A Florida county judge has compounded the problems of an emotionally distraught woman, who was a victim of domestic abuse, when she sentenced her to jail for failing to show up in court.
The Judge delivering the sentence
A report on NBC shows that Seminole County Judge Jerri Collins was seen criticizing the domestic abuse victim and sentencing her to three days in jail for failing to come to court to testify against Myles Maynard Brennan, the father of her 1-year-old son.
The judge asked the woman to explain herself during a contempt of court hearing on July 30 for failing to appear to testify against Brennan the week before.
The woman apologized, saying she had been "dealing with depression" and anxiety since the abuse incident.
But the judge responds, "You think you have anxiety now? You haven't seen anxiety."
The woman said she took a domestic abuse class and had asked that the charges be dropped.
"I'm trying to move on with my life," she said. "I'm homeless now. I'm living with my parents. I'm just not in a good place right now."
After a bit of back and forth, Collins found the woman in contempt of court and sentenced her to three days in county jail.