Man accused in ‘Thunder’ attack deemed fit for trial

A 25-year-old man accused of trying to steal props, costumes and underwear from male dancers of “Thunder From Down Under” has once again been found competent to stand trial, but his new lawyer wants to evaluate the medical examinations.

Joey Kadmiri, who did not appear in court for a competency hearing Friday, faces several charges in the Excalibur incident, including attempted murder, burglary, robbery and battery.

Prosecutors said Kadmiri sneaked backstage at the Excalibur show March 18 and rifled through the performers’ dressing room. After the dancers confronted him, Kadmiri became violent, pulled out a gun and fired a shot during a scuffle, prosecutors said. The bullet didn’t hit anyone.

On Friday, Kadmiri’s new lawyer, John Momot, said he wanted a week to look over reports from two doctors who found Kadmiri fit to stand trial. District Judge Linda Bell set another hearing for Oct. 3.

In May, Kadmiri was deemed competent after he admitted to exaggerating symptoms of his disorder.

Two months later, as Kadmiri tried to rush the case through the court system, another judge declared a mistrial after a juror reported seeing a television news report about the case and said some jurors had discussed “gray areas.”

A week after the mistrial, Kadmiri told the Review-Journal that he was the one who was attacked. He said friends dared him to crash the stage of the Australian-themed male revue and perform his own dance.

Kadmiri was caught backstage wearing two pairs of underwear — teal boxer briefs and a black thong — that belonged to the dancers, prosecutors said.

Authorities found 2.1 grams of methamphetamine on Kadmiri, who reportedly said he was high at the time of his arrest. He is being held in the Clark County Detention Center on $500,000 bail.

Contact reporter David Ferrara at dferrara@reviewjournal.com or 702-380-1039. Find him on Twitter: @randompoker.