Court Digest

Connecticut
Man charged with faking COVID to avoid court
HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) — A Connecticut man has been charged with faking a positive COVID-19 test in order to avoid a court date.

The 31-year-old Hartford man was arrested Tuesday on charges of forgery and fabricating physical evidence.

Prosecutors said the man, who has 11 criminal cases pending in the Superior Court system, was due before a judge Nov. 30 for a bond review hearing after being arrested while out on bail on charges of threatening and breach of peace.

On Nov. 29, the man’s lawyer told a judge and prosecutors that his client had sent him a screenshot purporting to be a notification of a positive COVID-19 test. That prompted the judge to excuse the suspect from his court date.

A subsequent investigation by the Office of the Chief State’s Attorney showed the notification was fabricated, prosecutors said.

The man is now being held in lieu of $25,000 bond and is due back in court on Feb. 3.

The forgery and fabrication charges are both Class D felonies, which carry penalties of between one and five years in prison.


Florida
Driver accused of killing 2 kids causes scene in courtroom
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — A 27-year-old man accused in a hit-and-run crash that killed two children and injured four others caused a disturbance during his first court appearance Wednesday, hours after sheriff’s deputies arrested him.

Sean Charles Greer was arrested late Tuesday after physical evidence led detectives to him following the Monday afternoon crash in Wilton Manors, the Broward Sheriff’s Office said.

During a court appearance Wednesday, deputies led Greer away after he apparently objected to attending the proceeding, news outlets reported. The court session was delayed for a minute as he was taken from the room.

“We seem to have lost him for a moment,” Judge Joseph Murphy said during the videotaped hearing. Someone then told Murphy, “Your honor, he stepped away. He didn’t want to come back before the judge.”

Officials said Greer was driving a 2009 Honda Accord sedan Monday when he veered around a transit bus and hit a group of children on a sidewalk.

The judge ordered Greer held without bond for two probation violations. He was also ordered to appear before a judge on one of the violations Thursday morning.

His court-appointed public defender said Greer suffers from asthma, depression and insomnia, the South Florida SunSentinel reported.

According to prosecutors, Greer’s Florida drivers license has been suspended since 2016. He also has arrests, including for possession of cannabis, petty theft and driving with a suspended license, dating to 2013.

Andrea Fleming, 6, and Kylie Jones, 5, died at the scene. Draya Fleming, Laziyah Stokes, Johnathan Carter and Audre Fleming were taken to Broward Health Medical Center.

Greer fled the scene and his car was later located in Wilton Manors, a suburb of Fort Lauderdale, deputies said. There was damage on the vehicle consistent with being involved in the crash. The car’s front bumper was missing. It had been found at the scene of the crash.

The sheriff’s office said Tuesday that Greer confessed to detectives.

He faces multiple charges, including two counts of leaving the scene of an accident involving death, two counts of leaving the scene of an accident involving serious bodily injury, tampering with evidence, four counts of driving without a license causing death and/or serious bodily injuries and driving with a suspended license.