Woman Jailed For Courtroom Smooch

Kissing in public is one thing, but kissing in a courtroom is quite another - especially if the object of one’s affection is being led away in handcuffs.

Connie Kimble learned that the hard way after being thrown in the Franklin County Jail for delivering a passionate smooch and hug to prisoner Criselia Gonzalez Chavez.

Kimble, a courtroom spectator, vaulted over a courtroom railing Tuesday and kissed Chavez as she was being led away from Superior Court, where she had just been sentenced on a drug charge.

That’s a no-no in court, where authorities try to keep prisoners and the public separated for safety reasons and to prevent exchanges of contraband.

In the ensuing melee, two jail officers and a bailiff team-tackled the lip-locked pair. Defense attorney Linda Edminston nearly fell, as did a string of handcuffed female prisoners who were being led out of the courtroom.

Judge Duane Taber ordered the 30-year-old Kimble booked for contempt of court.