BEDFORD – A Springville man was arrested on Wednesday, August 20th, after a physical altercation with court security officers at the Lawrence County Courthouse.
Dustin W. Couch, 40, faces charges of interfering with a public safety official and disorderly conduct.
According to a probable cause affidavit filed by Lawrence County Sheriff’s Department Captain Anthony G. Pope, he and several other units responded to a distress call from court security just before 3:00 p.m. on August 20. The officers reported a physical altercation with Couch on the north side of the courthouse.
Upon arrival, Captain Pope observed multiple court officers restraining Couch against the exterior wall of the courthouse, with hand restraints already applied. Pope, along with Deputy Kenton Carter, assisted in stabilizing and detaining Couch before he was placed into a police vehicle.
Special Deputy Irwin informed Pope that the incident began inside the courthouse, where Couch had become “extremely disorderly and disruptive”. Couch was instructed to leave, but continued to be loud and disruptive while exiting the building.
His behavior interfered with court security operations and disrupted normal courthouse proceedings, drawing the attention of staff and the public. When informed he was under arrest for disorderly conduct, Couch physically resisted, leading to the struggle outside the building.
Couch was subsequently arrested on the aforementioned charges.
All individuals are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. This article is based on the information provided in the Probable Cause Affidavit and does not represent a final determination of guilt or innocence.
