Judge Releases 17 Out of 19 Defendants During Initial Hearings

By D.C. Witness Staff - June 20, 2020
Court | Daily Stories | Homicides | Suspects |

District of Columbia Superior Court Judge Sean Staples released 17 defendants and held two during initial hearings on June 19.

Three other defendants were released because the prosecution did not file charges.

One defendant was given a citation and released.

Lionell Shackelford is charged with one count of escape for leaving the halfway house Hope Village on April 7. Shackelford was housed there on a work release program for another pending case in which he is charged with assault with intent to commit robbery.

In the other case, Shackelford allegedly attempted to steal money and a car from an individual, assaulting him with a gun and threatening to kill him.

Judge Staples found probable cause and found Shackelford to be a flight risk. Shackelford is being held without bail.

Anthony Coleman was held on charges of possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance while armed and unlawful possession of a firearm. 

Coleman claims that he returned fire at a vehicle that was shooting at him, and he also notified officers that he had cocaine on his person. The white powder tested positive for cocaine.

Judge Staples found probable cause and a presumption of dangerousness due to Coleman’s felony case from 2015.

Coleman’s defense attorney, Raymond Jones, argued that Coleman’s felony case is old and that he maintained compliance on supervised release. He also noted that Coleman lives with his mother and 12-year old daughter.

Nevertheless, Judge Staples decided to hold Coleman, citing his felony conviction.

One defendant, charged with being a fugitive from justice out of the state of Maryland for armed robbery, was released with instructions from the judge to turn himself in to Maryland authorities.

The prosecution requested a hold for a defendant charged with contempt in a domestic violence case, citing another ongoing domestic violence case.

Judge Staples reminded the defendant of his stay-away order and released him after confirming his ability to stay away from the individual.

A defendant charged with carrying a pistol without a license was released by the judge because he has no other criminal history. Judge Staples ordered the man to have no firearms on him in DC at all.

Prosecution did not oppose the release of a defendant charged with one count of assault in a domestic violence case, so Judge Staples released him with a stay-away order from the victim.

A defendant, charged with failing to register as a sex offender, was released by the judge with instructions to register as a sex offender. The prosecution requested the defendant be placed in the high intensity supervision program (HISP), but the judge said he did not need strict supervision.

A defendant charged with carrying a shotgun outside of the home was released. Judge Staples said he found a presumption of dangerousness but released the man because he had no criminal history.

A woman charged with one count of assault for allegedly hitting another woman was released with a stay-away from the victim. He noted her pending misdemeanor assault case and instructed her to get screened for placement in mental health services.

A defendant charged with unlawful possession with the intent to distribute a controlled substance while armed was released because she admitted to having a firearm in her room. The woman has no prior criminal history. Judge Staples instructed the woman to phone pretrial services once a week.

A defendant, charged with lewd, indecent, or obscene acts for indecently from exposing himself outside the Denny’s located at 4445 Benning Rd., NE was released with a stay away order from an individual and the Denny’s. 

A defendant was arrested on a bench warrant for failing to appear in an ongoing case from 2017 and released by the judge with instructions to appear at her next hearing scheduled on Sept. 21.

The prosecution requested the judge hold a defendant charged with one count of assault due to a recent case out of Maryland, but Judge Staples declined to hold him stating that he was recently released with no pending warrant.

The judge ordered a stay-away from an individual and 500 block of H Street, NE. He ordered the defendant to report to his supervision officer by phone within 24 hours of release and served him with a restraining order in reference to the same individual.

The judge released a defendant charged with unlawful entry, destruction of property and assault in a domestic violence case. Prosecution did not oppose his release, but requested a stay-away order from an individual and the 100 block of S Street, NW. 

The judge granted the stay-away order with a modification to allow a third party individual to communicate between the defendant and the victim for visitation with the defendant’s daughter who lives with the victim.

A man charged with one count of assault and one count of indecent exposure in a domestic violence case was released with a stay-away order from an individual and a specific location per the prosecution’s request.

A man charged with assault and unlawful entry in a domestic violence case was released with a stay-away order per the prosecution’s request. The judge ordered a police escort for the man to collect his belongings at the location of the stay-away order.

A defendant charged with one count of assault was released with a stay-away order from an individual. The prosecution did not oppose release.

A man charged with second-degree child sexual abuse was released. The man allegedly inappropriately touched a minor living in his house. The prosecution opposed releasing the defendant because of alleged threats he made to the victim days before.

The defense attorney argued for placing the defendant under the high intensity supervision program (HISP), noting that he was already approved for HISP by pretrial. 

The judge found no presumption of dangerousness and released him into HISP with 24-hour home confinement and a stay-away order from the victim and two addresses.

One final defendant was arrested on a bench warrant from a pending misdemeanor case from 2019. Judge Staples released the individual with instructions to return to court on Sept. 21.