Judge Issues Bench Warrant After Loss of Contact

By D.C. Witness Staff - July 27, 2020
Court | Daily Stories | Homicides | Suspects | Uncategorized |

A DC Superior Court judge issued a bench warrant for the arrest of a defendant who has become a loss of contact while awaiting his sentencing. 

Bernard Eddy pleaded guilty to carrying a pistol without a license on March 13. As part of his plea agreement with the prosecution, his other charges of possession of an unregistered firearm, unlawful possession of ammunition and possession of a large capacity ammunition feeding device were dropped.

Eddy’s attorney, Christopher Gowen, had no objections to the bench warrant. However, he asked Judge Judith Smith to preserve his client’s eligibility to be sentenced under the Youth Rehabilitation Act (YRA) if there turns out to be a “reasonable justification” for his lack of contact.

A representative with the Court Services and Offender Supervision Agency (CSOSA) told the judge, during the July 27 hearing, that the defendant has not been in contact with them since May 20. 

According to court documents, CSOSA made several attempts to contact Eddy, who also failed to appear for his pre-sentence interview and hearing.

Eddy’s attorney said he was also unaware of the defendant’s whereabouts. He said the phone number he used in the past to contact his client is not working.

Eddy was originally scheduled to be sentenced on May 29; however, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the sentencing was moved to Aug. 24. As of July 27, the sentencing hearing has been cancelled and will take place at a later date. A specific sate has not been set.

Eddy, 20, picked up these charges after Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) officers found him in possession of a handgun and an extended magazine on the 2700 block of Langston Place, SE on Sept 18, 2019.