Five Defendants Held During Initial Hearings

By D.C. Witness Staff - July 16, 2020
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On July 15, DC Superior Court Judge Heide Herrmann held five of 24 defendants during their initial hearings.

Of the 24 defendants scheduled to appear in court, the prosecution dismissed the charges for four individuals. 

During the proceedings, Judge Herrmann held Medahne Tedese who was charged with unlawful possession of a firearm. The judge said her decision was based on two other unlawful possession cases that Tedese is involved in. Charges were filed in one of those cases on July 6. 

Rondell Reed, who was charged with GPS tampering, was released by Judge Herrmann. However, he was held on other matters.

Judge Herrmann also issued a bench warrant for the arrest of a defendant who failed to appear for his hearing. The defendant was charged in March with unlawful possession of liquid PCP, an hallucinatory drug; public intoxication and no permit.

Two defendants also had their initial hearings rescheduled, both domestic violence cases. One, who is charged with attempted threats to do bodily harm, simple assault and two counts of attempted possession of a prohibited weapon, is in the hospital, and is scheduled to appear in court on July 16. 

The other defendant was scheduled to appear in court for two different cases, both with one charge of simple assault, was accidentally released for one charge before the prosecution decided to move forward with the other. The initial hearing was rescheduled for Oct. 14.

In addition to those two defendants, Judge Herrmann heard three other domestic violence cases, releasing all of them. Charges in those cases include simple assault, attempted second-degree cruelty to children and destruction of property less than $1,000. Only one defendant was issued a stay-away order.

Judge Herrmann released a defendant charged with assaulting a police officer. As part of the conditions of his release, the defendant must report to pretrial services once a week by phone. The defendant, who was also charged with carrying a pistol without a license in April, must continue to abide by the conditions of release in that case, as well. 

Five defendants were charged as fugitives from justice, and three were held. The two who were released are both fugitives from Maryland. Both have to report to Maryland authorities or risk being arrested again.

The three fugitive defendants who were held, Antonio Atwater, Reginald Williams and Robert Webb, will wait three business days for authorities from their respective states to retrieve them. Two defendants face underlying charges in Maryland, one for homicide another for aggravated assault. The third faces an underlying parole violation from Pennsylvania.

One man who was charged in 2016 with the unlawful possession of liquid PCP had a bench warrant quashed after his appearance in court. The defendant violated his probation in June of 2019, and after failing to appear in court after the violation, a bench warrant was issued for his arrest. The defendant must now appear on Oct. 14 for his next court date or another warrant will be filed.

Another defendant who was charged with possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance was released with no conditions. 

A defendant charged with kidnapping was released with stay-away orders from the 5400 block of Connecticut Avenue, NW and the alleged victim. The prosecution requested that the defendant be held due to the details of the case and the victim’s “extreme fear” of the defendant. But, Judge Herrmann determined that a stay-away order would be sufficient in ensuring the victim’s safety.

Three additional defendants were brought before Judge Herrmann. They faced charges that include distribution of a controlled substance, attempted threats to do bodily harm and carrying a pistol without a license, respectively. All three were released.