Was Kreis' threat to me in an open courtroom recorded?

I was in Courtroom 8 today to cover the Maria Cuevas hearing. It was a special set in front of Judge Ksenia Tsenin. When I walked in, it was unclear whether court was in session. Besides Cuevas who was in a wheelchair at counsel table, another defendant, Christopher Kinnamon was seated in the box. We were waiting for Deputy DAs. 

Everyone else was there. Kinnamon is represented by former ousted judge, now lawyer Gregory Kreis. I mentioned this case in my last Cuevas post.

The court bailiff and court staff were present;  the Judge and Ms. Andrea Sullivan were appearing on Zoom. I found out a few minutes later that the Kinnamon proceeding was being recorded when  Humboldt Superior Court Operations Manager Ms. Kelly Nyberg informed attorneys on the Kinnamon case and asked if that was okay. Later, she found a court reporter to record the portion where the plea was taken by Judge Tsenin.

I saw Kreis. I sat on the other side of the courtroom. Kreis' former colleagues, Heidi Wells and Jennifer Dixon were in the courtroom as well as one man and two women.

Kreis turned around looked at me, said something to someone. I ignored him. Then he said, loud enough for people in the courtroom to hear, "Do you have something to say to me?"

Unlike Kreis, who is a former judge; now lawyer, I know courtroom ettiquette. He was disrespectful to Judge Tsenin and everyone else in the courtroom. But after the Commission on Judicial Performance proceedings, everyone knows respecting the law or the dignity of the bench is something Kreis does not adhere to. Does Kreis still think he is a judge? Or just arrogant to act out where he has the protection of his buddies and the local court?

I responded, "I don't. Do you have something to say to me?"

He responded, "I do have something to say to you."

The bailiff stepped forward. 

I ignored Kreis. 

Making a scene is exactly what Kreis wanted. He wants to punish me and baited me. 

Kreis would have continued but by that time Deputy DA Brandon Boozari was in court and the Kinnamon case was called.

If Kreis had something to say to me, he could have outside the courtroom. He could have emailed me. This is the first time he has spoken to me directly and I have covered him for months. Kreis has made indirect threats to me and about me in the past directly related to my coverage. I mentioned that in a previous post. 

I have a constitutional right to be in the courtroom which is open to the public. As the only local media and reporter who one of Kreis' colleagues calls THE investigative, watchdog source on local courts, I bring information and reports to grieving families and the community. 

I spoke with a few local and California lawyers as well as friends. Everyone agreed that Kreis' statements to me are a threat. I believe Kreis' display of machismo is meant to intimidate me and his actions today and any such action in the future is meant to hinder my reporting and affect my livelihood. No one should be disturbing me, threatening me or harassing me while I work at the courthouse but Kreis' behavior is egregious because he is using his position as a former judge and his connections in the local courts to address a personal grudge. Despite being severely sanctioned by the state agency which made national headlines, Kreis thinks he is above the law and rules.

If Kreis pulls this stunt again and interferes with my work or threatens me, I have legal options. If this exchange was recorded, Humboldt Superior Court better not erase the evidence.