Man Who Attacked Las Vegas Judge Gets Up to 4 Years in Prison

A judge who was attacked by a defendant in a Las Vegas courtroom last week sentenced the man on Monday 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 Wednesday 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, officials said.

On Monday, 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 Monday.

Jail records show that Mr. Redden was taken into custody after the attack last week and was booked on several charges related to that episode, including battery of a protected person, extortion and intimidating a public official. His bail was set at $54,000, records show.

Jail records show that Mr. Redden had previously spent time in prison, including in 2015, when he was sentenced to a minimum of 19 months for attempted theft. He again served time in 2021 for domestic battery, according to Nevada Department of Corrections records.

Judge Holthus became a judge in 2019 after working for the Clark County District Attorney’s Office for more than 27 years.