Man Who Caused Courthouse Commotion Pleads Not Guilty
The man who caused quite a scare at the Broward County courthouse earlier this month when he sat on the floor with a gun and threatened to kill himself appeared before a judge Tuesday morning.
During the hearing 59-year old Marin Stroia entered a not guilty plea to a charge that he violated an injunction related to his domestic case. He was also ordered to undergo a psychological evaluation.
On January 14th, Stroia reportedly bypassed security and walked through the exit door into the courthouse. Armed with a pistol he sunk to the floor, turned the gun on himself and pushed the barrel into his chin.
Security guards evacuated the courthouse and approached Judge Joel Lazarus, who saw Stroia with gun in hand, and told him he wanted to talk to a judge.
"I just walked out to the top of the escalators, looked down and I could see the feet of the man there. I walked down and saw that he had a gun to his chin. The deputy said he's asking for a judge," Lazarus.
The judge convinced Stroia to put aside the gun and sheriff's deputies took him into custody. Lazarus said Stroia was angry and frustrated over a child support case and just needed a sympathetic ear in which to vent.
Last week, security was beefed up at the courthouse to prevent a repeat of the situation. An armed guard was stationed next to the exit doors to stop anyone from entering and new cones were positioned to keep people on the outside away from them.
Broward Chief Judge Victor Tobin said the measures were only temporary until a more permanent solution can be found.
"We need to install something that will prohibit people from coming in. This is a stop gap. You've seen how fast in history things happen and there's no way a person standing there, armed or not, can stop something like this with a cone, even though they are armed. It's just a deterrent," said Tobin.
Ground will be broken in August for a new Broward County Courthouse.
