A Florida judge who was facing firearms-related legal trouble reportedly shot and killed himself early this morning after getting into a lengthy standoff with police.
The Miami Herald is reporting that federal Judge Timothy Maher, who handled administrative law cases for the Social Security Administration in the Miami area, ended his own life after the nearly 10-hour ordeal. He had been arrested last week and was charged with, among other things, aggravated assault with a firearm after allegedly threatening his ex-girlfriend with a rifle; she had been at his house to pick up their child. Citing police sources, according to the paper, cops had been in the standoff with the judge since late last night after he allegedly barricaded himself inside a residence on the outskirts of Miami. A family of three, including a teenage girl, who, according to the paper citing police, appear to have a connection of some kind to the judge, were also inside the house; all three of them are safe and were unharmed.
Judge Maher had been on law enforcement’s watch since the incident last week with his girlfriend, reported the newspaper, which also added this was not the first time since that incident in which he allegedly barricaded himself inside a residence. He had reportedly done it after police were called for that initial confrontation with the ex-girlfriend, then again did it when cops came the following day to remove weapons from inside his house. Additionally, the Herald also reported that the judge was under investigation for threatening a co-worker at the federal agency’s office in downtown Miami, a threat which had forced the closure of the office both yesterday and Wednesday.
