Man's Courtroom Outburst At Wife's Child Abuse Sentencing Ends With Him Being Tased, Arrested

A Florida man was tased and arrested after a courtroom outburst at his wife’s child abuse sentencing, according to authorities.

Gregory Carrasquillo, 35, was detained after he jumped the gallery bar and attempted to make contact with his wife, according to the Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office. Crystal A. Carrasquillo, 24, appeared before a judge and was sentenced to 10 years to the Department of Corrections on charges of aggravated child abuse.

Gregory interrupted the proceeding and requested to speak with the judge, according to the press release. Bailiffs with the sheriff’s office asked him to be seated, and he initially complied.

“As the judge read the sentence, Gregory stood up and jumped over the gallery bar, attempting to make contact with Crystal at the defendant’s table,” the sheriff’s office stated. “Bailiffs intercepted and restrained Gregory, who proceeded to resist.”

Gregory Carrasquillo Photo: Charlotte County Sheriff's Office

Deputies were forced to use a taser on Gregory to subdue him. They subsequently placed him under arrest on one count of resisting without violence.

Several of Crystal’s relatives were present in the courtroom.

Crystal’s child abuse charges stemmed from 2018 when medical staff from the Fawcett Memorial Hospital notified authorities after discovering injuries to the defendant’s 4-month-old daughter, according to an affidavit. Gregory brought the child in on account of congestion, but doctors found healing fractures to the child’s rib cage and skull, as well as a possible fracture on her shoulder blade upon X-ray examination.

Crystal initially told authorities that the injuries could have been caused when the child’s 1-year-old sibling accidentally sat on the victim. Child Protective Investigator Alexa Christiansen of the Department of Children and Families assisted deputies during a later house visit, noting the scent of marijuana at the residence. Crystal admitted to using marijuana with her husband.

Crystal Ashley Carrasquillo Photo: CCSO

“Gregory stated he was made aware of the fractures to [the child’s] ribs by hospital staff and informed the fractures ‘looked like somebody squeezed her,’” according to the affidavit. Gregory also claimed the child’s older sibling pulled the sheets from under the infant, causing her to fall to the ground.

Both parents told investigators they hadn’t had the child examined by medical professionals because she was only placed on Medicaid two days before Gregory brought her in for respiratory concerns.

After Crystal gave investigators varying accounts about what caused the infant’s injuries, most of them falling at the feet of the toddler sibling, she confessed that she hadn’t bonded with the child. Crystal cited post-partum depression, claiming she would “black out” and throw the infant into her bed. Crystal said she “lost it” when the infant wouldn’t stop crying and swung the child, hitting her head on the crib several times.

“When I get like this, I don’t feel like myself,” Crystal told investigators.

Crystal was sentenced on Dec. 3, 2021, to 10 years in prison and ten years probation, according to the State Attorney’s Office. She was also ordered to undergo a mental health evaluation and complete follow-up treatment.

Gregory is currently in custody at the Charlotte County Jail, according to the sheriff’s office. Sheriff Bill Prummell praised the bailiffs who detained him in the courtroom.

“Bailiffs play an important role in the courtroom throughout the administration of justice,” said Prummell. “They provide security not only to the judge but to all parties in the room at all times. While I understand these proceedings can elicit an emotional response from loved ones, my bailiffs simply cannot allow an outburst of this kind. Their actions were swift, appropriate, and necessary to ensure the safety of everyone.”