Court Proceedings Resume In Oklahoma County

Monday, September 25th 2006, 12:40 pm

By: News On 6

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) -- Court proceedings resumed in Oklahoma County District Court Tuesday morning after being disrupted because of a flap between District Attorney Wes Lane and self-proclaimed "video vigilante" Brian Bates.

Monday, Bates was outside the county courthouse handing out flyers critical of Lane. Prosecutors then asked a judge to quash a jury pool of more than 400 potential jurors that had gathered at the courthouse.

The judge refused to dismiss the jury but sent the potential jurors home until Tuesday as prosecutors appeal the judge's ruling. A hearing on the appeal is scheduled for Wednesday before a state Supreme Court referee.

Bates did not show up at the courthouse Tuesday.

Bates gained notoriety by filming prostitutes with their clients and turning over the tapes to police. But he's now charged with pandering for allegedly paying prostitutes to take their clients to areas where he can easily film them.

He claims the charge is in retaliation for his filming two white police officers beating an unarmed black man.