Man On No-Contact Order For Beating Girlfriend Caught Attending Virtual Hearing From Victim's Home

A Michigan man, who has been accused of beating his girlfriend, was caught violating a no-contact order by attending the virtual court hearing from the victim's house on March 2.

Coby Harris, 21, was charged with assault with intent to do great bodily harm less than murder for allegedly beating his girlfriend, Mary Lindsey, on Feb. 9, reported the New York Post.

Harris was released on bond with a no-contact order with Lindsey.

During the virtual court hearing, which is available on Judge Jeffrey Middleton's YouTube channel, St. Joseph County Prosecutor Deborah Davis noticed that Lindsey was nervous while answering her questions and seemed reluctant to describe what had happened on the day of the assault. Davis also saw Lindsey looking to a side and her face went off the screen for some time. Meanwhile, Harris' camera also went off for few seconds.

At this point, it appeared that Davis had already figured out that Harris was at Lindsey's home.

"Your honor, I have reason to believe that the defendant is in the same apartment as the complaining witness right now, and I am extremely scared for her safety," Davis said. "And the fact that she's looking off to the side and he's moving around — I want some confirmation that she is safe before we continue."

The judge asked both the victim and the suspect where they were. Lindsey first answered saying she was at "a house." When asked to give the address, she gave it and said, "It's my house." Harris, however, gave the judge a different address.

Middleton was not convinced, so he asked Harris to prove his answer. "I want you to walk out to the front of the house, show me the house number on the house," Middleton told Harris. But instead of doing what the judge asked him to, Harris excused himself by saying that his phone's battery was about to get drained and that he was hooked to a wall outlet.

Fortunately, the police had already been sent to Lindsey's address to check on her.

"We may need to adjourn this, Your Honor," Davis told Middleton and the livestream stopped.

It came back online shortly after and this time, Harris could already be seen in police custody. He appeared from Lindsey's phone with a cigarette in his mouth. A police officer was right behind him.

"Your honor, me and Mary both don't want the no-contact, I ask that that be dropped," he said.

"Mr. Harris, my advice is don't say anything else. Take the cigarette out of your mouth. The hearing is adjourned," Middleton said in response to him. "You hit bottom and you're continuing to dig."

The court revoked Harris' bond and he now faces additional charges. He was already facing up to 10 years in prison on charges of assa#ult.

"This is an issue we didn't have when we were at live court," Middleton said. "We're serious as a heart attack, it's the first time I ever had anybody sitting in the next room potentially intimidating a witness."

According to a report from Wood TV, prior to the hearing, Davis got a tipoff that Harris might be at Lindsey's home in a different room during the virtual hearing.