Handshake lands attorney in jail
Associated PressPublished February 10, 2008
FORT LAUDERDALE - An attorney has been charged with assault for allegedly shaking a federal prosecutor's hand so hard it injured her shoulder.
The attorney, Kathy Brewer Rentas, 49, was arrested Thursday after attending a court hearing involving her husband, who was accused of violating the terms of his probation for a cocaine distribution case in New York. The husband, Anthony Rentas, was sentenced to 90 days of house arrest.
Afterward, Brewer Rentas asked to shake hands with Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer Keene. When the pair clasped hands, Brewer Rentas shook Keene's hand so forcefully, it nearly ripped the prosecutors arm out of its socket, a court security officer told officials.
Brewer Rentas was released from jail after spending a night in solitary confinement and posting $100,000 bail. She was ordered to stay away from Keene and undergo a psychological evaluation.