Detectives Probing Courthouse Fistfight

A deputy prosecutor and an investigator for the public defender’s office got into a fistfight in the county courthouse after a heated hearing in which a judge dropped criminal charges against a felony defendant, authorities said Tuesday.

Courthouse sources said the fight involved Deputy Dist. Atty. John Vanarelli and public defender investigator Michael Catanzarite.

Sources said Vanarelli struck Catanzarite after the investigator walked up to him outside a courthouse elevator Tuesday afternoon. After they were separated, Catanzarite had a bruised cheek and a torn shirt, sources said.

Top officials in the district attorney’s and public defender’s office confirmed that sheriff’s detectives are investigating a fight between two of their employees.

But they would not reveal the identities of the combatants nor give any details of the altercation or the case it followed. Sheriff’s officials familiar with the investigation could not be reached late Tuesday afternoon.

Vanarelli declined to comment on the incident, and Catanzarite was unavailable for comment. Dist. Atty. Michael D. Bradbury also could not be reached.

A statement released by district attorney’s officials said: “We understand that there was a disagreement between a deputy district attorney and a public defender’s investigator this afternoon. It is being investigated by the sheriff’s dept. We have no further comment at this time.”