FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — A lawyer has been charged with assault for shaking a federal prosecutor’s hand so hard, authorities said, that it injured her shoulder. Kathy Brewer Rentas, 49, was arrested Thursday after attending a court hearing for her husband, who was accused of violating the terms of his probation for a cocaine distribution case. The husband, Anthony Rentas, was sentenced to 90 days of house arrest.
After the hearing, Brewer Rentas asked to shake hands with Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer Keene. A court security officer reported that Brewer Rentas shook Keene’s hand so forcefully that the prosecutor’s arm was nearly ripped out of its socket.
“Assaulting a federal officer is something that we will take very seriously and prosecute vigorously,” said Alicia Valle, a U.S. attorney’s office spokeswoman. Brewer Rentas’ attorney, Gwendolyn Tuggle, said her client never meant to hurt Keene.
The Associated Press
