SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — A San Francisco judge on Tuesday ordered the man accused of breaking into House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s home, beating her husband and seeking to kidnap her, to be held without bail.
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Adam Lipson, a lawyer for defendant David DePape, entered a not guilty plea on Depape's behalf during the brief hearing in Superior Court in San Francisco. It was the first public appearance since the early Friday attack for DePape, a fringe activist drawn to conspiracy theories.
The attack on 82-year-old Paul Pelosi sent shockwaves through the political world just days before the hotly contested midterm elections. Threats against lawmakers and election officials have been at all-time highs in this first nationwide election since the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection at the Capitol, and authorities have issued warning about rising extremism in the U.S.
The 42-year-old DePape faces state charges of attempted murder, burglary and elder abuse. The public defender’s office, which is representing him, did not immediately return a request for comment.
San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins on Monday had said prosecutors want to keep DePape behind bars because he poses “obvious and severe public safety risks.”