Video shows day in court when West Virginia judge pulled out gun

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — A lawyer defending a Pittsburgh company beforehand accused a West Virginia decide of pulling a gun out of his gown and pointing it at her in court docket. 

Final month, KDKA-TV talked with legal professional Lauren Varnado, who accused Choose David Hummel of waving a handgun from the bench in a threatening method.

“He pulls out his gun, factors it in a waving movement like he was scanning, first on the protection counsel, after which locations it on the bench after which slowly turns it to ensure the barrel of it’s pointed at me,” Varnado informed KDKA-TV in July.

KDKA-TV has obtained a video of the incident from the New Martinsville, West Virginia courtroom. Within the courtroom video, KDKA-TV doesn’t see Hummel scanning the courtroom with the firearm, however we do see the gun in open court docket. 

The video reveals the decide transferring it throughout the bench and putting it to the facet at some point of the listening to. The audio shouldn’t be clear however later within the listening to, KDKA-TV does see him tackle the court docket and carry up the gun for these within the courtroom to see.

“Within the second in my head, I used to be considering absolutely he isn’t going to do something,” Varnado informed KDKA-TV in July. “Absolutely it isn’t loaded, however I do know it isn’t correct gun security to carry it that approach, to level it at individuals, to go away a gun mendacity round.”

Varnado represented the Pittsburgh-based EQT Company in what grew to become a heated trial over gasoline drilling mineral rights through which she had requested the decide to be eliminated due to a battle of curiosity.

Since that listening to in March, Varnado has greater than as soon as come to Pittsburgh to talk with FBI Pittsburgh, which can neither verify nor deny an investigation. However in a letter to Varnado, Wetzel County Prosecuting Legal professional Timothy Haught stated he reviewed the tapes and has decided Hummel has dedicated no crimes.

“I didn’t see or hear him threaten you nor did I see him level the firearm at you,” he stated.

Varnado declined to touch upon Friday, however final month she informed KDKA-TV that she was frightened by the incident and would not consider Hummel ought to stay a decide.