Eric Rudoph In Huntsville

An officer stands in front of the newly installed guard shack and fence at the Federal Courthouse. These security measures were apparently inspired in part by Rudolph's first Huntsville visit last summer.

Police officers gather in front of the Federal Courthouse prior to Rudolph's arrival. Evidence hearings are to begin today and last all week.

Once Rudolph arrives he is ushered into the building quickly while still surrounded.

Hurry up and wait. Rudolph, once on the FBI's ten most wanted list, is a nationally known case so a variety of media are following him closely. They all stayed in place for the entire day.

The job of reporting such an important case is taken seriously. With correspondents inside, reporters on the outside stay in constant contact with their organization.

Police officers on the scene may appear relaxed but their mannerisms and persistent scanning indicate that they are constantly aware of everyone in the area.

As the day wears on and nears ending police vehicles are postured for the anticipated, hopefully soon, departure of Rudolph -- until tomorrow.

Federal marshals and security guards are also in place all day long. This view shows the entire fenced area in back of the court house. The gate remains closed until needed.

Television crews from Huntsville and Birmingham line up as they prepare to broadcast "live at 5" while others remain vigilant watching the door for a sign of Rudolph's emergence.

A few minutes later Rudolph does emerge, looking none the worse for a day that for him must be a welcome, if bittersweet, diversion from the monotony of his jail cell.

The exit is not as intense as was the entry providing a better photographic opportunity. Security, however, is still very tight as evidenced by his bullet proof vest and escorts.

Finally, traffic is briefly diverted so that Rudolph's motorcade can exit the wrong way down a one way street -- providing the most secure return to jail.

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Going back into the morgue I decided to pull out these already published photographs of Eric Rudolph from 2005 when he appeared at the Huntsville federal courthouse for pre-trial hearings.

This presentation is categorized under “photography” because I really had no editorial comment on Rudolph at this time. Instead, I simply reported the story based on the very rare occasion of any legal proceedings in Huntsville for a nationally notorious figure.

NOTE:
This presentation won’t work well on some mobile devices since I haven’t settled on a system for multi photo presentations on a mobile device. So you might want to take a look on your desktop.