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Nevada judge returned to work a day after being attacked by defendant

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Nevada judge returned to work a day after being attacked by defendant


LAS VEGAS (AP) — A Nevada judge was back to work a day after being attacked by a defendant in a felony battery case who was captured on courtroom video charging forward and “supermanning” over the judge’s bench after it became clear that he was being sentenced to prison, a court official said Thursday.

The defendant, Deobra Redden, is scheduled to face Clark County District Court Judge Mary Kay Holthus again Monday morning for his rescheduled sentencing, according to Chief Judge Jerry Wiese.

At a news conference Thursday, Wiese shared a statement from Holthus, who fell back from her seat against a wall when the defendant landed atop her and grabbed her hair, toppling an American flag onto them. Holthus suffered some injuries and was evaluated but not hospitalized, courthouse officials said.

“She wanted me to thank all of the well-wishers and others who have expressed concern for her and her staff,” Wiese said. “She is extremely grateful for those who took brave action during the attack.”

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In a bloody brawl, Redden had to be wrestled off the judge Wednesday morning by her law clerk, Michael Lasso, 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, and Lasso was treated for cuts on his hands.

Wiese credited Lasso for his quick action, saying he was the “primary person” who pulled the defendant off the judge “and probably kept her from having more severe injuries.”

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, so a judge rescheduled his next appearance for Jan. 9. Records show that he faces 13 counts including extortion and coercion with force. Seven of the new counts are battery on a protected person, referring to the judge and officers who came to her aid.

“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.

District Attorney 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.”

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“He’s been violent his entire adult life,” Wolfson said.

Redden’s defense attorney on Wednesday, Caesar Almase, declined to comment.

At the sentencing hearing, Redden wasn’t shackled or in jail garb because he had been released from custody as part of a deal with prosecutors, in which he pleaded guilty in November to a reduced charge of attempted battery resulting in substantial injuries. He was initially charged in the baseball bat attack with assault with a deadly weapon, court records show.

On Wednesday, he wore a white shirt and dark pants as he stood next to his attorney and asked the judge for leniency while describing himself as “a person who never stops trying to do the right thing no matter how hard it is.“

“I’m not a rebellious person,” he told the judge, adding that he doesn’t think he should be sent to prison. “But if it’s appropriate for you, then you have to do what you have to do.”

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Moments later, as 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. People who had been sitting with him in the courtroom audience, including his foster mother, began to scream.

Records show Redden, who lives in Las Vegas, was evaluated and found competent to stand trial in the battery case before pleading guilty to the reduced charge. He previously served prison time in Nevada on a domestic battery conviction, records show.

Holthus was a career prosecutor with more than 27 years of courthouse experience when she was elected to the state court bench in 2018.





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IN RESPONSE: Cortez Masto lands bill would keep the proceeds in Nevada

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IN RESPONSE: Cortez Masto lands bill would keep the proceeds in Nevada


A recent Review-Journal letter to the editor mischaracterized Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto’s Southern Nevada Economic Development and Conservation Act, also known as the Clark County Lands bill. As the former executive director of the Nevada Conservation League, I wholeheartedly support this legislation, so I wanted to set the record straight.

Sen. Cortez Masto has been working on this bill for years in partnership with state and local governments, conservation groups like the NCL and local area tribes. It’s true that the Clark County lands bill would open 25,000 acres to help Las Vegas grow responsibly, while setting aside 2 million acres for conservation. It would also help create more affordable housing throughout the valley while ensuring our treasured public spaces can be preserved for generations to come.

What is not correct is that the money from these land sales would go to the federal government’s coffers. In fact, the opposite is true.

The 1998 Southern Nevada Public Lands Management Act is a landmark bill that identified specific public land for future sale and created a special account ensuring all land sale revenues would come back to Nevada. In accordance with that law 5 percent of revenue from land transfers goes to the state of Nevada for general education purposes, 10 percent goes to the Southern Nevada Water Authority for needed water infrastructure and 85 percent supports conservation and environmental mitigation projects in Southern Nevada. This legislation has provided billions to Clark County and will continue to benefit generations of Southern Nevadans. Sen. Cortez Masto’s lands bill builds upon the act’s success.

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So here’s the good news: All of the money generated from land made available for sale under Sen. Cortez Masto’s bill would be sent to the special account created by the 1998 law. Rather than going to an unaccountable federal government, the proceeds would continue to help kids in Vegas get a better education, bolster outdoor recreation and modernize Southern Nevada’s infrastructure.

I know how important it is that money generated from the sale of public land in Nevada stay in the hands of Nevadans, and so does the senator. That’s why she opposed a Republican effort last year to sell off 200,000 acres of land in Clark County and other areas of the country that would have sent those dollars directly to Washington.

Public land management in Nevada should benefit Nevadans. We should protect sacred cultural sites and beloved recreation spaces, responsibly transfer land for affordable housing when needed and ensure our state has the resources it needs to grow sustainably. I will continue working with Sen. Cortez Masto to advocate for legislation, such as the Clark County lands bill, that puts the needs of Nevadans first.

Paul Selberg writes from Las Vegas.

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Las Vegas High beats Coronado in 5A baseball — PHOTOS

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Las Vegas High beats Coronado in 5A baseball — PHOTOS