He's a prison warden, but tonight Nick Nicholas is the one behind bars after a bizarre turn of events in Magistrate's Court today.
Nicholas was in court to testify against Marcial Martinez, and Juan Perez two inmates who had escaped from prison. On the night of their escape, September 20, 2003, Martinez and Perez burgled the remand section of the prison where Nicholas was on duty. Nicholas was tied up, reportedly after they put a sharp object to his neck. The prisoners then took his nine-millimeter pistol to attempt an escape.
It's a great story, and Nicholas appeared to tell it to the court, but instead, he simply told the court that, "everything was in order." And that's all he told the court. So when Martinez, the escapee, played 'bush lawyer' and asked Warden Nichols, "where were you when those persons captured you," Nicholas refused to answer. Magistrate Jones then firmly warned the warden: "if you refuse to answer I can turn you from an officer into an inmate." He further warned Nicholas that he can be remanded for 8 days, and any additional number of 8 day sentences until he decides to answer the question that was put to him. But Nicholas was unmoved, and didn't speak. So he just sat there the court remained silent for 15 minutes, as the Magistrate looked up the law, and then concluded by saying: "I don't have time to waste; take him away."
With that the police swooped in and took him into remand. Our images of him were captured as he left the courtroom just in front of a smirking Juan Perez, one of the escapees, after which they boarded he big yellow bus and sat across the aisle form each other for the ride to the Hattieville prison.