A former Oregon youth pastor punched in the face in federal court during his sentencing on a child sex abuse charge by a man who lunged over the railing from the gallery.
Donald Biggs, 40, was being sentenced in US District Court in Medford Wednesday after previously admitting to taking a 14-year-old girl on a church trip to Southern California in March 2013 with the intent to film her getting out of the shower.
Authorities previously said an investigation revealed he had hidden camera recordings involving some three dozen teenage victims.
Kevin Smith (left), 45, was arrested for punching convicted sexual predator Donald Biggs (right) in the face during his sentencing in federal court in Oregon
Officials say Smith, who is a relative of one of the teenage victims, jumped over a wooden railing inside this Medford, Oregon, courthouse, and attacked Biggs
Police Lt Justin Ivens told reporters outside the courthouse that Biggs was transported to a local hospital to be checked for injuries after the beating, which sent him into a fetal position, reported Mail Tribune.
The assailant, Kevin Patrick Smith, 45, was restrained by police and US Marshals, and arrested on misdemeanor charges of obstructing governmental or judicial administration, fourth-degree assault and disorderly conduct. He is said to be a relative of one of Biggs’ victims.
Although the attack occurred in federal court, Smith will be charged in state court, Ivens said.
As of Thursday morning, Smith’s name was not on the list of current inmates at the Jackson County jail, suggesting that he was released after posting $12,500 bail.
The attack came as Biggs’ defense attorney was telling the judge his client, a father of four sons, regretted his actions.
Before that, victims who packed the courtroom had been giving emotional impact statements about the trauma they have endured.
Shorty after Smith was taken into custody, a friend launched a GoFundMe campaign titled ‘hero punches pedophile’ to assist him with future legal costs.
The description of the campaign, which is seeking $5,000 in donations, characterized Smith as ‘a heroic figure, a true man of justice, an outstanding man’ who ‘did what every person in that room wanted to.’
Smith is a US Navy veteran and a married father-of-four (pictured above with his wife and child). He now faces. misdemeanor charges of obstructing governmental or judicial administration, fourth-degree assault and disorderly conduct
As of Thursday morning, more than $2,500 has been raised.
According to his Facebook page, Smith is a US Navy veteran with a wife and four children.
Biggs pleaded guilty in February to one felony count of transporting with intent to engage in criminal sexual activity.
As part of a plea deal, nine other transportation and child pornography charges were dropped.
Biggs faces up to nearly 16 years in prison. Defense attorney Terry Kolkey had been arguing for a mandatory minimum 10-year sentence when the attack occurred.
Biggs has been held in the Jackson County Jail since early 2015, after a burglary at Mtn. Church in Medford led investigators to a collection of the pastor’s secret recordings, which depicted girls undressing, showering and using the bathroom at various locations.
In the wake of the courtroom beatdown, the judge halted Biggs’ sentencing, but it is scheduled to resume at noon Thursday.