Inset: Sirena Schroeder (Madison County Jail). Background: The Madison County Courthouse in Norfolk, Neb. (Google Maps).
A Nebraska woman was held in contempt after repeatedly interrupting a sentencing hearing and demanding that the judge replace her court-appointed attorney.
Sirena Schroeder, 45, appeared Friday before 7th Judicial District Judge Michael Long in Madison County to resolve her criminal case.
A jury convicted Schroeder in August of one count of theft by unlawful taking.
The case arose from an October 2024 incident in Norfolk, a city about 45 miles north of Columbus, Nebraska. Prosecutors said Schroeder stole approximately $2,200 from a former employer.
During the sentencing hearing, Schroeder repeatedly interrupted and criticized her court-appointed lawyer, Marty Klein, according to a courtroom report from the Norfolk Daily News.
“I don’t want him to represent me because he’s not doing his job,” Schroeder told Long at one point, reportedly speaking over both the judge and Klein while pressing for a new attorney.
Schroeder argued that Klein had exercised poor legal judgment and had failed to protect her interests following her conviction.
Her chief complaint involved the presentence investigation report prepared by the District 7 probation office. Schroeder said the report contained problems and accused Klein of not reviewing it with her thoroughly enough.
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Klein told the judge that he and Schroeder had spent about two hours recently reviewing the document. As the dispute continued, Long called a recess so Schroeder and her lawyer could discuss the report further. The additional time did not resolve the conflict.
When the hearing resumed, Klein began outlining his client’s concerns. Schroeder, however, continued to insist that she wanted a different attorney. She accused Klein of withholding information and disregarding her instructions, repeatedly interrupting him as he tried to speak, the newspaper reported.
Long repeatedly reminded Schroeder that she needed to communicate through her attorney and follow courtroom procedure.
Eventually, the judge’s patience wore thin.
“You need to understand this is not a town hall meeting,” Long told her. “You don’t get to get up and yell and speak out of turn because it makes it impossible for us to take down what is being said.”
Long sentenced Schroeder to 18 months in prison for the theft conviction. He also imposed an additional 30-day sentence for contempt of court. The two sentences were ordered to run consecutively, meaning one will be served after the other.
The judge required Schroeder to continue with Klein during the hearing. He said that if she chose to dismiss him afterward, she would have to represent herself. Schroeder responded that she wanted “competent counsel.”
Schroeder was also ordered to repay the full $2,200 to her former employer. Klein said she planned to appeal both the conviction and the sentence.
The post ‘I don’t want him’: Chaos erupts in courtroom as woman tries to fire her attorney during sentencing hearing by repeatedly criticizing him until she is held in contempt by judge first appeared on Law & Crime.
