Judge Continues Case After Defendant Fails to Appear

By D.C. Witness Staff - August 1, 2020
Court | Daily Stories | Homicides | Suspects |

A DC Superior Court judge continued a hearing to give a defendant who did not show up to his July 31 hearing another chance to appear in court.

Darrious Sadler, 20, is charged with unlawful possession of a firearm with a prior conviction. Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) officers arrested him on Feb. 25 after they received a report that he had a firearm in his waistband on the 400 block of Rhode Island Avenue, NE. 

Sadler has not been in contact with the Pretrial Services Agency (PSA) since July 7, when he reported to them in-person and verified his address. Since then, he has allegedly violated the conditions of his pretrial release on multiple occasions.

A PSA representative told Judge Julie Becker that Sadler routinely left his house, sometimes going to stores but often to other people’s residences, despite having a home confinement order. 

“He is in serious violation of his home confinement condition,” the representative said.

The prosecution requested a bench warrant, arguing that Sadler had “unilaterally taken himself off of home confinement.”

However, Kevin Robertson, Sadler’s attorney, objected to the bench warrant. Robertson said he has been trying to get in touch with his client’s father, but they have been unable to speak prior to the July 31 proceeding. He said he believes that, if he is given more time, he could get into contact with the defendant without a bench warrant being issued.

Judge Becker granted the defense’s request, pointing to the defendant’s continued use of his GPS monitoring device as evidence that he might not be aware of the seriousness of his violations.

Sadler will have to appear in court on Aug. 7. Judge Becker said that his failure to do so would likely leave her no other choice than to issue a bench warrant for his arrest.