Cootz v. State

This is an appeal from a district court decision upholding a magistrate’s order which denied a petition for habeas corpus. The petition was filed by Anthony Cootz, a prison inmate who had been placed in disciplinary detention for assaulting a custodial officer. Cootz now raises two issues on appeal: (1) whether the evidence supports a finding, made by a prison hearing officer, that an assault occurred; and (2) whether the hearing officer improperly refused to compel the attendance and testimony of all witnesses whom Cootz had requested. For reasons explained below, we agree with the district…