Man on Trial for Assault Deprived of Lawyer!

Criminal defendant William Lehman didn't think his court-appointed lawyer was doing a good job defending his assault trial, so he beat him up in the middle of the courtroom. Mr. Lehman had asked the judge for a new attorney, but the judge said no. So, after the jury returned from a break, Mr. Lehman beat up public defender Mark Groettum in open court by putting him in a headlock and repeatedly punching him in the face. "Blood was all over Groettum, the counsel table and the floor of the courtroom," according to a court document. t The judge, Hon. James Florey, felt that Mr. Groettum could no longer be Lehman's attorney. Mr. Lehman asked for another lawyer, but the judge turned him down, so Mr. Lehman was forced to represent himself for the rest of the trial. The Minnesota Court of Appeals agreed with the judge's decision, writing in a published opinion that a defendant gives up his right to a court-appointed lawyer when he beats up the one he has.