DC Superior Court Judge Robert Hildum denied release for a carjacking defendant after he waived his preliminary hearing on Feb. 19.
Da’Andre Pardlow, 31, is charged with armed carjacking, robbery while armed, and kidnapping while armed. The charges stem from his alleged involvement in seizing a motor vehicle from a victim while armed on Sept. 13, 2024 at Fort Dupont Park in Southeast.
According to court documents, the victim and Pardlow reportedly met in the park for a sexual encounter. Pardlow allegedly threatened to shoot the victim while forcing him to surrender his phone. Then, Pardlow allegedly forced the victim into the passenger seat of his car, Pardlow drove the vehicle to a bank, and allegedly withdrew money from the victim’s account.
Pardlow decided to waive his right to a preliminary hearing of the evidence and Judge Hildum agreed.
Defense attorney Patrick Nowak argued that Pardlow should be released to home confinement due to his extensive ties in the community. Nowak said Pardlow was employed for most of his adult life, most recently at several moving companies and Amazon. Additionally, Nowak noted that Pardlow’s family was present at the hearing and he could stay with his parents if released.
The prosecution asked that Pardlow remain in custody to protect community safety. They emphasized the “egregious” nature of the crime and that Pardlow had a criminal history that included robbery and other firearms offenses. In addition, the prosecution claimed to have an overwhelming amount of evidence to convict Pardlow, including surveillance footage.
After reviewing his criminal history, Judge Hildum decided to keep Pardlow in jail. Though he has yet to be tried on the current charges, the judge stated, “many people have already been endangered by his [Pardlow’s] actions.”
Parties are scheduled to reconvene on March 12.
