Judge Continues Hearing to Determine Bail Status for Alleged Sex Abuser

By D.C. Witness Staff - April 7, 2021
Court | Daily Stories | Documents | Homicides |

A DC Superior Court judge continued a hearing that was scheduled to determine a sex abuse defendants detention status after the judge determined he did not have enough information to make an informed ruling.

The 33-year-old defendant is charged with two counts of first-degree sex abuse for two seperate occasions where he allegedly held one victim by gun point and another with a screwdriver. The victims alleged he threatened them with the weapons and forced them into his car where he sexually abused them. The gun was later discovered to be a BB gun.

During the April 7 proceeding, the prosecution asked that the defendant be held.

The prosecution pointed out the defendant was on supervised release and arrested in 2019 for a traffic offence, where he admitted to being intoxicated and that he was looking for the people who killed his cousin during the time of the traffic stop. The prosecutor also said he has a pending case in Maryland for several traffic violations, which also occurred when the defendant was on supervised release.

Defense attorney Kevaan Gardner requested that his client be released. 

Gardner argued that traffic violations do not merit detention and suggested revoking his client’s license. Gardner also said his client had been consistently employed for five years and would be able to continue if he is released and that he was the sole provider for his family. 

The attorney also said  his client has no bench warrants, never missed a court date and only had one criminal conviction that was from a decade ago.

Gardner also said that the prosecution’s case against his client is weak because it’s solely based on DNA evidence and the testimony of a single person: the victim. 

He said the DNA evidence is compromised because the Department of Forensic Sciences (DFS) is under investigation for its practices and that the victim’s statement may not be credible given that she was on heavy drugs at the time of the report.

Judge Neal Kravtiz said he was not in position to speak to the strength of the evidence ot the victim’s credibility. He also said that before he could make a ruling he needed two pieces of information to be clarified.

First, Judge Kravitz said he needed more information on the defendant’s performance during supervised release. He also needed to fully understand the nature of the defendant’s traffic violations. 

Secondly, he said he needed more information on the defendant’s employment and if the defendant does in fact have a guaranteed spot to return to work if he is released.

Judge Kravitz continued the hearing until April 13.