A Lancaster man allegedly flipped a defense table and lunged toward a judge’s bench during his own domestic-violence preliminary hearing, only to be stopped by a constable before he reached the bench. Fletcher Morton, 57, of the 600 block of East King Street, is now facing a fresh set of criminal charges on top of the abuse case that brought him to court in the first place.
According to the Lancaster County District Attorney’s Office, as reported by abc27, Morton was accused of charging toward Magisterial District Judge Andrew LeFever’s bench during the hearing, held on October 21 in a courtroom in the 700 block of New Holland Avenue in Lancaster. The hearing was for a separate domestic-violence case in which Morton is the defendant. A Pennsylvania state constable restrained him before he could reach the judge, and no one was hurt in the chaos, per the same account.
Shouting Over Testimony Before the Outburst
The trouble reportedly began while a Lancaster City Bureau of Police officer was testifying in Morton’s domestic-violence case. Morton shouted over the officer’s testimony, prompting Judge LeFever and Morton’s own attorney to tell him to be quiet, the DA’s office said, as detailed by LancasterOnline. When Morton kept shouting, LeFever ordered him removed from the courtroom.
It was at that point, prosecutors say, that Morton flipped the table in front of him, nearly injuring his attorney, and charged toward the bench. A constable intervened before he could get to LeFever and removed him from the courtroom. Even after being taken out, Morton reportedly continued screaming and cursing at the judge, according to the release cited by the same outlet.
Charges Filed by City Police Officer
Lancaster City Bureau of Police Officer Marlea Winslow filed the new charges against Morton: aggravated assault, threatening unlawful harm to influence the judicial process, recklessly endangering another person, disorderly conduct, criminal mischief and retaliation against a judicial official, per the DA’s office account relayed by abc27. Since LeFever is now considered a victim because of those new charges, a different judge, Magisterial District Judge Mary Sponaugle, will handle Morton’s case going forward and will arraign him on the new counts, the DA’s office said.
District Attorney Heather Adams said violence toward public officials is never acceptable and credited the constable’s quick response with keeping the incident from escalating into violence, adding that LeFever and everyone else in the courtroom were kept safe. The preliminary hearing did not resume after Morton was removed, prosecutors said.
Underlying Domestic-Violence Case Still Pending
The domestic-violence allegations that brought Morton to court that day are serious in their own right. Prosecutors accuse him of intentionally burning a woman’s lip with a lit cigar, later striking her in the head with an unknown object, threatening to kill her and strangling her, according to the DA’s office as reported by abc27.
That preliminary hearing was later rescheduled before Judge Sponaugle, who ordered Morton to stand trial on charges including strangulation, simple assault and witness intimidation, LancasterOnline reported. Authorities say Morton faces two counts of strangulation and related offenses in that underlying case. He remains held at Lancaster County Prison in lieu of $50,000 bail.
The Pennsylvania Commission on Judicial Independence has separately stated that it “emphatically condemns all threats against and intimidation of judges,” according to the Unified Judicial System of Pennsylvania. Records on Morton’s case can be searched through the Pennsylvania Unified Judicial System’s online portal, as the case moves forward in Lancaster County.
