Judge Issues 4 Bench Warrants During Probation, Pretrial Hearings

By D.C. Witness Staff - October 1, 2020
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DC Superior Court Judge Gerald Fisher issued four bench warrants during the nine pretrial and probation hearings over which he presided on Oct. 1.

The bench warrants were issued for the arrests of Channcy Jones, Marshall Brown, Ronald Davis and Patrick Alexander after they failed to appear in court. 

Chancy Jones is charged with robbery for allegedly taking a victim’s belongings on the 300 block of U Street, NW, in 2019.

Jones, 19, has been a complete loss of contact with Pretrial Services Agency (PSA) since Aug. 17. He had appeared in court on Sept. 27 for a show cause hearing but never contacted PSA after the hearing. 

During the hearing, defense attorney Sharon Weathers contacted the defendant’s relative, who said she put him in an Uber to go to court. Judge Fisher agreed to wait for the defendant to appear. However, after an hour and a half, the judge concluded the hearings and issued a bench warrant.  

Marshall Brown, 44, is charged with threats to do bodily harm, possession of a prohibited weapon, and simple assault. He is also charged with a DUI, operating a vehicle while impaired and driving without a permit in another case. 

Brown’s attorney, Jacqueline Williams, said she did not know where her client is. The PSA said they had no contact with him. 

Ronald Davis is charged with simple assault for allegedly threatening and throwing glass bottles at a store employee on the 1400 block of Capitol Street, NE, in 2019.

Davis, 36, had not contacted PSA since he was released on Aug. 17. Defense attorney Daniel Dorsey got in touch with his client last week, but had not heard from him since then. 

Patrick Alexander is charged with bail violation and possession of a controlled substance in one case. He is also charged with failing to register as a sex offender in another case. 

According to the PSA, Alexander, 60, has been a loss of contact since Sept. 1. He failed to appear at a show cause hearing on Sept. 14 then failed to appear again on Sept. 18. He failed to appear at his third show cause hearing on Oct. 1, leading Judge Fisher to issue a bench warrant in both of his cases. 

Judge Fisher also issued a bench warrant for Donnell Howard for failing to appear. However, 20 minutes after his hearing had ended, Howard appeared outside the courtroom. 

Howard, 54, is charged with distribution of a controlled substance. He was ordered to come to court for failing to report to PSA. 

Defense attorney Rachel Cicurel explained how her client is battling addiction. He had failed to consistently report to PSA but had been in contact with his drug treatment provider. Judge Fisher ordered the defendant to call PSA once a week and continue seeing his drug treatment provider. 

Howard’s next hearing is scheduled for Oct. 29.

Judge Fisher continued a pretrial show cause hearing for a defendant charged with assault with intent to commit robbery. 

Durell Cambell, 30, had been compliant for four months, according to PSA. However, on Sept. 22, Cambell’s GPS monitor had been removed without permission. When the defendant reported to the PSA office for a new GPS monitor, he became aggressive and uncooperative. 

Defense attorneys Ashley Guzman and Dinah Manning asked for their client to be placed on the PSA’s Special Supervision Unit (SSU,) which supervises pretrial defendants with certain psychological disorders, due to his history of compliance and mental health problems. 

Judge Fisher agreed that the defendant had severe mental health problems but decided to keep the defendant on High Intensity Supervision Program (HISP) until his next hearing. Cambell was ordered to report to PSA and have a new GPS monitor installed. 

Campbell’s next hearing is scheduled for Nov. 2.

Omara Hussein, 27, did not have a hearing scheduled but appeared to resolve a bench warrant that was issued on Sept. 10. Hussein was convicted of possession of a controlled substance in June. 

The bench warrant was issued when she was re-arrested while on probation. However, since no charges were filed in the aftermath of her re-arrest, Judge Fisher got rid of the bench warrant.

Hussein’s next show cause hearing is scheduled for Oct. 15.

Michael Morgan appeared in court for a probation show cause hearing. He was convicted of robbery in 2017. 

Morgan was brought in on a parole violation for being rearrested. Apart from the re-arrest, Morgan had complied with his parole conditions, according to Court Services and Offender Supervision Agency (CSOSA). 

Judge Fisher scheduled the defendant’s next probation show cause hearing for April 12, after Morgan’s pending case is resolved. 

Judge Fisher continued a pretrial show cause hearing for Isais Hernandez.

Hernandez, 40, is charged with second-degree burglary. He was summoned to court for a pretrial show cause hearing because he was re-arrested for robbery on Sept. 15, while he was on pretrial release.

Judge Fisher issued a $100 nominal bond for the defendant in the burglary case. However, he will be held on his new case. 

Hernandez will return to court on Feb. 18 for a felony status hearing in his burglary case.