A week ago, Deobra Delone Redden, 30, assaulted Clark County District Court Judge Mary Kay Holthus as she pronounced his sentence. According to the latest reports, Redden might have attacked the judge because of a mental illness.
For reference, Judge Holthus was sentencing Redden to prison over an earlier attack with a baseball bat. Holtus denied the defendant bail, causing him to charge at her, leap across the desk and slam her into the ground. Redden assaulted the judge but was thankfully stopped by a courtroom marshal and a clerk who intervened to hold him back.
While Holthus’ injuries did not require immediate attention, she was later taken to hospital because of her painful injuries. Shane Brandon, the courtroom marshal who intervened, got the worst of it and was hospitalized with a dislocated shoulder and a cut on the face.
The clerk, Michael Lasso, suffered cuts on his hand but was not hospitalized. In an interview with Good Morning America, he said that he is glad he had been in the courtroom at the time of the attack because he “doesn’t even want to think about what would have happened” otherwise.
Clark County District Attorney Steve Wolfson praised the two men’s actions, thanking him for preventing the situation from becoming much worse.
Redden’s Relatives Were Surprised by His Reaction
As it turns out, Redden’s violent assault may be related to a mental illness. According to reports from Las Vegas news outlets, Redden’s relatives claimed that the man is suffering from schizophrenia and had not taken his medication on the day of the attack.
However, Redden was found competent to stand trial for the incident last year, following treatment at a state forensic psychiatric facility.
The man’s foster mother, Karen Springer, commented on the matter in an interview with KVVU, expressing her shock about Redden’s violent outburst. His sister, Ladonna Daniels, also commented on the matter, saying that the attack was likely not premeditated but a reaction to the sentence.
Holthus was unable to complete the sentence on the day of the assault. However, the court convened again on Monday and she handed him a sentence of between 19 and 48 months. The judge emphasized that the assault on her did not cause her to modify the sentence.
However, Redden now faces additional charges for the attack. He was charged with attempted murder and also faces charges for battery on a protected person, intimidation of a public officer and extortion by threat.