Las Vegas Judge Mary Kay Holthus was attacked by a defendant amid a sentencing hearing. The video clip of the attack has gone viral among netizens under the tags ‘Man Attack Judge’ and ‘Man Attacks Las Vegas Judge.’ Read ahead to find out about Deobra Redden including the charges, cause of the attack, and more.
Las Vegas Judge attacked for denying probation
Clark County judge, Mary Kay Holthus was sentencing 30-year-old Deobra Redden on charges of battery with substantial body harm on Wednesday, January 3, 2024. His defense attorney had claimed that he was on the path of goodness and had been offered a job as a plea to avoid imprisonment.
A man attacked a Clark County judge in court today after she denied his probation. pic.twitter.com/CTL5VgPZFU
— Las Vegas Locally 🌴 (@LasVegasLocally) January 3, 2024
Meanwhile, the prosecution had demanded a longer prison time based on records of the three-time felon with a history of violent crime. Ridden had reportedly destroyed property and served a year in prison for domestic battery in 2021. He was paroled in 2022 after which he was accused of battery against a protected person.
In his final statements Ridden shared that he believes he shouldn’t be sent to jail but if it deems appropriate to the judge then they ‘gotta do what they gotta do.’ The judge heard both arguments and said that it was time he had a taste of something else than probation.
https://twitter.com/saras76/status/1742695580197924955?t=RMPvhQ9nyBRTmJ3pVpGqhg&s=19
These words aggravated Redden who ran up to the judge’s bench and launched himself across it to attack her. Several other people present in the court dived in to separate the 30-year-old felon from the Judge and ended up throwing him on the ground.
This incident also triggered an alarm that kept ranging for several minutes. As per the recent updates, one of the marshalls present in the courtroom suffered a large gash on his forehead and was taken to a hospital. Judge Holthus suffered injuries on her head as well but sources claim she is alright.
Deobra Redden faces more charges
Reports from local news agencies state that an investigation has been launched against Redden after his attack. This opens up the possibility that he will face additional charges of attacking a Judge amid sentencing.
A Nevada judge was attacked Wednesday by a defendant in a felony battery case who leaped both a defense table and the judge’s bench.
The judge “experienced some injuries,” according to a court statement. The defendant was arrested and now faces new felony charges. pic.twitter.com/O25wF2RwOR
— The Associated Press (@AP) January 4, 2024
His documents state that he previously threatened to bust someone’s kneecaps and substantially harmed them in violence. Last year in May, he was ordered to undergo a competency determination and was commtted to a state behavioral facility.
He was found competent in October and pled guilty in the following month. Judge Holthus, who is well-known for presiding over home violence and se*ual assault charges issued a bench warrant for his arrest in December after he missed a court appearance.
People praise Judge Mary Kay Holthus after the attack
Clark County District Attorney Steve Wolfson related his relief and praised the ‘heroic efforts’ of people who came to help Judge Holthus, especially celebrating her marshal and law clerk. He also shared that the situation could have yielded the worst consequences if it wasn’t for the people present.
I think the guy in the black suit that immediately tries to help the Judge is some sort of clerk…. Not security …. The security guard is in white. I think the black suit guy is a hero … he moved so fast to try to help …the security guy did well too. https://t.co/DUWHq6g0a8
— Good Citizen (@Susan32713089) January 4, 2024
Democratic Nevada Attorney General Aaron Ford sent his good wishes to Judge Holthus and the marshal who was injured in the court. He further commended their dedication to the justice system and wished them swift recovery.
Netizens have also extended praises for Judge for her accurate and just decision. They have claimed that Redden justified Judge’s sentence by his actions. Meanwhile, many people have expressed their concerns about the safety protocols in court considering that things could have easily gone wrong.
