Sep 5, 2008 4:35 pm US/Central
Suspended Nev. Judge Hospitalized; Husband Jailed
LAS VEGAS (AP) ―
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Elizabeth Halverson, 50, was found in a rear bedroom of her southeast Las Vegas home late Thursday with severe face, chest and upper arm injuries.
CBS
An ex-convict has been arrested on suspicion of trying to kill his wife, a suspended Nevada state judge facing misconduct charges for, among other things, allegedly having her husband sworn in to ask if he'd completed his chores at home.
Elizabeth Halverson, 50, was found in a rear bedroom of her southeast Las Vegas home late Thursday with severe face, chest and upper arm injuries. She told officers that her husband, Edward, had beaten her and had tried to kill her, according to a police statement.
"He hit her with a frying pan," said Officer Jose Montoya, a Las Vegas police spokesman.
Edward Halverson, 49, was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder, battery with a deadly weapon and battery domestic violence, and was being held pending an initial appearance in Las Vegas Justice Court. His wife was in intensive care after surgery at a Las Vegas hospital, Montoya said Friday; the hospital said it could release no information.
Montoya said he did not know if Edward Halverson had a lawyer. Records show Halverson was convicted in 1988 in Dallas County, Texas, of cocaine possession and sentenced to four years in jail.
Elizabeth Halverson was suspended from the bench in July 2007, six months after being sworn in. The Nevada Commission on Judicial Discipline filed 14 formal charges, including creating a hostile work environment, hiring a technician to try to hack into the courthouse computer system, causing mistrials in two sexual assault cases by improperly meeting with jurors, hiring her own security guards, and falling asleep on the bench.
The commission declared that she posed "a substantial threat to the public or to the administration of justice."
The commission held disciplinary hearings last month that included several references to the judge's relationship with her husband. Her former court bailiff, Johnnie Jordan, testified that she screamed and swore at Edward Halverson and court employees.
Another time, the commission said in the charges filed Jan. 7, Halverson required a clerk to administer a sworn oath to her husband so she could question him about whether he completed his chores at home.
Jordan also testified that Elizabeth Halverson once asked him to shoot her husband and told him she would dispose of his body. Jordan said he believed the judge was serious but admitted he never reported the exchange to police.
Jordan said Halverson -- who is obese and uses a motorized scooter to get around -- made him put her shoes on her feet, massage her back and cover her with a blanket for naps. He said she asked him, "Do you want to worship me from near or afar?"
In documents denying the allegations, Elizabeth Halverson has blamed disgruntled employees and vindictive colleagues for the complaints.
The judge recently lost a primary bid for re-election and has been awaiting a decision from the commission on whether to sanction her or permanently bar her from the bench.
(© 2009 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
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