Defendant Accepts ‘Very Generous’ Plea Offer

By D.C. Witness Staff - July 8, 2020
Court | Daily Stories | Homicides | Suspects |

A defendant accepted a plea deal in exchange for reduced charges on July 7. He was sentenced to time in jail.

Yusef Barrie was charged with assault with a dangerous weapon and unlawful possession of a firearm on Dec. 16, 2019, for assault with a dangerous weapon. Two days earlier, at around 4:30 p.m., Barrie allegedly pulled out and discharged the weapon during a verbal argument on the 800 block of O Street, NW. No injuries were reported.

On Jan. 31, Barrie pleaded guilty to attempted assault with a dangerous weapon and unlawful possession. The deal would require Barrie to serve a straight time sentence due to his criminal history and the seriousness of crime.

During sentencing, DC Superior Court Judge Michael O’Keefe said the prosecution was offering “a very generous plea offer” for Barrie’s “unbelievable lack of judgement.”

Barrie was sentenced to 2 years and 3 months in prison and 3 years of supervised release for the attempted assault charge. He was also sentenced to one year and 6 months for the unlawful possession charge. The sentences are set to run concurrently.