it yes so I'll go out there with this if you want though I don't want to intrude on areas there's no idea what to expect okay let me let me just say this so you came you came prepared for an active shooter like for real you know they didn't tell us anything other than get here as fast as you can the way they dispatched it especially yes I'll go out there with this if you want no I don't want to intrude on areas that should be private explain to them and he's got the sheave that's Shield yeah yeah we had no idea okay let me let me just say this we're not going to enforce any mask mandate in the courtroom or anywhere else okay I appreciate that sure all right we're not going to enforce any mask mandate in the courtroom or anywhere else right I appreciate that sheriff it just sounded like um just in it right Bennett told the secretary get me help now and then it escalated when I got the dispatch well by the time we got it like oh hell's breaking loose that's why so you came code three absolutely [Music] all right you too guys this is only the beginning of this series myself and others have been back multiple times to follow up on this and are working on getting those videos published as well had Gordon Bennett kept his mouth shut and simply allowed the public to view public hearings I never would have ended up stumbling upon how bad the entire seventh Judicial District really is Mr Bennett even spoke to me one of the times I went back and told me that it's illegal to cuss through text messages it shall be unlawful to threaten harass use a phone to do any of these things okay then you go to paragraph B the mere use of rude lewd or profane language is prima facial evidence of intent to threaten harass annoy or offend so you meet all of the elements just by using the f word in a text really I'm going to text my lawyer [ __ ] you right now what do you think what do you think I'll do it right now in front of you I'm gonna text my lawyer [ __ ] you I'm not doing anything am I come on here there's my lawyer come on I'm gonna text him [ __ ] you I just came out to say hello to the lieutenant all right well you have a good one Mr Bennett