Nevada judge Mary Kay Holthus returned to work Thursday, a day after being attacked by a defendant in a felony battery case who was captured on video charging forward and “supermanning” over the judge’s bench after it became clear that he was being sentenced to prison, the Associated Press reports. Defendant Deobra Redden is scheduled to face Holthus again Monday for his rescheduled sentencing. Holthus fell back from her seat against a wall when Redden landed atop her and grabbed her hair, toppling an American flag onto them. Holthus suffered some injuries but was not hospitalized. In a bloody brawl, Redden had to be wrestled off the judge Wednesday by her law clerk and several court and jail officers — including some who were seen throwing punches. One courtroom marshal was hospitalized for treatment of a bleeding gash on his forehead and a dislocated shoulder.
Redden, 30, was jailed on $54,000 bail in connection with the attack but refused to return to court on Thursday on the new charges. “It happened so fast it was hard to know what to do,” said Richard Scow, the chief county district attorney, who was prosecuting Redden for allegedly attacking a person with a baseball bat last year. Prosecutor Steve Wolfson said the suspect’s criminal record is marked by mostly violent offenses and includes prior convictions for three felonies and nine misdemeanors. He said Redden should be held without bail as “an extreme danger to the community and a flight risk. ...He’s been violent his entire adult life. At the sentencing, Redden wasn’t shackled or in jail garb because he had been released in deal with prosecutors, in which he pleaded guilty to a reduced charge of attempted battery resulting in substantial injuries. When the judge made it clear she intended to put him behind bars, and the court marshal moved to handcuff him and take him into custody, Redden yelled expletives and charged forward.
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