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Man allegedly entered Detroit courthouse then 'visibly ravaged' pretrial room as security attempted to gain entry

Posted at 6:27 PM, Mar 20, 2019
and last updated 2019-03-20 18:30:55-04

DETROIT (WXYZ) — A criminal complaint was filed against a man who had allegedly entered the U.S. Courthouse in Detroit and destroyed a pre-trial room, then claimed that he was security personnel and a Michigan State Police officer.

The incident happened at 7:30 a.m. on March 20.

A courthouse worker reported that unusual noise was coming from a pre-trial services conference room. The suspect, Jody Omar Waite, had allegedly barricaded himself in the room and began destroying it.

A court security officer was initially unable to gain access to the room because there was a conference desk up against the door. The officer eventually forced their way inside and saw Waite standing in the conference room window.

The complaint claims that the room was "visibly ravaged," as it appeared that the suspect was trying to get out of the room through the ceiling tiles, which were damaged. He also allegedly pulled wires from a telecommunications panel in the room.

The suspect then claimed that he was a member of security and was a MSP officer, but was unable to provide any law enforcement credentials. The damages exceeded $1,000.