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Laughing Man Jailed On Mom Beating Charge

MIAMI - (CBSMiami.com) - A man accused of hitting his 69-year-old mother appeared before a bond court judge Wednesday strapped to a protective vest and laughing hysterically even as the judge doubled his bond amount.

Frank Laberdesque was laughing so hard as the charges were being read that he had a hard time answering the judges' questions. It even caused a reaction from Miami-Dade Circuit Court Judge Diane Ward who said in court, "That was creepy."

But the charge against Laberdesque is serious: simple battery against the elderly. The Florida Statutes define elderly as anyone who is 65 years of age or older and increases the degree of the crime.

Police say that on April 12th shortly before 5 p.m. Laberdesque was a lot less jovial. In fact, police say his mother called them to report that Laberdesque had been under the influence of drugs and alcohol. She said the pair who live on the 3100 block of Southwest 16th Terrace had gotten into a heated discussion that turned violent.

Laberdesque is accused of hitting "his mother with his fists," according to the police report. He allegedly pushed her against a closet door causing a bruise and broken skin on his mother's right elbow.

Laberdesque is being held on $20,000 bond and laughed even as corrections officers escorted back to his seat. The judge also ordered him to stay away from his mother.

(©2011 CBS Local Media, a division of CBS Radio Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

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