Man Who Caused Courthouse Commotion Sentenced
FORT LAUDERDALE (CBSMiami) – The South Florida man found guilty in February for bringing a gun into the Broward County Courthouse and threatening to kill himself, then later drinking a mysterious liquid in court that he claimed to be poison, was sentenced to two years in prison Tuesday.
Marin Stroia, 60, was found guilty in February 2012 of armed trespassing and reckless display of a weapon.
After the verdict was read in court and just as he was about to be fingerprinted, Stroia shocked the courtroom and drank an unknown liquid from an aspirin bottle, said it was poison, and collapsed to the floor like a limp rag doll.
He was hospitalized but BSO officials later said it was just water.
Stroia's case first started on January 14, 2011 when he walked into the courthouse through an exit door with a gun which exposed a huge security problem.
Armed with a pistol he sunk to the floor, turned the gun on himself and pushed the barrel to his chin.
Broward County Court Judge Joel Lazarus convinced Stroia to put the gun down and sheriff's deputies took him into custody. Lazarus said Stroia was angry and frustrated over a child support case and just needed a sympathetic ear in which to vent.
After the incident, security was beefed up at the courthouse. An armed guard was stationed next to the exit doors to stop anyone from entering and new cones were positioned to keep people on the outside away from them.
