Judge Holds Seven Defendants During Initial Hearings

By D.C. Witness Staff - November 3, 2020
Featured | Homicides | Suspects |

On Nov. 2, DC Superior Court Judge Heide Herrmann held seven defendants in DC Jail and released 35 defendants during initial hearings.

Edwin Pritchett, 26, is charged with distribution of a controlled substance while armed, possession with intent to distribute and possession of a firearm with a prior conviction. The offense occurred on Nov. 1 on the 6100 block of Dix Street, NE and was a part of a “buy/bust” operation being performed by the Narcotics and Special Investigations Division’s (NSID) Narcotics Enforcement Unit (NEU). 

Although Judge Herrmann agreed that Pritchett doesn’t have a long criminal history, with the exception of one case, she chose to deny the defendant’s request for release due to allegations of the defendant being armed while distributing cocaine. Pritchett will be held at DC Jail. 

Antoine Gaskins, 31 is charged with a bail violation for failing to appear in court in a pending misdemeanor case. He is also charged as a fugitive from justice, where he is wanted in Maryland for homicide.

Additionally, Gaskins was brought in on three bench warrants for failing to appear in court and for failing to return to the DC jail after being released to attend the birth of his child. 

The defense argued that his newborn was going through heart problems in the hospital which required Gaskins to provide for the family. However, due to the alleged homicide occurring during his release from the jail, the judge decided to hold him until his next hearing.

Nicholas Lightfoot was brought before the court in two separate cases. In his first case, he is charged with being a fugitive from justice on a warrant for his arrest for vehicle theft in Minnesota. In his second case, Lightfoot, 36, is charged with assault with a dangerous weapon. 

Judge Herrmann released Lightfoot on his fugitive charge but decided that because of his previous convictions of armed robbery and carrying a pistol without a license,  he is better off held due to the danger he poses.

A 32-year-old defendant, who is charged with contempt for a domestic violence case, was held in DC Jail until his next hearing.

The defendant was required to use a GPS monitor to track his location but never got it installed and was deemed a loss of contact by the Pretrial Services Agency (PSA). Four bench warrants were also issued for his arrest for failing to appear at his hearings.

Judge Herrmann held him in all of his cases.

James Penn, 45, is charged with unlawful possession of a firearm with a prior conviction. He is also charged as a fugitive from Maryland for a dangerous drugs charge. 

The defense argued for Penn’s release, saying he hadn’t had a violent offense since 1995. Herrmann said, due to the fact that he had multiple zipped bags of crack cocaine in his possession as well as a firearm, she believed Penn was looking to distribute.

The judge decided to hold him in both cases until his next hearing.

Charles Farmer, 22, is charged with unlawful possession of a firearm with a prior conviction as well as possession of a large capacity ammunition feeding device. Police arrested Farmer near the 2000 block of Savannah Terrace, SE after spotting what ended up being a pistol in his pants. He also has an active fugitive case against him from the state of Maryland for a weapons charge.

Defense counsel requested Farmer’s release, saying he has been regularly taking drug tests, pursuing education and looking for employment while on probation.

But, Judge Herrmann decided to hold Farmer in DC Jail based on his previous weapons charge as he is not allowed to possess a firearm because of it.

Judge Herrmann also held Tayron Farrar, who is a fugitive from Maryland, where he is wanted for armed robbery.

Given the danger of the alleged offense, Judge Herrmann said she was not inclined to release the defendant, so Farrar waived his extradition hearing in DC in order to give Maryland authorities three business days to pick him up from the jail.

Of those released, eight defendants were charged in domestic violence cases. The charges included simple assault, possession of  a prohibited weapon, violation of a Temporary Protective Order (TPO) and assault with a dangerous weapon. All of the defendants were either given stay away orders or orders not to harass, assault, threaten or stalk (HATS) the victims.

Judge Herrmann also released six defendants with fugitive charges. Five of the defendants are wanted in Maryland and one is wanted in Virginia. All were ordered to turn themselves into the demanding jurisdictions as soon as possible.

Five defendants charged with misdemeanors, four defendants charged with felonies, two defendants charged with traffic offenses and three defendants brought in on bench warrants for failing to appear were released.

Release conditions included reporting to PSA, stay away orders, not possessing any firearms or ammunition, enrollment into the High Intensity Supervision Program (HISP) and no driving after consuming alcohol or drugs.

Seven additional defendants were released on citations for misdemeanor charges. They are all scheduled to return to court in April of 2021.

Two final defendants, one charged with being a fugitive from justice and one charged with simple assault, are in the hospital, so their cases were continued to Nov. 3.

This article was written by Andrew Douglas and Krystin Roehl