Judge Orders Jail Time For Laughing Courtroom Spectator: Report

CHICAGO, IL — A man who lives on Chicago's Northwest Side has been jailed for more than five weeks and is required to undergo a sanity test after laughing during a courtroom hearing, according to a report. Cook County Judge Vincent Gaughan, who presides over the murder case against Chicago Police Officer Jason Van Dyke, ordered the laughing courtroom spectator to be jailed, according to a report by WBEZ reporter Chip Mitchell.

When the judge called for a recess, the man made a "strange laughing sound," Mitchell wrote.

Gaughan ordered courtroom deputies to take the man into custody, and after the hearing, the man was brought back out to stand before Gaughan, according to the report. The man appeared confused, Mitchell wrote.

The judge found him in contempt of court and ordered him jailed without bond until a July 10 hearing. The man, 59, has struggled with bipolar disorder and has a history of arrests and misdemeanor charges, according to the report.

Read the full WBEZ report here.

Read also: Laquan McDonald Case: Summer Trial Presumptuous, Lawyer Says

Image via Shutterstock