The initial appearance Thursday for suspect Joshua Pendleton, 36, of Fort Dodge, was continued by Magistrate Steve Kersten to allow for the appearance of a public defender from the Nevada Public Defender’s Office.

Kersten initially appointed public defender Doug Cook to represent Pendleton before he was granted a motion to withdraw for “good cause,” according to court documents.

A closed circuit video of Pendleton recorded Thursday morning showed the defendant as he sat, visibly agitated or angry, in the Webster County Jail for his court appearance with Webster County Jail Administrator Steve Elifrits. Though no audio is available, Pendleton is seen pounding his fist, pointing at the screen and appears to be shouting at Elifrits before exiting the room.

Police arrested Pendleton within hours of the Wednesday incident after reviewing surveillance video from St. Paul Lutheran Church, in which they observed a man attempting to gain entry to the building.

Webster County Communications Center was notified of an unresponsive male at the church, 400 S. 13th St., at about 5:45 p.m. Wednesday. Officers arrived to find Henderson had been the victim of assault.

Henderson was transported by ambulance to UnityPoint Health — Trinity Regional Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead.

According to police, the confrontation had apparently occurred just outside of the church.

Pendleton’s criminal complaints say that he was identified as the man in the video by officers who had previous experience with him.

Officers made contact with Pendleton at his Fourth Avenue South home later that evening, observing that he wore the same clothing as in the surveillance video from the scene. He also provided officers with Henderson’s cell phone.

In a subsequent police interview with Pendleton, the criminal complaint alleges that he admitted to being in a physical confrontation with a male subject. He said he obtained the cell phone during the altercation at the church, police allege in the criminal complaint.

Court records reflect Pendleton’s extensive history with charges in the criminal justice system. He has been charged numerous times over the last several years with attacking jailers and assaulting others, many times in conjunction with court-ordered treatment.