Convicted murderer, 80, armed with a knife punches police officer who stopped him from approaching kidnapping victim Elizabeth Smart at a book signing
- Claude Hudson punched cop in the stomach at a book signing event, police said
- Hudson, 80, sat in the front row of Elizabeth Smart's talk at Indiana State
- When he started walking past a line of 100 people waiting to have their books signed by Smart in a 'determined' fashion, cop stopped him
- Hudson has history of arrests and was convicted of attempted murder in 1991
- Smart was kidnapped from her bedroom in 2002 and held for nine months
An 80-year-old man is accused of punching a police officer who stopped him from approaching kidnapping survivor Elizabeth Smart with a knife.
Claude Hudson was arrested and charged with battery after he punched a police officer in the midsection during a book signing event at the Indiana State University on Wednesday, police said.
Hudson sat in the front row of Smart's talk, and was later spotted fiddling with a 3-inch pocket knife, using it to open a tea bag wrapping and 'just acting so peculiar,' ISU Police Chief Joseph Newport said.
Smart was just 14 in 2002 when she was snatched from her bedroom in Salt Lake City, Utah and held captive for nine months, during which she was repeatedly raped.
Claude Hudson, 80, (left) is accused of punching a police officer who stopped him from approaching kidnapping survivor Elizabeth Smart (right) with a knife
Hudson was sitting in the front row during Smart's talk at the Indiana State University (general view) on Wednesday and was seen fiddling with a knife
Hudson was sitting in the front row during Smart's talk before he concealed the knife and started to walk 'in a dedicated and determined fashion' past 100 people who were waiting to have their books signed, Newport said.
An officer stepped between Hudson and Smart, and the 80-year-old hit the officer twice in his midsection, Newport said.
Hudson, of Terre Haute, Indiana, was arrested and pleaded not guilty to a battery charge on Wednesday. A judge set bond at $25,000 and ordered a mental health evaluation.
The police chief said Hudson is a frequent visitor to Indiana State University and that investigators have found no connection between Hudson and Smart.
Hudson, who is currently on parole for a burglary conviction, will stand trial on May 9.
He has a history of arrests, and records show he was convicted of attempted murder in 1991, CBS reported.
Smart issued a statement through her representative Thursday, saying she 'is grateful for law enforcement and Indiana State University's quick response and that the event and her work continued undeterred.'
Smart (pictured after she was found) hit headlines after she disappeared from her bedroom in Salt Lake City, Utah in 2002 at the age of 14
Mitchell (left) was sentenced to life in prison in May 2011, and his wife Wanda Barzee (right) was sentenced to 15 years for her role in the kidnapping of the girl
Smart hit headlines after she disappeared from her bedroom in 2002 at the age of 14. Despite a nationwide search for the teen, she was not found for nine months.
Within hours of the kidnapping, she testified, she was stripped of her red pajamas, draped in white, religious robes and forced into a polygamous marriage with Brian David Mitchell.
She was tethered to a metal cable strung between two trees and subjected to near-daily rapes while being forced to use alcohol and drugs.
She described the horrific events as her 'nine months of hell', during which she was forced to live homeless, dress in disguises and stay quiet or lie about her identity if ever approached by strangers or police.
Mitchell was sentenced to serve life in prison in May 2011, and his wife Wanda Barzee was sentenced to 15 years in a Texas federal prison hospital for her role in the kidnapping of the girl.
Since Smart was returned to her family, she has become an advocate against abuse and pornography.
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