Chaos hits court after guilty verdict in sex crimes
Published 10:44 am Wednesday, December 24, 2014
ST. PAUL — More charges could be filed against a St. Paul man who lunged at a prosecutor and started a courtroom disruption after he was found guilty in a sex trafficking case.
The tense scene Tuesday afternoon followed guilty verdicts against an Eden Prairie man and a woman convicted of trafficking a minor for sex. One defendant, Jonathan Edwards, yelled an obscenity at the Ramsey County prosecutor, spit in her face and jumped on a table. The St. Paul Pioneer Press reported Wednesday that Edwards was tackled by deputies but continued yelling.
Meanwhile, spectators started yelling at jurors and decrying the verdict as racist. The chaos spilled into the hallway. Court employees were rushed into the judge’s chambers.
Sentencing for Edwards and Kauser Mohamoud Yusuf is set for February.