POLK COUNTY (KFSM) – The father of a murder victim jumped the partition in a Polk County courtroom Monday while trying to attack his daughter’s killer, according to courthouse officials.
Karl Roberts appeared in Polk County Circuit Court on Monday for a competency evaluation to determine if he could waive his post-conviction rights, following his previous murder conviction in the 1999 death of 12-year-old Andi Brewer.
Andi’s father, Greg Brewer, jumped the partition in the courtroom and tried to attack Roberts. Brewer was tackled to the ground by Polk County Sheriff’s Office deputies and transported to the Polk County Jail, according to a representative from the courthouse.
Brewer was not able to land any blows to his daughter’s killer before being subdued by authorities. Brewer was arrested on suspicion of third-degree assault, obstructing governmental operations and resisting arrest, which are all misdemeanors, said Polk County Sheriff’s Office chief deputy Scott Sawyer.
Sawyer said Brewer was released from jail Monday afternoon on $730 bond.
Andi was the daughter of Rebecca Petty, the Rogers Republican who won the state House District 94 seat in the November general elections.
Petty said Brewer flipped off Roberts shortly after a lunch break during Monday’s hearing. Brewer then jumped the partition after Roberts looked back and said, “Greg, it’s all going to be O.K.”
“I think he had just kind of had it,” Petty said. “We’re just overwhelmed right now.”
The judge closed the courtroom to family members, but allowed the media and others to stay, courthouse officials said. The judge has not yet made a decision on whether to grant Roberts’ waiver request.
Andi was raped and strangled in woods near Mena by Karl D. Roberts, the child’s uncle by marriage, records show. Roberts, who was sentenced to die on May 24, 2000, is one of 35 people on Arkansas’ death row, according to the Arkansas Department of Correction website.
Roberts (pictured with this story) has been trying to waive his rights and accept the death penalty, prompting his attorneys to contend he is not competent to waive his post-conviction rights, Petty said.
