A Nevada man with an extensive criminal record was sentenced by the same judge he graced with his Superman impression as he vaulted over the bench to attack her last Wednesday as she denied his request for probation.
Restrained with a set of fingerless mitts and a hood to prevent him from spitting, Deobra Redden was sentenced by Judge Mary Kay Holthus on Monday to a period of 19 months to four years in prison for the felony of attempted battery with substantial bodily harm. Judge Holthus’ sentence is the same as that she was in the process of handing down when Redden attacked her during a sentencing hearing.
Redden “supermanned over the judicial bench” to assault Holthus, according to the court’s chief judge, Jerry Wiese. The new complaint against Redden also describes his attack as “‘superman style.’”
Redden is now facing a new slew of charges regarding his attack on Judge Holthus, including seven counts of battery on a protected person.
Under Nevada law, a protected person includes a group of people ranging from judges, police officers and first responders, to taxi drivers and sporting officials. The consequences could prove particularly severe for Redden, as those who commit such a crime while on parole or probation are guilty of a Class D felony and liable to a $5,000, a sentence of one to four years imprisonment, or both.
At a hearing on Tuesday concerning the new charges, Judge Diana Sullivan explained Redden’s new charges and confirmed that her connection with Judge Holthus was sufficiently limited that she did not feel the need to recuse herself. Redden’s preliminary hearing is scheduled for February 14.
Such sentencing prospects are long overdue for Redden. He has three prior felony convictions, including attempted theft in 2015, battery constituting domestic violence in 2018 that involved “biting a woman and breaking a vehicle’s windows,” and battery constituting domestic violence in 2021. Redden also “has previously been accused of kicking an officer while he was being arrested in 2016.”
The particular offense that brought Redden before Judge Holthus last week on the day of the attack was for “the felony charge of attempted battery with substantial bodily harm, after prosecutors accused Redden of threatening to ‘bust’ another man’s kneecaps and swinging a bat at him.”
Despite the severity of his offense, Redden requested that he not face any prison time, telling Holthus that he was “a person who never stops trying to do the right thing no matter how hard it is.” Redden almost immediately proved this to be a fabrication when Holthus opted to deny probation, launching himself over the bench and beating Holthus severely before various court officers restrained him. Despite her injuries, Holthus returned to work the next day, while clerk Michael Lasso suffered cuts to his hands and a marshal dislocated his shoulder and sustained a gash to his chin requiring 25 stitches after tripping while trying to restrain Redden.
While Redden has made a habit of attacking otherwise unprotected people, it looks as though it may take his recent attack on a “protected person” for him to finally face the well-earned consequences of his actions.