A defendant with a long substance abuse history was released again on July 23, following execution of a bench warrant for multiple missed hearings.
Billy Williams, 68, is charged with assault with a dangerous weapon, assault with significant bodily injury, threat to kidnap or injure a person while armed, and panhandling-aggressive for his alleged involvement in a stabbing that injured one individual on Dec. 7, 2023. The incident occurred at the intersection of Rock Creek Parkway and Virginia Avenue, NW.
Williams has a history of avoiding court appearances particularly skirting drug monitoring as part of his pre-trial release requirements.
“I am not going to stop using,” he said at the last hearing he attended.
The prosecution had asked for a step-back on Williams’ previous conditions, with a return to custody prior to trial. But, the defense said that Williams’ age and underlying health conditions were grounds for his release.
DC Superior Court Judge Judith Pipe made the decision to grant Williams’ continued release, after being held without bond for less than 24 hours. She cited Williams’ scant criminal history with only one notable prior offense that dated back to 1973.
However, she made sure Williams understood that prior conditions on his release would still be imposed, including GPS monitoring.
“You need to be aware of your release conditions,” said Judge Pipe.
Judge Pipe returned the case to DC Superior Court Jennifer Di Toro, whose cases she had been handling on a stand in basis.
“I am not going to do any running, you can find me,” said Willimas as he was escorted by marshals and helped up the stairs to the holding area outside of the courtroom.
Parties are set to reconvene on Aug 6.
