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By
D.C. Witness Staff
- August 28, 2020
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On Aug. 28, DC Superior Court Judge Juliet McKenna released 19 defendants and held seven defendants in DC Jail during their initial hearings.
Judge McKenna held Tyrone Hector, who is charged with involuntary manslaughter for a vehicular accident in which a person on a motorized scooter was killed.
Hector’s defense counsel asked for his release, stating there was no indication he was on drugs or anywhere near the legal limit of alcohol.
She said the police said he was acting disoriented, but they never took him to the hospital even though the impact of the crash was so large that Hector’s windshield was shattered and the motorist’s helmet was inside his car.
She also said Hector has several health conditions, including high blood pressure, making him more susceptible to COVID-19.
Despite these reasons, Judge McKenna held Hector due to his significant criminal history and previous conviction of tampering with a court-ordered GPS monitoring device.
She said she was not confident that he would follow court orders if released.
Judge McKenna also held four individuals who are fugitives from justice from the state of Maryland.
One defendant, Joseph Hurt, is a fugitive from justice with a probation violation for a previous assault conviction. Judge McKenna said she was not inclined to release Hurt, citing that he never reported to his probation officer upon release from incarceration.
The second defendant, Donnie Leake, is a fugitive from justice, with an underlying charge of robbery. Judge McKenna said she was not prepared to release him given the nature of the charge and due to his prior firearms conviction.
The third defendant, Jamaarr Morgan, is a fugitive from justice charged with armed carjacking with a firearm. Due to the nature of the charge, Judge McKenna said she was not comfortable releasing him.
The final defendant, Dominique Hill, is charged with robbery and due to the serious nature of the crime, the judge deemed it necessary she be held.
All four defendants waived their hearings in DC court. Maryland authorities have three business days to pick them up from DC Jail.
A defendant in a domestic violence case, charged with unlawful entry on private property, simple assault and contempt, was also held.
Judge McKenna said the nature of the defendant’s actions were egregious in the case. The defendant was also before the court two weeks ago in another case involving the same complaining witness, showing “utter disregard” for a stay-away order.
Finally, Azion Johnson, charged with assault with a dangerous weapon (a firearm), was held.
The judge made this ruling due to the fact that three individuals were shot and Johnson was found in possession of a high capacity feeding device and ammunition.
Of those released, two defendants were charged with simple assault in domestic violence cases. One of the defendants was hospitalized on Aug. 27 but was able to be in court on Aug. 28. Both defendants were given stay-away orders.
Judge McKenna released two defendants charged with being fugitives from justice with orders to turn themselves in to the demanding jurisdictions by Aug. 31.
Ten misdemeanor cases were presented before Judge McKenna involving charges of simple assault, unlawful entry, second-degree theft, resisting arrest, assault on a police officer, carrying a pistol in a prohibited location and unlawful possession of a controlled substance (PCP). All were released and four were given stay-away orders.
Two defendants charged with felonies were released by the judge. One defendant was charged with carrying a pistol without a license outside of the home or business, and the other was charged with distribution of a controlled substance, which was cocaine.
One defendant was released on a citation, and another defendant was brought in on a bench warrant for failing to appear at his hearing. He was released with a new court date.
A defendant waived his extradition hearing on Aug. 24 for Maryland authorities to pick him up, but he was never retrieved. The prosecution dismissed his case, and Judge McKenna released him.