Judge issues 'drag order' for murder suspect who refused to attend sentencing

A Westminster man who pleaded guilty to a murder charge in the beating death of his ex-wife refused last week to go to court for his sentencing. 

James Naulls Jr. pleaded guilty in January to 2nd Degree Murder. He was scheduled to be sentenced Friday but declined to be driven from the Adams County jail to the courthouse. 

A new sentencing hearing was scheduled for May 4.

Monday, Judge Robert Kiesnowski granted the 17th Judicial District Attorney's request that Naulls be brought to court by force if necessary. 

"The Court orders the Adams County Sheriff's Office to use all necessary and reasonable force to bring the Defendant to court," the judge's order reads.

Such an order is informally referred to as a "drag order," according to a source. 

RELATED  Police search for James Naulls after ex-wife severely beaten (2020)

Authorities followed Naulls through several states after he allegedly assaulted his ex-wife, 33-year-old Yasmin Dahabrah, on Jan. 31, 2020. Dahabrah passed away in a hospital four days after the incident. 

Naulls was arrested nearly three weeks later as he walked out of an auto parts store in Houston. He was found despite trying to camouflage himself by wearing makeup to cover his face tattoos, according to police.

Prior to the fatal assault, Dahabrah had obtained a protection order against Naulls for two previous beatings. Naulls had active warrants as a result of those attacks, one of which included strangulation, according to the charges. He cut off a court-ordered ankle monitor before the January attack.

A $10,000 reward was offered for information leading to Naulls's arrest in the days following Dahabrah's death. 

Naulls and Dahabrah were divorced in April 2019, according to online public records.