Hearing postponed for attorney charged in SLO courtroom scuffle

A San Luis Obispo Superior Court judge postponed the arraignment Thursday of a deputy attorney general accused of tussling with a courtroom bailiff while court was in recess in October.

Jennie Mariah Kelly, 49, of Thousand Oaks, was charged Wednesday with one misdemeanor charge of obstructing, resisting or delaying a peace officer over the Oct. 20 incident, which was captured on courtroom surveillance video.

The Sheriff’s Office says the bailiff was justified in trying to physically remove Kelly from the courtroom because she was “speaking loudly” and “acting in an unprofessional manner.” But her attorney, Kara Stein-Conaway, has said the bailiff “unlawfully battered” Kelly.

Kelly did not appear before Superior Court Judge Jac Crawford in court Thursday, but Stein-Conaway asked for a continuance to have more time to review records in the case. Crawford scheduled another arraignment for March 24.

The incident occurred as Kelly was three weeks into a wrongful termination civil trial in which she was representing the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation and Department of Health Care Services. She was admonished several times by Superior Court Judge Barry LaBarbera for “outbursts and inappropriate behavior,” according to the Sheriff’s Office.

In the courtroom surveillance video obtained by The Tribune, Kelly is seen waving her arm at the plaintiff’s attorney before a bailiff approaches and they speak for a moment. The bailiff appears to grab Kelly’s hands, before Kelly jerks both arms up out of his grip and the two struggle. The bailiff takes her down to the ground and radios for more deputies. Kelly was led from the courtroom, cited and released.

This story was originally published February 18, 2016 at 3:38 PM with the headline "Hearing postponed for attorney charged in SLO courtroom scuffle."