A veteran Wisconsin choose was arrested Friday on costs of serving to a Mexican unlawful migrant evade Immigration and Customs Enforcement brokers in her courtroom, the head of the FBI introduced.
Choose Hannah Dugan, who has been on the Milwaukee County bench for almost a decade, is accused of obstruction of justice and concealing Eduardo Flores-Ruiz from arrest following a pre-trial listening to final week.
Dugan appeared briefly in Milwaukee federal court docket Friday morning earlier than being launched after prosecutors stated they might not ask for her detention earlier than trial. Her arraignment has been set for Might 15.
“Choose Dugan wholeheartedly regrets and protests her arrest. It was not made within the curiosity of public security,” her lawyer, Craig Mastantuono, stated throughout the continuing.
In accordance with a legal grievance obtained by The Put up, an ICE provide and a US Customs and Border Safety (CBP) official confirmed up exterior Dugan’s courtroom April 18 with a warrant for Flores-Ruiz’s arrest for illegally getting into the US, however have been informed by a safety guard and a sheriff’s sergeant to attend exterior till after the listening to.
The grievance famous that Flores-Ruiz, 30, had been deported from the US as soon as earlier than in 2013. It was not instantly clear when he crossed the border once more, and there’s no proof he did so legally.
Flores-Ruiz, 30, was showing earlier than Dugan April 18 for a pre-trial convention on three misdemeanor battery costs stemming from a battle the earlier month during which he was accused of punching one other individual 30 occasions after being accused of enjoying music too loudly, in keeping with a police report obtained by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
The grievance states that whereas the group assigned to arrest Flores-Ruiz, which included FBI and DEA brokers, waited for the listening to to conclude, they have been photographed by a public defender, who knowledgeable Dugan’s clerk that “there gave the impression to be ICE brokers within the hallway.”
After talking with the clerk, Dugan “grew to become visibly offended” and left the bench to confront the federal brokers, in keeping with an affidavit by a FBI particular agent. After initially demanding that the officers go away the constructing in the event that they weren’t there for a court docket look, Dugan allegedly directed the federal brokers away from her courtroom to the chief choose’s workplace.
After Dugan had gone again inside, the grievance states, a deputy assigned to her courtroom informed a member of the federal group that he had not alerted Dugan to their presence and added that the choose was “‘pushing’ Flores-Ruiz’s case by way of.”
After Flores-Ruiz’s look was accomplished with him watching from the jury field, the affidavit states, the deputy heard Dugan “say one thing like, ‘Wait, include me’” earlier than escorting Flores-Ruiz and his lawyer out of the courtroom’s “jury door” to a personal space of the courthouse, the place the chief choose had suggested the feds that they may not arrest Flores-Ruiz.
“These occasions have been additionally uncommon for 2 causes,” the grievance states. “First, the courtroom deputy had beforehand heard Choose Dugan direct folks to not sit within the jury field as a result of it was solely for the jury’s use. Second, in keeping with the courtroom deputy, solely deputies, juries, court docket workers, and in-custody defendants being escorted by deputies used the again jury door. Protection attorneys and defendants who weren’t in custody by no means used the jury door.”
Later, a prosecuting lawyer requested concerning the standing of Flores-Ruiz’s battery case and was informed it had been “adjourned.”
Flores-Ruiz and his lawyer made it out of the courthouse earlier than the suspect was arrested by a FBI and DEA agent following a quick foot chase.
“We consider Choose Dugan deliberately misdirected federal brokers away from the topic to be arrested in her courthouse, Eduardo Flores Ruiz, permitting the topic — an unlawful alien — to evade arrest,” FBI Director Kash Patel stated in an X publish.
“Fortunately our brokers chased down the perp on foot and he’s been in custody since, however the Choose’s obstruction created elevated hazard to the general public.”
Patel later deleted the X publish asserting Dugan’s arrest, for causes that weren’t instantly clear. Lawyer Normal Pam Bondi later reconfirmed Dugan’s arrest on social media, declaring: “Nobody is above the legislation.”
Flores Ruiz had been arrested after police have been known as to a Milwaukee dwelling for a reported battle March 12. Along with repeatedly punching an individual, the police report says he struck a lady who tried to interrupt up the altercation.
One of many reported victims initially informed police that Flores Ruiz was “only a good friend that was staying the night time.” Nevertheless, when investigators returned to the house the next day, the victims stated he had really been dwelling there for the previous yr.
Dugan, who graduated from College of Wisconsin Regulation College in 1986, was elected in 2016 to the county court docket Department 31. She additionally has served within the court docket’s probate and civil divisions, in keeping with her judicial candidate biography.
Earlier than being elected to public workplace, Dugan practiced at Authorized Motion of Wisconsin and the Authorized Support Society.
Flores Ruiz, in the meantime, is now being held in ICE custody on the Dodge Detention Facility in Juneau, about 50 miles northwest of Milwaukee, information present.
Whereas Milwaukee hasn’t formally designated itself a “sanctuary” metropolis, Mayor Cavalier Johnson has beforehand indicated town would welcome migrants with open arms.
He informed WUWM that he didn’t wish to make such a declaration amid fears town would develop into a goal of President Trump.
“I don’t wish to put town of Milwaukee able the place we’re being focused by the Trump administration. I believe that solely serves to intensify the anxieties that individuals have already got on this neighborhood,” he stated.
The choose’s arrest comes after just lately retired New Mexico choose and his spouse have been hauled away in cuffs by the feds earlier this week for allegedly sheltering a suspected Tren de Aragua gangbanger at their dwelling.
Ex-Doña Ana County Justice of the Peace Choose Jose “Joel” Cano and his spouse, Nancy Cano, have been accused of harboring Cristhian Ortega-Lopez of their guesthouse after initially hiring him as a handyman.
With Put up wires
