DC Superior Court Judge Rainey Brandt expressed concern on July 6 that she and the Court Services and Offender Supervision Agency (CSOSA) had different end dates for a shooting defendant’s probation.
Aaron Williams, 26, was sentenced to 36 months for assault with a dangerous weapon and 66 months for possession of a firearm during a crime of violence, with all of his time suspended and three years of supervised probation, for his involvement in a shooting on March 24, 2023, at the 100 block of Darrington Street, SE.
During the hearing, CSOSA and Judge Brandt confronted a discrepancy in the official end date of Williams’ probation. While CSOSA proceeded as though Williams would remain under supervision for another year, requesting GPS monitoring and a curfew, Judge Brandt noted that his probation was set to end on Aug. 29.
According to the present probation Officer, Williams had missed several programming dates and drug tests. In addition, the officer cited an arrest in Virginia for mail theft as reason for the extended supervision.
Defense attorney Varsha Govindaraju argued that despite the arrest, Williams had been released immediately and no probable cause had been found in court.
Judge Brandt questioned CSOSA’s end-date, mentioning that the cited violations happened more than a year ago, limiting their scope. She also mentioned that the programming cited by CSOSA had not been ordered as part of the court’s original judgment. While defendants must comply with CSOSA’s supervision requirements, she noted that it is the court that ultimately determines the duration of probation.
As parties deliberated, Judge Brandt expressed concern over the conflicting dates on CSOSA’s part, and said she is inclined to terminate the probation in August as originally planned.
Judge Brandt also noted that the longer defendants remain on probation, the greater the likelihood they will violate its conditions, further reinforcing her inclination to end Williams’ probation as originally scheduled.
Parties are slated to reconvene on Aug.12.
