Judge Holds 10 Defendants, Releases 12 During Initial Hearings

By D.C. Witness Staff - November 20, 2020
Daily Stories | Homicides | Suspects | Victims |

On Nov. 19, DC Superior Court Judge Renee Raymond held 10 defendants and released 12 during initial hearings.

Kyrie Wells, 18, is held on a charge of first-degree murder while armed for his alleged role in the death of 25-year-old Anthony Lee on the 2900 block of Martin Luther King, Jr. Avenue, SE on Sept. 26. Wells was arrested on Nov. 18. Judge Raymond found probable cause and held Wells due to the severity of the alleged crime.

“I do find that no conditions or combination of conditions will ensure the safety of the community, therefore he will be detained,” the judge said.

Riquina Battle, 33, is being held on charges of robbery and assault with significant bodily injury for allegedly assaulting an individual on a bus on the 2500 block of Branch Avenue, SE. The judge held Battle due to her history of assaultive charges.

A domestic violence defendant is held on charges of contempt and attempted threats to do bodily harm for violating his release conditions in another domestic violence case. Judge Raymond held him due to his failure to comply with previous stay away orders and the repetitive and violent nature of his previous domestic violence charges.

If the defendant is released in the future, he is ordered to stay away from the victims and their home, to not harass, assault, threaten or stalk (HATS) the victims, and to not own a firearm or ammunition. 

Devone Foote, 38, is held on a probation violation after being charged with unlawful possession of liquid PCP on Nov. 19. Foote allegedly committed the offense while on supervised probation for a 2017 case in which he was convicted of a felony. He was held due to the violent nature of the felony as well as his other recent charges involving intoxication.

A domestic violence defendant is held on a charge of simple assault due to a series of domestic violence charges in the past two years, particularly due to three alleged domestic violence incidents that occured in July. The defendant has also been ordered to stay away from the victim and their residence if he is released in the future.

“What I see is that there are three [domestic violence] cases with the same complaining witness within a short period of time,” said Judge Raymond while making her decision to hold the defendant.

Another domestic violence defendant is held on charges of simple assault and contempt for violating his release conditions. He allegedly committed the offense while on release in a pending domestic violence case involving the same victim. 

“My concern is that there are no conditions or combination of conditions that would ensure the safety of the community, specifically this complaining witness” said Judge Raymond. “I also note that [the defendant] has been out of compliance with reporting to pretrial services.”

Justin Covington, 33, is held on a bench warrant after failing to appear at a hearing for a case in which he is charged with GPS tampering for failing to charge his monitoring device. Judge Raymond held him due to his failure to comply with pretrial release conditions including many instances of failing to appear. 

Nathaniel Davis, 64, is released on his recent charge of unlawful entry onto private property for allegedly entering a Home Depot unlawfully on Nov. 19. However, he allegedly violated parole in another case and is being held to deal with his parole matter.

Andre Wiggins, 42, is held in multiple new and pending cases involving charges of unlawful possession of liquid PCP, simple assault, violating bail and possession of a controlled substance. He is released in a new case in which he is charged with driving under the influence, operating a vehicle while impaired and no permit with an order not to drive at all. 

A domestic violence defendant is held on charges of attempted threats to do bodily harm, simple assault, attempted possession of a prohibited weapon and second-degree theft. The defendant allegedly committed the offense while on release in another domestic violence case in which he is charged with simple assault and destruction of property. He is held to ensure the safety of the community and the alleged victim, who is the same in both cases.

Three defendants charged with felonies were released on their personal recognizance. One was also given a stay away order and another was also given an order not to own any firearms or ammunition in DC while their case is pending.

Three defendants charged as fugitives from justice were released with orders to report to their demanding jurisdictions. They must resolve their matters in other states by their next court date in DC.

Three domestic violence defendants were released. Two of them were ordered to stay away from the victims and the victims’ residences, one of whom was also ordered to get a GPS monitor. The third defendant was given a no HATS order  in relation to the victim, but is allowed to return to their shared residence.

Finally, three defendants charged with misdemeanors were released on personal recognizance, and they were all given stay away orders.

This article was written by Maansi Srivastava.