Caledonia Argus

Court denies Courtneyís motion for release

Posted: 7/15/03

The man sentenced to 99 months in prison after convictions for assault, terroristic threats and criminal damage to property will not be released while his case is being appealed.

Antoine Courtney, Brooklyn Center, MN, was sentenced May 23 in Houston County District Court. He appealed the judgment and sentence to the Minnesota Court of Appeals in mid-June, and sought an order granting release from custody pending the appeal on June 26.

Judge Robert Benson denied the motion for release on grounds that ìthe defendant has a substantial reason not to appear for judgment if his appeal is unsuccessful.î Benson noted that, while Courtney has always appeared for his court dates in Houston County for the case at hand, he has no ties to the local community or region of the state ìthrough family, property, or employment.î Courtneyís family resides in Missouri, and his only tie to Southeast Minnesota was the temporary residency of the mother of some of his children, whose ìwhereabouts now are unknown but certainly known not to be in Houston County.î

Benson also cited Courtneyís likelihood to ìcommit a serious crime, intimidate witnesses, or otherwise interfere with the administration of justiceî if granted release. He stated that Courtney ìhas a long criminal history, some of which involved dangerous weapons,î and that there is circumstantial evidence that Courtney was able to intimidate a witness to several of the crimes for which he was convicted this past spring.

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