Judge Joe Brown was arrested and thrown in jail for yelling and screaming in a courtroom, CNN reports. Brown was jailed on a contempt of court charge issued by a Tennessee juvenile judge, a court spokesperson told the website.
The TV judge was sentenced to five days behind bars but was released on his own recognize. Reportedly he was "pretty raucous" and "challenged the authority" of Magistrate Harold Horne, CNN reports.
"He all but had that courtroom in a riot," Juvenile Court Chief Magistrate Dan Michael said, the Daily Mail reports.
His aggravation was sparked after the judge told him that his case was not on the afternoon docket. Brown was in court to represent a client in a child support case. In audio obtained from the courtroom, Brown steadily becomes agitated as the magistrate announces an April date for the case.
"He then began a diatribe against Mr. Horne and the authority of the court," Michael said.
"You want to get in to this, let's get into this, this sorry operation needs to stop!" Brown reportedly yells.
Michael said Horne is usually a "real laid-back guy" but he gave the TV judge several chances to calm down before finding him in contempt. Horne held Brown in contempt five different times "before they were able to get him out of courtroom." Brown's antics shocked the court staff and judges, Michael said noting that everyone was "floored."
He was taken to Shelby County jail in Memphis. Brown is best known for appearing on the arbitration-based reality court show for 15 years until it was canceled last year due to salary negotiations. The last episode aired the summer of 2013. Last month he announced his candidacy for the Shelby County district attorney position.
