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By
D.C. Witness Staff
- July 30, 2020
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A DC Superior Court judge continued a hearing for a defendant who failed to appear in court.
Jason Washington is charged with second-degree theft and second-degree burglary for allegedly stealing items from a store on the 4400 block of Benning Road, NE on Dec. 21, 2019, Jan. 20, and Feb. 24. He was arrested for the thefts on April 2.
A hearing was scheduled for July 30 to address Washington’s issues complying with his pretrial release conditions. Notices of noncompliance were filed on May 29, July 16 and July 20.
However, Washington failed to appear at the hearing.
The defendant was released on April 2 with GPS tracking device and the condition that he reports weekly to the Pretrial Services Agency (PSA) . He failed to charge his GPS or report to pretrial services.
A PSA officer said that Washington has been rearrested four times in Prince George’s County since his release, which may have contributed to the loss of contact.
Defense attorney Adam Hunter said the loss of contact may also be due to changes in procedure with the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I have been having difficulty with not just this client, but all of them, on getting good information including proper addresses and actual cell phone numbers that are working,” Hunter said.
Judge Julie Becker said if the defendant fails to appear at the next hearing, a bench warrant will be issued for his arrest.
Washington’s next hearing is scheduled for Aug. 11.