We start our tale from last week with attorney Kathy Brewer Rentas, whose husband had apparently violated the terms of his probation. Ms. Brewer Rentas tried to defend her husband in court, but the judge ordered Mr. Rentas to serve house arrest for 90 days. This appears to have made Ms. Brewer Rentas, the attorney, quite unhappy.
So she insisted — yes, insisted — that she shake hands with the prosecutor, Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer Keene, chasing her down the hall to do so. What happened next comes from the U.S. marshal's arrest report:
Brewer forcefully grabbed onto Keene's right hand and squeezed it, pulling Keene toward her, forcing Keene off balance. With Keene in hand [or Keene's hand in hand], Brewer made an upward, then a quick downward motion and pulled Keene toward the ground moving her forward, almost causing Keene to fall to the ground.
That's a bit more than a regular handshake; the marshal reports that the U.S. attorney's head just about suffered whiplash, and apparently it looked like Brewer Rentas was trying to pull Keene's arm out of its socket.
Keene missed work the next day, and Brewer Rentas spent the night in jail and has been ordered for counseling. What about Mr. Rentas, her husband? Well, he gets to spend 90 days at home with her — perhaps a bit more punishment now than he was expecting.
Now, prosecutors occasionally face hazards at work, but from a licensed attorney? Not a good thing to have on the old resume. Hot tip: don't assault a prosecutor if you are upset that your client lost. Even hotter tip: don't do it in front of a federal marshal either. Best tip: don't represent your family members when there's a chance they may go to jail!
