Judge Denies Prosecutor’s Emergency Motion in Sex Abuse Case

By D.C. Witness Staff - January 10, 2022
Court | Daily Stories | Sex Abuse | Sexual Assault | Suspects | Victims |

A DC Superior Court judge denied a prosecutor’s emergency motion to change the bond conditions of a sex abuse and kidnapping defendant currently on pretrial release.

The 60-year-old defendant is charged with kidnapping and second-degree child sex abuse for allegedly sexually assaulting his 11-year-old neighbor while her mother was not home.

The prosecutor in the case had filed an emergency motion due to becoming aware of a flight to Ethiopia the defendant had planned. During the Jan. 7 hearing, they said the defendant was a flight risk and asked for his release conditions to be altered to specifically state he is not allowed to leave the United States.

Defense attorney Jacqueline Williams rebutted, saying the defendant had a flight back. He said the defendant had gone to the courthouse on his own and told multiple people about the trip, including a detective. She said he plans on visiting his ailing parent while there.

“That does not sound like the type of person who’s trying to flee or hide,” Williams said, adding that the defendant had been in compliance with all his pretrial release conditions.

Judge Robert Okun denied this motion, saying it would not make sense to limit his conditions at this time.

Another hearing is scheduled for Jan. 25 in this case.