Man shows up to virtual court with NSFW username and gets called out by the judge

Ever since the pandemic made Zoom an essential part of our lives, we've all learned or at least heard about the many different ways things can quickly go south on the video communication software. I myself have written about a range of such incidents, including a mom accidentally flashing her daughter's Zoom class, second graders hilariously trying to behave after their teacher dropped off from the call, and a boss turning herself into a potato during a virtual meeting. Today, I have one more to add to the list: a man almost landing himself in jail after showing up for his virtual court appearance as "Buttf**ker 3000."

Defendant Nathaniel Saxton escaped jail by the skin of his teeth earlier this month when he logged into his court hearing on Zoom with the NSFW screenname. St. Joseph District Court Judge Jeffrey Middleton was less than pleased by how Saxton presented himself while appearing in court on a drug paraphernalia charge from the city of Three Rivers. According to Insider, the charge is described in the court proceeding as an alleged violation of a city ordinance, which could lead to as much as 90 days in jail and a $500 fine. "Then we'll bring this fool in," the judge is heard saying at the start of the arraignment hearing that was posted to YouTube.

"Good morning sir, what's your name?" the judge asks Saxton as he appears on the Zoom screen. Seemingly unaware of his enormous blunder, Saxton respectfully replies with his actual name. "Your name is not Buttf**ker 300, you yo-ho, logging into my court with that as your screen name?" Judge Middleton retorts. "What kind of idiot logs into court like that? What's your name again?" Saxton, visibly red with embarrassment, appears confused as he tries to figure out what's going on and how to fix the awkward mishap. "Nathaniel Saxton, sir, but I don't believe that I typed anything like that in," he responds sheepishly.

"Well, that's what it says," the judge retorts. "Well I apologize, that should not be there," Saxton accepts before Judge Middleton decides that he's had enough. "Yeah, you should. I'll put you in the waiting room. You can sit in limbo for a while and think about what you call yourself online," he says before removing Saxton from the Zoom call. According to Law & Crime, Saxton returned a few minutes later — with the username "Nathaniel Saxaon," seemingly misspelling his own name — and blamed his sister for the "Buttf**ker 3000" debacle.

"Your honor, if I may explain, my sister was the one who set up my Zoom account or whatever," he said, claiming that it was an inside joke. "It's not what you think, I'm embarrassed. I'm sorry." Although Saxton initially pleaded not guilty, Prosecutor John Barnes refused to budge on the charge, arguing that the defendant was found with a used syringe with traces of meth on it. Saxton then changed his mind and admitted to having the syringe and other paraphernalia after Judge Middleton informed him the normal fine for the charge is $200. After handing him the $200 fine for taking "responsibility" for the paraphernalia, the judge reportedly asked the defendant if his sister was nearby. "No, unfortunately, she is not," Saxton replied. "Tell her she almost got you put in jail for contempt of court," the judge told him.

We had previously reported on another incident—a lot more serious than this one—in Judge Middleton's court before where a court hearing on a Michigan assault case was brought to a halt after a sharp-eyed prosecutor realized that the victim's alleged abuser was in the same room as her during the Zoom hearing.