OSCEOLA COUNTY, Fla. — Osceola County’s suspended clerk of court is on trial on charges of allegedly roughing up his employee.
Malcom Thompson is accused of shoving an employee and verbally assaulting another at the Osceola County Clerk of Court Office.
Thompson's attorney claims his client was just joking around.
On Monday, the jury visited the scene of the incident.
Also on Monday, the first witness of the alleged assault took the stand.
The witness said Thompson was angry, he was loud and she saw him shove assistant Latifa Ramdani into holiday cards, the day after Christmas.
The four women and three men of the jury got a look at the clerk of court office for themselves before they heard any testimony about the December 29, 2011 alleged incident.
The jury saw the door where Ramdani was allegedly pushed into because she would not take the cards down, arguing that the holidays weren't over.
The only eyewitness to the incident, Administrative Assistant Peggy Lay, took the stand and told the jury what she saw.
“When I looked up to see him pushing her, his voice got raised. He had that tone. He was angry. ‘Take down the cards.’ His jaw was clenched, loud voice,” said Lay.
Lay showed the jury what she said Thompson did to Ramdani, and she said it left a red mark on her shoulder for hours.
Lay said Ramdani would not let her take photos of the mark.
“She said no one will listen to us and he is the elephant and we're the ants. Nothing will happen to him,” said Lay.
But during cross examination, the defense got Lay to admit that Ramdani got angry, and never held back from speaking her mind. Lay also admitted that Ramdani and Thompson joked around in the office all the time, giving as well as getting.
The defense also got the witness to admit that Thompson immediately said he was joking, and was frustrated that no one accepted his explanation.
If Thompson is convicted, he could face up to a year in jail.
WFTV
