A judge in Kodak Black’s case has been removed after making inappropriate comments about Kodak Black in his ongoing weapons case, Local ABC 10 reports.
Broward County senior Judge Joel Lazarus was reportedly for first appearance court on holiday on when he made controversial statement on an open microphone to a prosecutor.
“I’ll double the bond to those that take place in my neighborhood,” Lazarus said.
He continued, “Closer to my house, the higher the bond. I have no problem with that.”
Lazarus’s comments were broadcast live on the Internet.
Broward County public defender Howard Finkelstein took issue with Lazarus’s comments.
“What I saw on that video was completely un-judge like, unprofessional and unethical,” Finkelstein said.
Finkelstein wrote a letter to Chief Judge Jack Tuter requesting Lazarus be banned from all criminal court matters.
“What that conveys to the people in the courtroom or to the people watching in public is the fix is in,” Finkelstein said.
Tuter heeded Finkelstein’s requests and barred Lazarus from ever presiding over first appearances again. He also banned from all matters involving criminal court, saying the statement was “clearly inappropriate.”
Lazarus said he was only joking when he made the comments.
“People say things in jest all the time,” he said. “It was unfortunate. I shouldn’t have said it. … There was no action taken on it.”
Last month, Kodak was ordered held without bail on seven felony charges that include child neglect and drug possession, CBS News reports.
Kodak had been charged with two counts of probation violation, grand theft of a firearm, two counts of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, marijuana possession and child neglect, according to CBS affiliate WPEC.
Kodak live streamed footage of his home getting raided.
Kodak was able to message fans via his Twitter account prior to being booked into jail. He asked his fans to write to Willie Ryan at the Broward County Jail in Pompano Beach, where the U.S. Marshals had a hold on him for being a felon in possession of ammunition.
Willie Ryan
1351 Nw 27th Ave
Pompano Beach Fl 33069— Kodak Black (@KodakBlack1k) January 18, 2018
Y'all Write My N—- Flipper
— Kodak Black (@KodakBlack1k) January 18, 2018
