By Robert Rodriguez
The Fresno Bee
FRESNO, Calif. — Three days after bolting out of a Fresno County courtroom and getting caught, jail inmate Brandon Brophy appeared in court Friday, but this time he had company.
Six Fresno County Sheriff’s deputies surrounded Brophy, 31, as he sat at the counsel table in Judge Timothy Kam’s courtroom.
Dressed in a yellow jumpsuit reserved for high-risk inmates, Brophy was in court facing new charges for his escape attempt in addition to the burglary, grand theft auto and theft charges that landed him in jail.
Brophy is seen on courthouse video barging through the wooden doors of the courtroom on Tuesday. He took just a few steps into the hallway before a deputy grabbed him and pushed him down onto a bench. A bystander came out of the same courtroom and wrapped his arm around Brophy’s neck, preventing him from getting up.
In seconds, other deputies arrive to help.
Brophy is charged with escaping by force or violence, resisting an executive officer and resisting a public officer with attempted firearm removal.
Fresno County Sheriff Department spokesman Tony Botti said Brophy’s escape attempt is prompting a review of how the defendant was able to loosen his chains.
“A reminder is being put out by supervisors in terms of prioritizing and emphasizing the importance of deputies double-checking how an inmate is secured prior to sending them into a courtroom,” Botti said.
Brophy did not enter a plea to the new charges because he was unhappy with his public defender. A new public defender will be assigned to Brophy before his next court appearance on Aug. 4.
“I need someone who is going to help me,” Brophy said in court.
(c)2021 The Fresno Bee (Fresno, Calif.)