Charges dropped for 32 in court ruckus

TAOS, N.M. (KRQE) - All the charges have been dropped against the 32 people who caused a scene in a Taos courtroom last Thursday.

The 32 were hauled off to jail after they hooted and hollered at a judge who refused to show mercy for a rapist.

It was quieter than a library when Eighth Judicial District Judge Sam Sanchez took the bench Monday to begin a massive arraignment for all the defendants.

Sanchez said he had no choice to hold them all in contempt of court last Thursday, adding that he asked four times for the crowd to gain control of itself as profanity and threats were shouted at the victim's family.

The fracas occurred after the judge denied a motion to reconsider a 12 year sentence given to Dominic Bau, 31, after he pleaded guilty to raping a 13-year-old relative.

Sanchez dropped all the charges against the 32 defendants before immediately leaving the courtroom. He said Thursday's decision to punish the crowd was his only option.

"I need you to understand that although some of you say you were not involved it's impossible for any of us to tell who was and who was not," Sanchez said.

Some say the other side of the story was never heard.

"Each of the individuals have their own accounting of what happened that night and they deny and disagree with the judges version from that night," public defender David Eisenberg said.

Eisenberg is the deputy chief public defender. He represented all of the defendants at Monday's hearing.

He said some people could look into filing a complaint or judicial standards review against Judge Sanchez.

The judge also told the defendants that the courtroom is not a basketball court or a football field where fans can just yell at a call they don't like.