CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) -- The Cook County court system has dealt with a number of issues since the pandemic shifted court proceedings to an online format, but this seems to be a first.
Screenshot images and video of a couple in an "intimate position" - allegedly having sex - during a video court hearing in Cook County have been shared on social media, despite it being illegal to record anything from online hearings.
According to the Chicago Tribune, the incident happened Tuesday during a Zoom session in the suburban Maywood court district.
The Cook County Sheriff's Office confirmed there was a complaint about “inappropriate behavior” during a court hearing.
“Maywood courthouse lit today,” read the caption on an Instagram post featuring a Zoom video display of the couple.
According to the Tribune, the same account later posted a notice it received about the post being removed for explicit content, complaining: “c’mon...the Maywood court allowed it.”
It is unclear whether one or both were defendants, witnesses, or observers.
Related
There have been other issues during the COVID-19 pandemic, including a defendant in a criminal case saying he was an informant prompting the court system at the time to go from video to audio only. It was evident that not only gang members were watching, but also illegally sharing video from the hearing.
Court hearings are public proceedings. And throughout the pandemic, when most are conducted via videoconference, the login information is available to anyone with an internet connection.