WWE Hall of Famer Tammy Sytch getting new lawyer as judge warns her fiancé about behavior

WWE Hall of Famer Tammy "Sunny" Sytch is getting a new lawyer to defend her against a charge of DUI causing death, and a judge said her fiancé could be looking at contempt of court if he again insults a prosecutor.

Sytch, 49, had a pre-trial hearing on Thursday before Circuit Judge Karen Foxman, but she didn't have an attorney.

Sytch’s defense attorney, Steven deLaroche, filed a motion on June 16 to stop representing her, stating that Sytch had not complied with the terms of his employment agreement. Foxman granted the request on June 23.

Sytch has entered a plea of not guilty to DUI causing death and other charges stemming from a deadly traffic crash in Ormond Beach.

Tammy Sytch enters not guilty plea: WWE Hall of Famer Tammy 'Sunny' Sytch enters not guilty plea in DUI causing death case

Bail revoked: Judge revokes WWE Hall of Famer Tammy 'Sunny' Sytch's bond in drunk driving death case

Jeff Hardy arrested: AEW wrestler, former WWE champion Jeff Hardy arrested on drunken driving charge in Volusia

Sytch, whose residence is listed in Long Beach, New Jersey, in a charging affidavit, is being held without bail at the Volusia County Jail.

Ormond Beach police said that on March 25, Sytch's vehicle failed to stop and crashed into the back of a stopped car at the intersection of U.S. 1 and Granada Boulevard, leading to the death of Julian LaFrancis Lasseter, 75.

Tammy Sytch hands her jewelry to her fiancé, James Pente, as she is taken into custody, Friday, May 13, 2022, after her bond for a drunk driving causing death charge was revoked.
Tammy Sytch hands her jewelry to her fiancé, James Pente, as she is taken into custody, Friday, May 13, 2022, after her bond for a drunk driving causing death charge was revoked.

Sytch had a blood alcohol content of .280, which is 3½ times the legal limit of .08 set by Florida law, police said.

What did Tammy Sytch's fiancé say to draw a warning from the judge?

On Thursday, Sytch told Foxman that her fiancé, James Pente, was looking for another defense attorney and asked if she could be represented by the public defender’s office for now.

Foxman told her to fill out a form to determine if she qualified for representation by the public defender’s office, which she did and Sytch now has a public defender.

Then Foxman asked Assistant State Attorney Ashley Terwilleger if Pente had approached her on Thursday morning.

“He didn't approach me, but he spoke to me, not surprisingly, as I was passing by,” Terwilleger responded.

“What did he say?” Foxman asked.

“He called me a dirty (expletive), among other things that I didn't fully catch,” Terwilleger said.

Pente, 40, of Ormond Beach, was no longer in the courtroom by then. Foxman told Sytch to relay a warning to Pente about his behavior.

"So you understand ma'am, if you want him to be present in court, this kind of behavior is absolutely unacceptable," Foxman said. "And I will not allow him to be present if he's going to disrupt proceedings or be inappropriate or unprofessional or threatening in any manner.

James Pente talks with his fiancé Tammy Sytch, as she leans on the partition between the gallery and the defense table, Friday, May 13, 2022, before a bond hearing for a drunk driving causing death charge.
James Pente talks with his fiancé Tammy Sytch, as she leans on the partition between the gallery and the defense table, Friday, May 13, 2022, before a bond hearing for a drunk driving causing death charge.

"So if you talk to him, you let him know that this could rise to the level of contempt of court," Foxman said. "And if he were to do something like that, I would go into proceedings to see if I would sanction him for his behavior at the courthouse."

Pente could not be reached for comment. Sytch has her next hearing set for Aug. 11.

This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Tammy Sytch case: Fiancé of WWE Hall of Famer warned by judge