A sexual abuse defendant rejected a prosecutor’s offer to plead guilty to a lesser charge.
In March 2021, the victim met with officers in the lobby of a NoMa apartment complex, according to court documents. She said she turned the defendant away when he asked to come to her apartment for a drink earlier that day. After she encountered him for a second time, he allegedly forced his way into her home, beat her and sexually assaulted her at knifepoint.
The defendant was apprehended that same day and is currently charged with first-degree sexual abuse while armed.
He rejected a plea offer on Feb. 2 and is looking to go to trial. This case was previously set to go to trial in January but it was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. DC Superior Court Chief Judge Anita-Josey Herring issued an order on Dec. 30, 2021, that new jury trials scheduled through Feb. 11 be continued to the earliest possible date after the 11th.
Judge Milton Lee set a status hearing for April 18.
