OLYMPIA – A public defender in a custodial assault case was smacked in the throat by his client during jury selection in court, causing the judge to declare a mistrial and the shaken lawyer to withdraw from the case.
Three people were attending the proceedings Wednesday in Thurston County Superior Court when, without warning, Justin Jacobson, 21, backhanded his court-appointed lawyer, Larry Jefferson, witnesses said.
The lawyer and client had been whispering back and forth, and Jacobson’s eyes were focused elsewhere when he let fly, said Undersheriff Neil McClanahan, who was in the courtroom because he had gotten a summons for jury duty in the case.
“Not only did you see it, you heard it,” McClanahan said.
Guards subdued Jacobson, and Judge Paula Casey declared a mistrial because the incident was witnessed by the prospective jurors.
Jefferson, who withdrew from the case, was treated at Providence St. Peter Hospital for a bruised sternum and is taking the rest of the week off, said Sally Harrison, director of the county’s Office of Assigned Counsel.
“I’m just shaken up. It’s not something you expect when you’re working,” Jefferson told The Olympian newspaper.
The case against Jacobson stems from a reported attack on two guards while he was incarcerated at Maple Lane School, a state institution for juvenile delinquents, before turning 21. Authorities said he has been a behavior problem in the county jail.
“This is an individual who had a lot of trouble in his life,” Jefferson said.
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