Friday’s statement by Our Nevada Judges (ONJ) director Alex Falconi clarified why Jose “Chille” DeCastro and others in the court room had their cell phones taken away during his hearing on Tuesday.
DeCastro was on trial for and found guilty of obstructing an officer and interfering in a traffic stop in Las Vegas. According to Falconi’s statement, Judge Anne Zimmerman confiscated cell phones in the courtroom came after a report that someone was restreaming the courtroom without the granting of a media request from the judge.
All the members of the public observing the trial were made to hand over their electronic devices because of the discovery and DeCastro himself was searched and had his cell phone forcibly taken from his hands by a bailiff when he was objecting to the order and attempting to hand his device over to a fan sitting in the courtroom.
Our Nevada Judges had put in the official request for media access, as they had with previous hearings in the case, while the hearing itself was initially streamed over a public stream intended for those participants who could not attend the scheduled hearings in person.
Apparently tipped off that DeCastro has a history of secretly filming and restreaming his court appearances, Judge Zimmerman singled DeCastro out for a search and the YouTuber was forced to reveal the content of his pockets. Satisfied that he had no recording devices, the Judge also took the extraordinary step of clearing out the Zoom meeting of anyone not directly involved in the case.
The Zoom meeting was being restreamed, however, as in the case of Aidan “Turtleboy” Kearney’s court appearances, by fans and YouTube channels with access to the feed. The Welsh News Network’s coverage of the trial briefly included the live feed from the Zoom call before being removed from the room by court staff as the outside feed was cut.
Judge Zimmerman’s decision brings new scrutiny to public access to high profile court cases. As live streams are offered in court houses, most court staffers are ill-equipped to handle the high volume of interested parties who cannot make it into the Zoom meetings or attend in person.
Auditor James Freeman and others have been fighting against Federal rules against recording in the courts, with Freeman and others contending that we’re all press now that all phones have cameras and streaming capabilities. DeCastro himself had filed a motion objecting to live streaming of his case, only agreeing to OJN’s delayed recorded coverage of the case.
DeCastro’s objection to live streaming and subsequent search for recording devices became an ironic part of the outcome of the case as he had previously defied judicial orders on recording and had restreamed his previous court hearings.
Disclosure: ReallyCoolNews works in conjunction with the Welsh News Network. Jim Finch appears regularly as a panel member of WNN broadcasts. WNN has no direct editorial control of ReallyCoolNews.
Case Links
The Public Documents of Jose Maria “Chille” DeCastro
https://thepublicdocuments.com/
DeCastro vs. Peter, etc. – California State Superior Court
https://www.lacourt.org/casesummary/ui/index.aspx?casetype=civil (Use case: 23SMCV00538)
DeCastro vs. Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department
https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/67210646/decastro-v-las-vegas-metropolitan-police-department/
DeCastro vs. Mcknight (Federal Court filed in Nevada vs. Ohio)
https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/68308740/decastro-v-mcknight/
DeCastro vs. Wagner (Ironton) – APPEAL
https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/67862227/jose-decastro-v-pam-wagner/
Feb 14, 2024 Arrest (Las Vegas)
https://municourt.lasvegasnevada.gov (Defendants, DeCastro, Jose, 9/11/74)
Maryland Criminal Complaint by Collin Campbell
https://casesearch.courts.state.md.us/casesearch/inquiry-search.jsp (Use case: D-09-CR-24-000572)
DeCastro vs. State of Nevada (Appeal of March 2024 conviction)
https://www.clarkcountycourts.us (Use case: C-24-381730-A)
DeCastro vs. Evan McKnight, Defendants (Lawsuit against Ironton filed in Nevada state court)
https://www.clarkcountycourts.us (Use case: A-24-888450-C)
Rodgers v. Winfrey (Deboraugh Rodgers Federal Case)
https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/66901243/rodgers-v-winfrey/
Dollarhide v. Dickens (Jason Dollarhide Federal Case)
https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/64862375/dollarhide-v-dickens/
DeCastro vs. Abrams & Peter (Dismissed)
https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/64946355/decastro-v-abrams/
DeCastro vs. Wagner (Ironton) (Dismissed)
https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/63235878/decastro-v-wagner/
DeCastro vs. Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department – APPEAL (Dismissed)
https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/67693595/jose-decastro-v-lvmpd/
Wallace v. Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department (Dismissed)
https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/67423252/wallace-v-las-vegas-metropolitan-police-department/
Maryland Peace Order by Collin Campbell (Closed)
https://casesearch.courts.state.md.us/casesearch/inquiry-search.jsp (Use case: D-09-CV-24-809545)
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