Prisoner gets in trouble for mum reaction

A 22-year old defendant in Crow Wing County court was ordered by the judge to be taken to St. Joseph's Medical Center after possibly swallowing an unknown substance and refusing to tell court personnel what it was.

Gavin Combs of Brainerd was in court Wednesday on charges of second-degree assault and terroristic threats following an incident Friday in which he is charged with pulling a .25-caliber automatic handgun on another man outside of a downtown Brainerd business.

Court documents stated that court personnel observed Combs had unauthorized contact with a female in the courtroom at the close of the proceedings and appeared to have something in his mouth.

The documents further stated that Combs refused to remove the substance from his mouth, and jail personnel advised the prosecuting attorney that it was believed he swallowed the substance.

Judge Dave Ten Eyck ordered that because of the health risks posed by Combs swallowing an unknown substance he should be taken St. Joseph's Medical Center to have the substance, if any, removed and identified.

Combs was to be ordered back to the Crow Wing County jail after being treated at St. Joseph's Medical Center.

Dan Gottsch, chief deputy of the Crow Wing County Sheriff's Department, said Combs was monitored for 24 hours after the incident and he did not expel any substance from his system. Gottsch said Combs volunteered to induced vomiting and to take a urine test. The results of the tests were not yet known, he said.