US felon who attacked judge gets up to 4 years in prison

WASHINGTON – A judge who was attacked by a defendant in a Las Vegas courtroom last week sentenced the man on Jan 8 to 19 to 48 months in prison on a previous battery charge, emphasizing that his actions last week did not affect her sentencing decision.

The man, Deobra Redden, 30, drew national attention on Jan 3 when courtroom video showed him leaping over the bench onto the judge, Mary Kay Holthus of Clark County District Court, causing the flags behind the bench to fall.

Judge Holthus, 62, was injured in the attack, as was a court marshal and the judge’s law clerk, officials said.

On Jan 8, Mr Redden returned to Judge Holthus’s courtroom to complete the sentencing hearing that his violent outburst had interrupted.

He stood with his hands chained to his body and a mesh mask over his head. At least four officers stood by his side. He said nothing during the brief hearing.

Judge Holthus emphasized that Mr Redden was being sentenced solely on an April 2023 battery charge, to which he had previously pleaded guilty. She said any charges related to his attack last week would be handled by a different judge.

“For purposes of the record,” Judge Holthus said, “I want to make it clear that I am not changing or modifying the sentence I was in the process of imposing last week before I was interrupted by defendant’s actions.”

In addition to handing down the prison sentence, she also required Mr Redden to pay several hundred dollars in administrative fees.

Last week, Mr Redden’s lawyer, Caesar Almase, asked the judge to sentence his client to probation.

“I appreciate that, but I think it’s time he get a taste of something else,” Judge Holthus said at the hearing, just before the attack. “I just can’t with that history,” she added, appearing to refer to Mr Redden’s criminal background.

Mr Almase did not immediately respond to a phone call and an email seeking comment on Jan 8.

Judge Jerry A. Wiese II, the court’s chief judge, said at a news conference last week that Judge Holthus had been treated for injuries after the attack and was able to return to work, although she remained “sore and stiff.”

The court marshal was treated for a head injury at a hospital and released, Judge Wiese said. Judge Holthus’s law clerk received hand abrasions, he said. The law clerk was “the primary person who pulled the defendant off of her and probably kept her from receiving more severe injuries,” Judge Wiese said.

He said that Judge Holthus was “extremely grateful for those who took brave action during the attack.”