A stabbing defendant pleaded guilty and received a suspended sentence with substance abuse treatment after she spoke to DC Superior Court Judge Jennifer Di Toro on Sept. 29 about her willingness to get help to control her alcohol abuse issues.
Saundra Berry, 57, was originally charged with assault with a dangerous weapon and simple assault for her involvement in a stabbing that occurred Sept. 7 on the 200 block of N Street, SW.
Berry accepted a plea deal that involved the stabbing and her other misdemeanor cases. She pleaded guilty to possession of a prohibited weapon and simple assault and prosecutors dismissed the assault with a dangerous weapon charge. The maximum sentence for possession of a prohibited weapon is one year in prison and six months for simple assault.
Berry’s defense attorney, David Akulian, requested that Berry’s incarceration be suspended, so she could get supervised probation and continue getting mental health and substance abuse treatment.
He said he believes the underlying issue in the incidents was Berry’s alcohol dependency. This dependency was clear, said Akulian, from body-worn camera footage of Berry refusing to give a can of beer to a uniformed officer during a separate incident.
The prosecution requested Berry serve the maximum sentences, with 18 months of supervised probation upon her release. The prosecution requested this length of time due to Berry’s past behavior of threatening and assaulting others.
According to court documents, the incident occurred at Berry’s apartment, where a verbal dispute between the victim and Berry escalated. Berry then struck the victim with a kitchen knife on the finger and bit a second victim who was attempting to restrain her during the altercation.
Berry expressed her regrets and her desire to handle her problem with alcohol. She acknowledged that she needed to get the problem under control to prevent future incidents.
Judge Di Toro sentenced Berry to six months in prison, suspending the entire duration, and 18 months of supervised probation. Berry will continue substance abuse treatment with Prestige Healthcare.
No further dates were scheduled in this case.
