Background: Racine County Court in Racine, Wis. (Google Maps). Inset: Richard Paul (Racine County Sheriff”s Office).
The incident reportedly stemmed from Paul’s frustration over being denied printouts of his prior court cases. On March 25, he expressed dissatisfaction to a correctional officer, citing a disagreement with the presiding judge, who had determined that he must remain in jail until his upcoming trial. In his frustration, Paul allegedly declared, “I’m about to just get totally belligerent.”
The criminal complaint further states that Paul vented his anger by making derogatory remarks about the judge, indicating a lengthy history of incarceration, which dates back nearly every year since 1980. He reportedly told the officer there was nothing left that could intimidate him, given his extensive experience with the criminal justice system.
In response to his request for printed case documents, the officer suggested that Paul use a tablet to access the information. However, this solution did not sit well with Paul, who allegedly responded, “That’s telling me then I might as well go in and pick up a homicide. I’ve got nothing to lose.”
According to the complaint, Paul told the officer that he “done told the b— to go f— herself.” WITI reported that Paul, a convicted sex offender, has been incarcerated almost every year since 1980. Paul reportedly told the officer that “there ain’t nothing that you can threaten me with that I ain’t been through already.”
The officer told Paul that instead of printouts, he could view his case information on a tablet. This accommodation did not seem to appease Paul, who told the officer, “That’s telling me then I might as well go in and pick up a homicide. I’ve got nothing to lose.”
Paul’s alleged rhetoric against the judge continued and escalated. According to the complaint, Paul said that when he went to the Racine County Circuit Court for his scheduled appearance on March 31, “I’m gunning down. And y’all going to be picking up a body out that f—ing courtroom.”
The comments by Paul were captured by the correctional officer’s body camera.
Police charged Paul with making a threat to cause bodily harm to certain individuals involved with a court or legal system. He remains in custody at the Racine County Jail and is scheduled to appear in court in connection with the threat charge on Monday.
