Super naughty list: Arizona judge jails woman for holidays

PHOENIX — Forget Santa’s naughty list, a judge in Arizona has his own list and one woman landed on it hard.

The Casa Grande Dispatch reported that Pinal County Superior Court Judge Lawrence Wharton sentenced Kristi Schmidt to spend Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and the day after in jail.

Schmidt, 33, received the news this week that her holidays would be spent behind bars on charges related to her husband’s arrest in July.

(Pinal County Sheriff’s Office)

Pinal County authorities said Carl Schmidt, 42, pulled a gun on deputies during an eviction of the couple. Officers said Schmidt became aggressive during the confrontation, which she recorded with her cellphone.

She was pregnant at the time of her arrest. The couple also has other children.

Schmidt pleaded guilty in October to attempted aggravated assault, interfering with judicial proceedings and attempted hindering of prosecution. Each is a felony.

Schmidt also received three years of supervised probation.

Wharton told Schmidt on Monday that he wanted her to understand the seriousness of her actions and that her holidays could have been different had she controlled herself.

The paper reported that Schmidt’s attorney argued for the sentence to be fulfilled after New Year. Wharton said that while he didn’t want the children to suffer, he was going to turn down the request.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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