Joshua Farrell
FP's Housekeeper
Read More: Lawyer's Pants Catch Fire During Florida Arson Trial - NBC NewsIt seemed like a set up to a tired joke: A lawyer's pants caught on fire in court.
But on Wednesday, it was Stephen Gutierrez's reality when the Florida defense attorney's pants began smoking during an arson trial, Eleventh Circuit Court Public Relations Director Eunice Sigler confirmed to NBC News Thursday.
Gutierrez, 28, was in the in the Miami-Dade county courtroom defending 49-year-old Claudy Charles, who was accused of setting his car alight.
But During his closing argument, Gutierrez began to feel heat coming from his pocket where he had several electric cigarette batteries, he told NBC News in an email.
As Gutierrez argued Charles' car had merely spontaneously combusted, the lawyer's pants seemed to do the same.
Witnesses in the courtroom told the Miami Herald the moment was "surreal," as Gutierrez rushed out of the courtroom while smoke billowed from his pocket.
Gutierrez said as the heat intensified, he hurried into the bathroom where he tossed the battery in water. He was able to return to the courtroom with a singed pocket.
"This was not staged," Gutierrez said. "No one thinks that a battery left in their pocket is somehow going to 'explode. After careful research, I now know this can happen. I am not the only one this has happened to, but I am in a position to shed light on the situation."
Wow. I would have never expected something like this happening. I guess some batteries aren't always built properly.







