Warrant issued for Falcons superfan 'BirdLady' after missing court
Carolyn Freeman (Fulton County Sheriff's Office)
ATLANTA - A Fulton County Superior Court judge issued a bench warrant for Carolyn Freeman, an Atlanta Falcons superfan who is called "BirdLady," after she didn't show up for court Monday.
Warrant issued for "BirdLady"
What we know:
Freeman is charged with theft by deception for allegedly scamming a group of Kansas City Chiefs fans out of $14,000. She pleaded not guilty in April.
Several Chiefs fans were in the courtroom for the hearing. Freeman's attorney told the judge he is waiting to hear why she didn't show up for court.
Dig deeper:
A bench warrant is issued directly by a judge, according to Cornell Law School. Bench warrants are most often issued when someone violates court rules — such as failing to appear while out on bail or when a subpoenaed witness does not show up to testify.
"BirdLady" charges
The backstory:
According to an incident report filed with the Atlanta Police Department, Tamira Southwood told Atlanta police that she and her tailgate group wanted a catered tailgate party with live music before the game between the Atlanta Falcons and Chiefs on Sept. 22.
The group reportedly raised $14,000 for the event, which they paid Freeman to provide food, drinks, a chef, live entertainment, tents, chairs, prizes, and gifts.
On the morning of the event, Freeman reportedly contacted the group, saying that she had been in the hospital but would still be able to provide her services at noon. However, the party reportedly never occurred, and Southwood filed a fraud report with Atlanta police on Oct. 7.
Freeman was then arrested by Fulton County Marshals and Georgia State University Police on an active arrest warrant from the Atlanta Police Department.
Carolyn "BirdLady" Freeman welcomes people to the Super Bowl LIII on February 1, 2019 in Atlanta, GA. (Staff Photo By Nancy Lane/MediaNews Group/Boston Herald) (Photo by Nancy Lane/MediaNews Group/Boston Herald via Getty Images)
Why "BirdLady?"
Dig deeper:
Freeman allegedly became a Falcons' superfan in 1998 after witnessing a player recover from a career-ending injury, which inspired her to start attending games as physical therapy after being bedridden for 12 years. She reportedly earned the nickname "BirdLady" in 1998 when Falcons legends Jamal "Dirty Bird" Anderson and Jesse "The Hammer" Tuggle gave her the name after she caught their attention as a passionate fan.
The Source: Information in this article came from a FOX 5 crew in the courtroom when the judge issued the warrant, court records and past FOX 5 reporting on "BirdLady."