A verbal altercation between Shelby County District Attorney Kenneth Florence and attorney Robert Goodwin reportedly escalated to the latter allegedly throwing a binder notebook at the DA during a hearing last Friday, missing his mark, and striking DA investigator Bobby Carlsen in the face at the Shelby County Courthouse.

According to an online article in The Light & Champion newspaper Tuesday, the two had exchanges throughout a hearing in District Judge Charles "Brick" Dickerson's courtroom, and when an alleged comment from Florence provoked Goodwin into throwing the binder.

The article said Goodwin filed a motion to withdraw as court-appointed counsel for Rebecca Fountain on Monday, citing his health, safety, and possible arrest, incarceration and prosecution by the district attorney were concerns.

Goodwin said he approached the bench in hopes of filing a Gag Order because he felt the jury pool was contaminated by what he said were slanderous, unauthorized and wholly unfounded attacks on him made to the local newspaper by District Attorney Florence.

Goodwin was seeking to dismiss charges against Fountain, who's charged with the March 2012 stabbing death of Mark Alan Ray of Joaquin.