A newly released video shows Milwaukee County Judge Hannah Dugan speaking with federal agents outside her courtroom as they waited to arrest an illegal immigrant to finish his court appearance.
Eduardo Flores-Ruiz appeared in court on April 18, facing battery and domestic abuse charges related to a dispute with his roommates, according to a criminal complaint. That incident brought him to the attention of federal authorities, who subsequently discovered he was in the country without legal documentation, WTMJ-TV reported.
Flores-Ruiz was taken into custody by federal agents shortly after exiting the courtroom. Prosecutors allege that Dugan aided his attempt to evade arrest by helping him leave the courthouse through a restricted exit normally reserved for jurors and by distracting the agents.
They further claim she redirected the agents to speak with the chief judge, allowing Flores-Ruiz time to slip away.
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The Milwaukee County Sheriff’s Office released footage in response to a public records request that shows Judge Dugan speaking with federal agents outside her courtroom. The video then captures the agents walking away, being directed down a hallway, the outlet reported.
Federal prosecutors argue that Dugan’s actions were intended to divert the agents’ attention during the attempted arrest of Flores-Ruiz.
They also claim she directed the agents to speak with the chief judge. Moments after the agents depart, surveillance footage shows Flores-Ruiz, accompanied by his attorney, exiting Dugan’s courtroom through a restricted access jury door, bypassing the public area where agents were waiting to aid him in escaping arrest.
Additional footage shows Flores-Ruiz entering an elevator and exiting the courthouse, followed by a federal agent. Outside, surveillance video captures him running before agents ultimately apprehended him on 10th Street, the outlet notes.
Federal agents arrested Dugan at the courthouse one week later and charged him with concealing an individual to prevent arrest and obstructing justice.
She was indicted on May 13 after a federal grand jury determined there was probable cause to proceed with the case. Her attorneys promptly filed a motion to dismiss the charges, arguing that she is protected by judicial immunity for actions taken in her official capacity.
Dugan pleaded not guilty to the charges in federal court on May 15. She is scheduled to return to court for a pretrial hearing on July 9 at 10:30 a.m., with a jury trial set for July 21, according to court records.
Flores-Ruiz is also facing federal charges for allegedly reentering the United States illegally after being deported in 2013, according to prosecutors. He pleaded not guilty to those charges earlier this month.
He is scheduled to appear in federal court on June 24 at 3:30 p.m. for a final pretrial conference, according to court records.
A separate status conference related to his battery and domestic abuse charges is set for June 18, records show, WTMJ-TV reported further.
Last month, following Dugan’s arrest, the Wisconsin Supreme Court issued an administrative order directing her to be “temporarily relieved of her official duties.”
The order says that Dugan “is temporarily prohibited from exercising the powers of a circuit court judge in the State of Wisconsin.”
The state Supreme Court said that the ruling would be in force “until further order of the court.”
U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi blasted Dugan’s actions on Fox’s “America Reports.”
“We could not believe that a judge really did that,” Bondi said. “You cannot obstruct a criminal case. And really, shame on her. It was a domestic violence case of all cases, and she’s protecting a criminal defendant over victims of crime.”
Bondi said Flores-Ruiz beat up two people, “a guy and a girl.”
“[He] beat the guy, hit the guy 30 times, knocked him to the ground, choked him, beat up a woman so badly; they both had to go to the hospital,” she said.