- Sep 12, 2009
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- 3,594
By Paul Woolverton Staff writer
A Fayetteville man who was locked up by District Court Judge Talmage Baggett for several hours last
week for wearing Voodoo beads in court had another clash with the judge when he returned to court
Thursday.
Baggett on Thursday told Abu-Bakr Abdur Rahman to either tuck his beaded necklaces under his shirt
or to leave his courtroom. Then Baggett sent Rahman and his court case - Rahman faces a felony
charge of obtaining property by false pretenses - to District Court Judge Lou Olivera.
Olivera made no issue of the beads, Rahman said.
Rahman believes Baggett last week violated his constitutional right to freedom of religion when he
had him locked up and handcuffed for two hours and 45 minutes in the courtroom's prisoner box
because he refused to remove his beads or tuck them under his shirt. Rahman wears several long,
multicolored beaded necklaces, some with religious symbols attached, that he says are part of his
practice of his Voodoo faith.
Read more: http://www.fayobserver.com/news/loc...cle_fe9f6157-383c-5bd5-a7af-af56f14da449.html
A Fayetteville man who was locked up by District Court Judge Talmage Baggett for several hours last
week for wearing Voodoo beads in court had another clash with the judge when he returned to court
Thursday.
Baggett on Thursday told Abu-Bakr Abdur Rahman to either tuck his beaded necklaces under his shirt
or to leave his courtroom. Then Baggett sent Rahman and his court case - Rahman faces a felony
charge of obtaining property by false pretenses - to District Court Judge Lou Olivera.
Olivera made no issue of the beads, Rahman said.
Rahman believes Baggett last week violated his constitutional right to freedom of religion when he
had him locked up and handcuffed for two hours and 45 minutes in the courtroom's prisoner box
because he refused to remove his beads or tuck them under his shirt. Rahman wears several long,
multicolored beaded necklaces, some with religious symbols attached, that he says are part of his
practice of his Voodoo faith.
Read more: http://www.fayobserver.com/news/loc...cle_fe9f6157-383c-5bd5-a7af-af56f14da449.html