Elizabeth In Danger! Knife Wielding Man Arrested At Smart's Speech
Feb. 3 2017, Updated 1:05 a.m. ET
Threatened by a knife again!
A convicted criminal was arrested after his menacing actions towards kidnap victim Elizabeth Smart alerted police to his evil intentions.
Claude Hudson, 80, was attending the Elizabeth Smart Speaker Series at the Indiana State University when officers observed him "playing with a knife while watching her," WTHITV10 reported.
Hudson put the knife in his pocket and began to approach Smart after the speech, but went around the line of people waiting to speak with her.
The officer attempted to question Hudson but witnesses say he turned and punched the officer multiple times in the stomach.
He was arrested for battery charges and appeared in an Indiana court on Wednesday, where his bail was set at $25,000.
Hudson has a lengthy rap sheet, including a conviction for attempted murder in Nevada, as well as arrests in California, Illinois, Missouri and Tennessee.
Smart was kidnapped from her bedroom in 2002 when she was 14 by Brian David Mitchell, who kept her as a prisoner for nine months while torturing her with daily rapes.
She was found in Salt Lake City by a police officer who found Mitchell's behavior suspicious while Smart was with him in a full face and body covering. He is serving a life sentence in prison.
Smart released a statement on Thursday, saying she "is grateful for law enforcement and Indiana State University's quick response and that the event and her work continued undeterred."
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