Man accused of harassing judge in Kim Potter case appears in court

MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - The man accused of harassing the judge overseeing the Kim Potter trial made his first appearance in court on Tuesday.

Cortez Rice, who was among a group of activists, is accused of entering an apartment building where they believed Judge Regina Chu lived on November 6.

While other protesters remained outside the building on that night, prosecutors say Rice entered the building and went to the floor he believed the judge lived on. While inside, the charges state Rice live-streamed himself and appeared to urge the judge to allow cameras to show the Potter trial.

However, according to court papers, and apparently unbeknownst to Rice, the judge had already decided to reverse her decision and allow cameras in court due to the recent COVID-19 spike.

According to the charges, Rice says in the video: "We on her heels... I don't know if this is her crib. I think this is her crib right here. We got confirmation that this is her house right here.... We ain't playing with her ass... We are here for one person in particular."

Later, believing the judge could hear them, the charges say Rice yelled, "We demand transparency. We'd hate to get kicked out of your apartment."

"One of the other individuals present within the protest group noted that this incident was a 'trial run' and that they would be back," police add in the charges.

Speaking with the judge, police say she felt as the act was an attempt to intimidate her and interfere with the judicial process.

Rice is currently being held in Hennepin County Jail for the charges and also faces a probation violation. It's unclear if the building Rice went to was actually Judge Chu's home.