Judge said assault claim will be heard in court

A judge said Tuesday both sides will be able to present their stories in court in an alleged assault on a Carson City woman by a bailiff at the Carson City Courthouse.

"We don't agree with her version of events and I don't care to comment any further," said District Judge Bill Maddox. "She got cited and I assume she'll plead not guilty and can present her side in court and the bailiffs will present theirs."

Tonja Brown said she was unjustly arrested and, in the process, brutalized by a bailiff while she protested at the courthouse Monday.

"Consider the source," Maddox said of Brown who is a frequent critic of the judicial system because of her campaign to free her brother, a convicted rapist who's serving life for a Sparks rape.

After visiting a doctor Monday night, Brown showed up at the Carson City Sheriff's Department on Tuesday to file a complaint wearing a neck brace and the inside of her left bicep covered in a large purple and black bruise.

"I have whiplash, lower back strain, some of my organs are bruised, my ribs are sore, scratches, bruises, a little knot on my hand, and a migraine," Brown said.

She contends the bailiff was angered by her presence as a protester. She and about 13 others were protesting the sealing of a grand jury report issued last year that may be critical of the Carson City Sheriff's Department and District Attorney's Office.

She was cited for trespassing and resisting arrest.

"I have contacted my attorney and she is filing for a demand for the (surveillance) video," Brown said.

But Maddox said there is no surveillance camera in the lobby of the courthouse.