'Can you raise your head up so we can just see you?' Judge stunned as female suspect appears in court with hair that covers her entire face

  • Lee could not be identified as her long blonde braids covered her face
  • Suspect appeared before Broward County judge as she was charged with two counts of burglary and one count of resisting an officer on Monday
  • Vanessa Lee tapped the podium during hearing on Tuesday, to which judge responded: 'I only knew Morse code when i was in the Navy and forgot it'

By Larisa Brown for the Daily Mail

Published: 09:03 EST, 12 December 2012 | Updated: 15:54 EST, 12 December 2012


Bizarre: Vanessa Lee covering her face with her hair as she appeared before a Broward County judge yesterday

It certainly wouldn't do for a passport photograph.

But in bizarre scenes, suspect Vanessa Lee appeared in court with her hair covering her entire face.

In bemusement, a judge was forced to ask Lee: 'Could you raise your head up real quick so we could just see ya?'

His unfaltering tone didn't seem to work as it took him several more attempts before she pulled her locks to one side to reveal her beaming face.

Lee was arrested on Monday and charged with two counts of burglary and one count of resisting an officer without violence.

She appeared before a Broward County judge in Florida on Tuesday.

The woman could barely be seen - never mind identified - as her long blonde braids fell across her face and over her shoulders.

During her bond hearing, Lee was hunched over as Judge John Hurley read the charges against her.

At one point the judge was forced to ask the suspect to reveal her face.

He said: 'Miss Lee, could you raise your, could you raise your head up real quick so we could just see ya?'

When Lee moved upright, her long blonde braids covered her face, as reported by local10.com.

Mr Hurley added: 'Ma'am, could you part your hair right up front so I can just see your face.'

Her face remained covered.

Bewildered, the judge asked again: 'Okay, just pull it aside. Go ahead, ma'am.

Behind the hair: Vanessa Lee who was arrested on Monday, left, and right, Judge John Hurley who was left bemused by her behavior in court yesterday

'A little bit more ma'am. Just, could you part your hair for me. There you are! How you doing?', he said as Lee's face emerged, beaming a large smile.

But her rather odd behavior did not stop there as Lee began tapping the podium.

Hurley responded: 'Okay, I don't know what the tapping is, ma'am. I only knew Morse code when I was in the Navy and forgot it.'

Lee never spoke during the bond hearing.

According to an arrest affidavit, Lee was caught rummaging through a man's pickup truck. When she was stopped, witnesses said Lee had the driver's Sunpass and phone charger in her hands.

A witness also told police he saw Lee trying to get into an AT&T work van, but it was locked.

When Lee was questioned about her actions by a police officer, the officer said she gave the last name of a woman who lived in the neighbourhood.