Judge Releases All 14 Defendants During Initial Hearings

By D.C. Witness Staff - July 8, 2020
Featured | Homicides | Suspects |

On July 8, DC Superior Court Judge James Crowell released all 14 defendants during their initial hearings.

Of the 14 defendants brought before the judge, four had multiple charges. The prosecution also dismissed the charges in three additional cases that were originally scheduled to appear in court.

During the proceedings, one defendant was charged with assault with a dangerous weapon after allegedly attacking a maintenance worker with a knife on July 7. 

Judge Crowell released the defendant and imposed a stay-away order at the prosecution’s request. The defendant is scheduled to return to court on Oct. 7.

Another man was charged with simple assault, attempted threats and the possession of a prohibited weapon after allegedly attempting to stab a man in Malcolm X Meridian Park. According to the victim, the defendant was yelling anti-gay slurs at them during the incident. 

After getting a Spanish interpreter to translate, Judge Crowell released the defendant, imposing a stay-away order from the victim and the park.

Of the three additional defendants facing charges for simple assault, two were also charged with attempted possession of a prohibited weapon. One of the two was also charged with second-degree theft. All three defendants were released with stay-away orders in place. 

The final defendant facing assault charges is charged with assault with intent to commit third-degree sex abuse. The prosecutor requested that the defendant be held in DC Jail due to both the nature of the charge and because of an additional sex abuse charge from January of this year. Judge Crowell denied his request and imposed a stay-away order.

Judge Crowell warned the defendant that if he were to violate the conditions of his release, he would be “unlikely” to get out of jail the next time.

Another defendant was charged with unlawfully possessing a firearm for an incident that occurred in the early hours of July 8. 

The defendant’s attorney argued against there being probable cause for the charge because the only evidence came from a witness that the defendant had just met. According to court documents, a gun discharged from the third floor of an apartment building through the ceiling of the apartment below.

Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) officers investigated an apartment that belonged to the witness, who said that the defendant had accidentally discharged a gun he owned while cleaning it. 

The attorney said the defendant did not claim ownership of the firearm, and suggested that it may have instead been the witness’ gun.

However, Judge Crowell, said there was probable cause. The defendant is released until his next court date with requirements to report every week to pretrial services by phone. 

A defendant charged with resisting arrest was issued a stay-away order from the White House complex. During the offense in question, the defendant allegedly got into an altercation with a person shouting “four more years” on the 800 block of 16th Street, NW, an area recently named Black Lives Matter Plaza.

The stay-away order that was first requested by police for an arrest warrant. Upon learning of the order, the defendant protested that such an action is “unconstitutional.”

Judge Crowell told the defendant that he is free to request that a judge remove the stay-away at a later date. 

One defendant charged with possession of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia was released with no conditions.

Another defendant faced similar charges for carrying a pistol without a license outside of a home or place of business. Judge Crowell released him with a stay-away order from the 900 block of Pennsylvania Avenue, NW and the 600 block of 4th Street, NW.

Two more defendants, one charged with threats to do bodily harm and the other with defacing public or private property, were released before their next hearings with no conditions. Both are scheduled to return to court on Oct. 7.